LOTUSA's Darryl Fuhrman previews Turkey for Heroes 2025

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Joining us now in the studio is Darryl Furman, who
is the president and founder of Letterman of the USA.
And Daryl, welcome back in. Good to see I just
applaud the work you do. I follow you closely on
social media and what you guys are doing, and I'm
here for you anytime you want to come in and
promote helping veterans, and you guys have certainly done incredible
things with veterans in our community.

Speaker 2 (00:19):
It's good to see again. Good to see you, JT.

Speaker 3 (00:20):
And thanks for having us on the show this morning.

Speaker 1 (00:22):
Yeah, I've got a guest a little bit later this
morning when I get your thoughts on this real quick,
and then we're going to talk about the big Turkey event.
And you've got coming up here, but we're going to
be talking with someone coming up at about eight forty
this morning. I didn't realize this. The United States only
has eighteen mental health beds per one hundred thousand people.
And we talk about how we need to really focus on,

(00:43):
you know, when it comes to shootings or veterans needs
or the homeless people mental health out there.

Speaker 2 (00:48):
Huge problem. It is a problem.

Speaker 3 (00:50):
So and it goes back to the seventies and it
goes back to when there were certain judges that basically
said let them all out, and that's what happen, and
that's the problem. And a lot of people don't know that.
They don't realize that this was a federal I guess
judge's order that cost all this. I can't remember the

(01:11):
gentleman's name, but I know people that participated in shutting
these facilities down and what went into it.

Speaker 1 (01:19):
Well, we've got a situation in Tuscalosa with BRACE. I mean,
it was a mental health hospital that's abandoned and the
building I think is still standing, not the one on campus,
but the hospital that's off campus. But we've got a
major problem with mental health in our country now, and
that includes with veterans that come back with PTSD. It's
very traumatic going through some of the things active duty

(01:40):
members do.

Speaker 3 (01:41):
It all inter relates with the veterans, the PTSD, the
CTE football players, Chronic traumatic encephialothropy is a big deal,
and there's a lot of things going on out there
behind the scenes. I will say this, I know this
for a fact. They're one biomarker away from being able
to diagnose this. While you're still living and treat it

(02:01):
and yes, and that's whore. That's well, that's that's for
another day for us to come back and talk about.

Speaker 2 (02:07):
But this is okay, this is this is something the
Letterman is going to be.

Speaker 3 (02:11):
The Letterman, you'll say, is focused on and we are
going to be moving towards that probably in the first
quarter next year.

Speaker 1 (02:18):
All right, let's talk about a Letterman of the USA.
What that is all about for listeners that have just
not heard much about it. What do you guys do
and what's the big turkey event coming up?

Speaker 3 (02:26):
Well, the Elevator Speech is where a national five oh
one three c nonprofit organization that raises money for veterans
and just happens to be former collegiate athletes and coaches.
Since twenty twelve, we have impacted fourteen hundred veterans in
their families' lives.

Speaker 2 (02:45):
At part mart jobs, anything they need.

Speaker 3 (02:48):
You. When you look at when you look at State
Alabama now and it's it's really starting to happen. You've
seen it happen in real time. December is our fourteenth anniversary.

Speaker 2 (02:57):
Wow, it doesn't seem like I know crazy fast.

Speaker 3 (03:01):
I've been coming to see you about a decade now,
this about.

Speaker 2 (03:03):
It just incredible. What's the big event coming up?

Speaker 3 (03:06):
So the big event coming up is Turkeys for Heroes.
It's our third annual Turkeys for Heroes. Elaine will tell
you when we first started this we only did sixty
six plates. This year we're going to two hundred and
fifty and hast Johnson, my teammate from the University of
Alabama's smoking one hundred and twenty pounds of turkey. Meets

(03:26):
telling me that if I do four ounces, I can
feed four hundred people.

Speaker 1 (03:29):
Wow, that's just incredible. So where is all this taking place?
How can people be involved? What can they do?

Speaker 3 (03:34):
That's a great question. Of course, you can go to
lot USA dot org and sign up to be a
volunteer this lotusa dot org. A page will come up
and hit you and I'll tell you all the information.
But we're gonna be partnering with the Birmingham Veteran Vet Center.
We're gonna be partnering with the VA this year. We're
gonna be partnering with Suicide Prevention and hud VASH. We're

(03:54):
gonna be partnering Porty Veteran We're gonna be partnering with
Volunteers of America. Were can partnering with our host, Kelly
Ingram Veterans of Foreign Wars Post sixty six eight. We're
gonna be partnering with American Legion two five five. And
I may have left somebody out, and oh, I want
to say one thing. The people that are gonna be
making the sides, the chef Geary and Chef Geary has

(04:17):
empowerment chef and these are disabled people that are gonna
be making the sides for this this year.

Speaker 2 (04:22):
Is this open for the public to get involved in?

Speaker 3 (04:24):
Yes, just go to lot USA dot org. Yeah, you
can volunteer. This is not closed to the public. We
need volunteers. We're gonna need drivers. We're going to two
fifty from one thirty three the last year. It's the
twenty first of February, and it will be again at
the Kelly Ingram Veterans of Foreign Wars Post six six eight.
I think we're gonna try to start getting meals out

(04:44):
about one o'clock a lane, is that right?

Speaker 2 (04:46):
One o'clock to It's a Turkey event in February. No,
this is Friday.

Speaker 3 (04:50):
Okay, it's Friday, February. No, No, No, I'm sorry, I
did say February, right, I got that on my mind.
But it's November twenty first, this Friday, so we gotta
get going.

Speaker 2 (05:01):
To get going now.

Speaker 1 (05:01):
If you're interested in helping veteran yeah, yeah, yeah, like
a volunteer, love to have.

Speaker 2 (05:05):
You and help out let them in the USA LO
t USA dot org.

Speaker 3 (05:09):
That is how many two and twenty yep, so we
last year we did one hundred and thirty three. Yeah,
we started out sixty six the first year, and this
year we're going to two hundred and fifty.

Speaker 2 (05:20):
Okay, awesome.

Speaker 3 (05:21):
And like I said, Hall said, who has the organization
called score? He asked me if I would mention that
hass goes around the world and teaches little Jewish boys
and little Christian boys and little Muslim boys to play
football together.

Speaker 2 (05:34):
And I see you brought a big Alabama football that is.

Speaker 3 (05:37):
That is for what's coming up in the first quarter.
But we this is one of our many new props. Okay,
and this is going to be when we get into
all the CTE stuff.

Speaker 1 (05:46):
Yeah, okay, great, And then your big gala.

Speaker 3 (05:48):
Our big gala is on the twenty seventh of February.

Speaker 2 (05:52):
That's the February I had.

Speaker 3 (05:54):
I'm sorry, I got it on my mind there too.

Speaker 2 (05:57):
That's true.

Speaker 3 (05:58):
Well, now we're speaking short ribs under that JJ, but
it'll be on the twenty seventh of February twenty twenty six.
Our military honoree is United States Marine Corps staff Sergeant
Alan Cook. Allen served with Saint Sean Ryan.

Speaker 2 (06:12):
Oh wow.

Speaker 3 (06:13):
He worked with him after the Marines, and then none
other than the phil General himself for the Unblemish nineteen
seventy nine national championship. Also was the host of The
Bear Bryant Show.

Speaker 2 (06:30):
Okay, okay, wow, Sheila.

Speaker 1 (06:32):
You just to connect it to everybody, don't you.

Speaker 2 (06:34):
You know what?

Speaker 3 (06:35):
I grew up an Auburn fann you believe that? What? Yeah,
my dad was a huge Auburn fan.

Speaker 2 (06:40):
Well you played for Obama. I know.

Speaker 3 (06:42):
My mom and my brother were both Alabama and my
brother was an undergraduate down there in the last school.

Speaker 1 (06:48):
I got to get your thoughts then, I mean, your
family divided. Alabama just lost to Oklahoma. Well, what kind
of changes the whole luck of the youth. You got
to get a running game, don't we. Well, what the
heck's gonna happen at the Iron bol Man has anybody's quest, right,
I mean, and it could go either way.

Speaker 3 (07:02):
Remember I was on the nineteen eighty five team. I
know that kicked the famous Phil go Van Tiffin.

Speaker 2 (07:08):
Oh that's right, I mean that was a well I
got to tell you.

Speaker 1 (07:11):
This year's ironbul it's at Auburn, so I mean anything.

Speaker 3 (07:15):
Like nineteen eighty nine Iron bowld All.

Speaker 1 (07:17):
Right, well a pleasure, thanks buddy. Once again, lo ot
USA dot org, dot gorg dot org.

Speaker 2 (07:23):
Check it out.

Speaker 1 (07:24):
Turkey Day coming up this Turkey's for Heroriday is the event.

Speaker 2 (07:27):
So dar all good to see it. Thinkt's see you.
I appreciate you coming in