An Army of Normal Folks - Yuri Williams: The Superhero Doing 50 State Tours (Pt 2)

Episode Date: July 23, 2024

After losing his mom to cancer, Yuri was depressed and strangely enough found hope when he created an Instagram account. Posts from Army members Officer Tommy Norman and Rodney Smith lifted his spirits, and he even badgered Rodney to join one of his 50 state tours. Next thing you know these guys have gone on 5 Christmas tours together, with Yuri dressed up as a superhero bringing presents to kids with illnesses or disabilities.  Support the show: https://www.normalfolks.us/premiumSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hey guys, it's Bill Courtney with an Army of Normal, folks. And we continue now with part two of our conversation with Uri Williams, right after these brief messages from our generous sponsors. I'm Andrea Gunning, host of the all new podcast, There and Gone. It's a real life story of two people who left a crowded Philadelphia bar, walked to their truck and vetted their podcast, There and Gone. It's a real life story of two people who left a crowded Philadelphia bar, walked to their truck, and vanished.

Nobody hears anything. Nobody sees anything. Did they run away? Was it an accident, or were they murdered? A truck and two people just don't disappear. The FBI called it murder for hire. It was definitely murder for hire for Danielle, not for Richard.

He's your son, and in your eyes he's innocent, but in my eyes he's just some guy my sister was with. In this series, I dig into my own investigation to find answers for the families and get justice

for Richard and Danielle. Listen to There and Gone South Street on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hello, from Wonder Media Network, I'm Jenny Kaplan, host of Womanica, a daily podcast that introduces you to the fascinating lives of women history has forgotten. This month, we're bringing you the stories of athletes.

There's the Italian race car driver who courted danger and became the first woman to compete in Formula One. The sprinter who set a world record and protested racism and discrimination in the U.S. and around the world in the 1960s. The diver, who was barred from swimming clubs due to her race and went on to become the first Asian-American woman to win an Olympic medal. She won gold twice. The mountaineer, known in the Chinese press as the tallest woman in the world. And the ancient Greek charioteer, who exploited a loophole to become the first ever woman to compete at the Olympic Games. Listen to Wamanica on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever only on Hulu. Don't miss. Big Sean, Camila Cabello, Doja Cat, Gwen Stefani, Hozier, Keith Urban, New Kids on the Block,

Paramore, Shaboosie, The Black Crows, Thomas Rhett, Victoria Monet, and more. Get tickets to our 2024 iHeartRadio Music Festival, presented by Capital One right now, before they sell out. At aexs.com. now before they sell out at AXS.com. So you came up with an idea

that you want to serve the elderly children, veterans and the homeless and. And you want to do it in all 50 states. And at this point, I guess you gotta raise some money and you gotta start your 501C3 and you started a future superhero and friends. A future superhero and friends. Explain that. I came up with that name because at the time I didn't feel like I was a

superhero at the time. So I said, Hey, future superhero. And the people that would come either my friends or the volunteers. So that's how a future superhero and friends came about. And the first two are Spider-Man. The second was Deadpool. You've been a Christmas Scout Trooper with Rodney Trist, it's an elf. Yeah.

Oh my God. You gotta see it. I don't wanna see that. And Santa Lauren? Yeah, Santa Lauren. Santa Lauren, that's the Star Wars. Yeah, Mandalorian, but a Santa Claus version. So how many times have you and Rodney gone around this country,

cutting grass and visiting people dressed as superheroes? And by the way, I would have killed when we were with Rodney to know that he was an elf helper. That's hilarious. Anyway, how many times have you gone across country now? Five times. And hoping for six this year, That's hilarious. Anyway, how many times have you gone across country now? Five times, and hoping for six this year if we ever raise some money.

Five times. Tell me, tell me kind of what that, how long does that tour, how long does it take? What does it look like? How do you get there? You must be going and drop, tell me what a tour looks like. What does it look like? How do you get there? You must be going and drop. Tell me what a tour looks like.

So we start off posting on Instagram. I've always created GoFundMe accounts. And how we go about it is we'll post something saying, if you have a child with disabilities, special needs, or those been in life during the illnesses to fill out this form. So we've had probably last Christmas like over a thousand submissions. So we have to raffle each. A thousand.

And I mean, it's probably more than that because you know, Christmas time people are hurting and they wanna give their kids something for Christmas or whatever. So we'll just have to raffle off some names because we can't service everybody. We don't have that much money. So, you know, we'll raffle off, we'll just have to raffle off some names because we can't service everybody. We don't have that much money. So, you know, we'll raffle off.

We'll call you, say, Bill, your son is the winner for Hope for the Holidays. That's what the tourists call Hope for the Holidays. And you're a winner. So we want to come by your house if that's okay. So 2022, we've had a buddy of mine, Nate, film this whole 50-State Tour, so people can actually see. We don't sleep, we drive for like eight hours, we go make this visit, we go buy toys,

and we go to sleep probably for four hours, and it's time to get up by six or seven and just do the same thing over and over and over for like 20 to 25 days. So are you taking leave from work to do that? Yeah, yeah, this is my. Um, 25 days probably, but you make 50 states in 25 days. Ronnie is a master of that. So you gotta talk to him about it.

He just driving. Are y'all on a ride lawnmower or car? A car. I didn't know if John Deere was sponsoring this trip. So I've seen videos and photos. I've watched them. I watched them this morning. It is phenomenal when you show up dressed as, what I saw you were dressed as something with some,

you had a Christmas lights around your neck. Was that some- Son of the Lord, probably, or was it a red helmet? Chris Bounds Yes. Darrell Bock That was last year's tour. Yeah, the biker scout. Chris Bounds Okay, you were that dude. Darrell Bock Yeah. Chris Bounds Right. And when the door opens, you see this little

four or five, six year old kid, One child I saw was clearly a down child. Another kid, his mama had his hair, I don't know what you call it, where the tips are a little brown, but it was all up like this. He was the cutest kid in the world and he had a cleft palate. And then there was a child in a wheelchair,

but clearly these were our children who had suffered and not been able to enjoy what we would consider just a normal average childhood. And to watch them jumping up and down with these massive smiles on their face, I mean, literally out of their little freaking minds, ecstatic and then your big six foot four self. On all the videos I saw, you got on one knee and you knelt down, you got on their level and you looked them in the eyes and the audio wasn't there.

So I assume you're saying Merry Christmas or Happy Birthday or whatever, and we're giving them toys and they're bouncing all over the place. It was the simple, those videos are, what they show me is just a simplest form of joy. What does it make you feel like? I gotta tell you, Bill, it's hard to explain. I guess that energy just, it comes inside of me and it just keeps me going till the next day. And I need that to not make me go back

to that dark tunnel I was in because that state will kill you. You know, I could have almost been homeless the way that I was struggling with that, but I had it under control, you know, I would talk to people and, you know, people were there for me, but I just can't, I don't wanna go back to that depression state.

So this is my calling and I'm gonna do whatever I can to keep this nonprofit alive. Those kids are hugging you. Those kids are, I mean. They need that, you know. You're a Yuri, right? You're a dude. You're a 47 year old grown man dude.

But when you're in that, you are what they see on TV. You are the real deal to them. And I mean, it's like Santa Claus on a Stormtrooper outfit or something. I mean, it's amazing. And so you are literally doing this in a state. I guess Rodney's either dressed as an elf or cutting some grass somewhere.

No, he's with me. We don't cut grass during the holidays. I was kidding, but you know what I mean. And so, and y'all jump in the car and you're rolling to the next state. Are you doing sometimes two, three states in a day? Yeah. And once we get to the East coast, you know, you can bounce around because

the states are pretty close. We got a couple of closings around here, but once we get through Texas, that's a long haul through Nevada. And then you get to California. Then we go up and bounce back and come back towards the East coast. You're even doing the Dakotas. Everything. All 50, we have to do all 50

or it's not a mission complete. Alaska, Hawaii. Yes. You were literally going to Hawaii for a 30 minute visit with a child and then leaving. Well, Rodney hates Hawaii, but I love it. He hates Hawaii? Why does he hate, he had no grass to cut.

He's from Bermuda, so it's another island. I see. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And I hate Alaska, so I like, let's hurry up and get up out of here, man. Why? It's just, I don't know, it's just always dark. It's cold, too.

It's cold, too. I bet dressed as a Spider-Man outfit in Alaska, you ain't even been, you're freezing. Right, right. I never wore that one again. So give me one of your more memorable visits. I know it's I'm not going to say your favorite because there can't be a favorite.

But but tell me tell me what tell me about a memorable visit to a child's house. Let me give you two. This last tour. Well, 2022, we went to Chicago. Let me give you two. This last tour, well, 2022, we went to Chicago. That area of Chicago that we were in is a bad area, you know? So we parked there, and I've heard stories

about Chicago, this and that, but you know, I'm from LA, so a hood is a hood, or whatever. So we go in there, and I'm here, like I told Rodney, man, we're here to make these families happy. Are you getting out of this car dressed as this thing? Yeah. So what are you dressed as? At that time it was the one that you saw,

the scout trooper with the red helmet. So you're pulling up in the hood, gangland, popping out the car dressed like that. There's gangland right there, yes. And dressed like that. Yeah, yeah. But I mean, this is- Are people looking at you like you are out of your mind?

Like I'm crazy, you know? But I tell the people like, hey bro, we're here for this, we're not here for no nonsense, like, and they respect that, you know? That's cool. Yeah, and they, people know we not, I'm dressed up, I'm not a gang member

looking like a stormtrooper. They're not like, this is not a new gang or the stormtrooper gang or whatever. But they leave you alone. Yeah. Yeah. We don't have any problems. We never had any problems. All right. So you're in Chicago. You get out. Yeah. So we get there and I could hear the kid just yelling upstairs, Santa's here. Santa's here.

And they saw you out the window. No, she was telling them that they're coming down. So we make it up there into the house and we're gifting the kid. we're gifting him all the toys and he's just excited and she breaks down and tells us about her daughter who was murdered. She has to take care of the grandson and she's like 60 and the grandson, I wanna say he's three. So she has to learn how to be a parent again, you know,

take care of little one. And she just broke down crying. So we got up, we all hugged her. And then BJ, little boy walks up to her and says, it's okay, grandma, it's okay, grandma. And I just lost it, man. He could just, I could just feel tears coming down. Like this kid knows what emotions are.

So we're gifting him all the toys and this. And before we leave, we take pictures. She says, put the gifts over there by the Christmas tree I'm gonna wrap them again so I told her let him play with these toys and when I got in the car I'll order you some more stuff and ask her what's what he like cocoa melon and I got in there I ordered probably like 50 things of different cocoa toys you know pajamas and all that type of stuff you mean she needed to wrap it again so yeah something for Christmas Day yeah and I me being a kid and knowing how you want to play with it right then and there I'm like no I can't

let them let him wait till Christmas because that was probably like 10 more days so I told her just let him play with these and I'll just order you some more for Christmas. And that's what I did right there as soon as we drove off. We'll be right back. I'm Andrea Gunning, host of the all new podcast, There and Gone. It's a real life story of two people who left a crowded Philadelphia bar,

walked to their truck and vanished. Nobody hears anything, nobody sees anything. Did they run away? Was it an accident or were they murdered? A truck and two people just don't disappear. The FBI called it murder for hire. It was definitely murder for hire for Danielle, not for Richard.

He's your son, and in your eyes he's innocent, but in my eyes he's just some guy my sister was with. In this series, I dig into my own investigation to find answers for the families and get justice for Richard and Danielle. Listen to There and Gone South Street on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Hello from Wonder Media Network I'm Jenny Kaplan, host of Womanica, a daily podcast that introduces you to the fascinating lives of women history has forgotten.

This month, we're bringing you the stories of athletes. There's the Italian race car driver who courted danger and became the first woman to compete in Formula One. The sprinter who set a world record and protested racism and discrimination in the U.S. and around the world in the 1960s. The diver who was barred from swimming clubs due to her race and went on to become the first Asian-American woman to win an Olympic medal. She won gold twice. The mountaineer known in the Chinese press as the tallest woman in the world.

And the ancient Greek charioteer who exploited a loophole to become the first ever woman to compete at the Olympic Games. Listen to Wamanica on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. back to Las Vegas. September 20th and 21st streaming live only on Hulu. Don't miss. Big Sean, Camila Cabello, Doja Cat, Gwen Stefani, Hozier, Keith Urban, New Kids on the Block, Paramore, Shaboosie, The Black Crows, Thomas Rhett, Victoria Monet and more. Get tickets to our 2024 iHeart Radio Music Festival presented by Capital One right now before they sell out at AXS.com Give me another one. This kid, he has an immune deficiency disease and he can't leave his house.

Where? And this is in New Jersey, I want to say and Went the best by Ronnie went to get something for the camera and I Just checked to see if they had a PlayStation 5 in there cuz I'm a big video game freak been video game since in television So he to the television, bro That was one of the little gist on it, right? Yeah, what did you play, Tron? My boxing game. Oh, the boxing game, yeah. You know what I used to play was Utopia.

Utopia. Did you ever do that? That was fun, wasn't it? It was fun. All right, so anyway, you were in New Jersey and this kid has an autoimmune deficiency and cannot come out of the house. Right, so we get the Best Buy

and I asked them, do they have PlayStation 5? Because at the time, you know, it was a hot item and nobody had them and they had it. So I'm like, I'm gonna buy a PlayStation 5 for somebody and see if we can find the right kid. So we go in this house, gave him a bunch of Star Wars stuff because he likes Star Wars and his sister gave her some stuff.

And the mom was just telling me like, he can't come outside the house because of the immune deficiency disease. He likes to play video games and this and that and back of my head. I'm just excited. Okay. Yeah, I'm gonna give him this PlayStation. So I told her I was like, we're gonna go to the van and come back.

So I told him we're gonna give this kid the PlayStation. He deserves it man. He's been in the house since COVID before that. He's in the house all the time, so I'm sure he's going to love PlayStation 5. So I get back, I call him mom, say, we're coming back up. I forgot to give him something. So he closes his eyes.

I put the PlayStation there so you can open your eyes now. Just the excitement on his face. He took his mask down, and you could just see how happy he was. And I'm like, that's a mission complete. Are most of these families, I would assume, they don't have a lot of means either? No, no. So in addition to struggling financially,

they've got children who are dying or unable. So I mean, this literally, you could be providing life, some more life to them, you know? You never know that excitement could give them another year, you know? I'm not a doctor or I'm saying that's gonna happen, but that joy of that feeling will keep them going. It is absolute scientific fact

that spiritual and emotional health affects physical health, both positively and negatively. And I think it is completely fair to say that it's very possible that you are helping people. If they're happy and emotionally happy and spiritually happy, you're helping their physical health. But more importantly, the parents. They need it. They need it. Yeah. And some of the parents are more excited than the kids.

I bet. It's funny. It's funny. I bet. So, when did you officially form the nonprofit? 2017. So this has been going on now for seven years. Yeah.

And- Well before, you know, 2019. I'm talking about that. Yeah, yeah. So your world is, you go back to Long Beach, where you live now, and you're a probation officer, and you do your work. And then on the time you get off,

you save up your vacation time and everything else, and then you spend every minute of it doing this. Yeah, and on the weekend, I'm always doing events. So, and I know I didn't mention, but I had to ask my daughter on the first tour if it was okay for me to go, you know, leaving her that long. She's older, you know, 15, but I just didn't, I just felt that I needed her permission to do this, you know, because that's, that's my, my only love left

that I have left, you know, my, my blood. So every tour I asked her, is it okay? And she said, she's always gives me permission to go. What does your daughter think about her crazy father dressing up like a super man doing stuff? She loves it, man. I could say when I used to take her out, I've never pressured her to help. But I'll never forget her mom texted me one day and told me that she saw a house, this gentleman on the corner. And she stopped and held her mom texted me one day and told me that she saw a house with a gentleman on the corner. And she stopped and held her mom back and reached in her pocket and thinks she had a couple dollars and she went and gave it to him.

So she texted me, like, your daughter did this today and I'm like, she's watching what I'm doing. You know, and to this day now she likes to do volunteer work, not just with me, but at her school. So now every time she's asking, dad, I wanna get more hours for community service or whatever. So every time I have an event, I'm like, you can come with me and get some more community hours

or whatever. But I'm glad that she sees the impact that I'm making. And hopefully, when I can't be able to do it any longer, she'll take over this and, you know, keep the mission going. I hope everybody listening to us heard what you just said, because that's the point. If we can tell enough stories like yours and Rodney's and Tommy Norman's and everybody else's and see the amazing impact we can have on our community and the phenomenal impact that happens in our own lives. And more and more people are inspired by it,

see it and emulate it. There really is an ability to change our culture with an army of normal folks doing amazing things, just seeing an area need, having a passion and feeling it, which is really nothing more than what you do. You don't have some big organization, you don't have a bunch of people. You're an everyday guy,

working just like all of us do to make ends meet, and you take all the extra time you have to try to go do some good for people in the world. Why can't everybody do that? You know, to be honest with you, a lot of people are selfish. I've told people that before, you got to stop being selfish and be thankful for what you have because somebody doesn't have what you have. There's a lot of people coming to America because they don't have the opportunities

that we have. So you need to be thankful for what you have and give back, you know. And some people get it and some people don't. Until you get into that situation where you need help, then that's when you realize, oh, now I see what they're talking about. Deist We have so much to be thankful for. And for you to recognize that, despite the difficulties of your life and where you came up South Central LA and then try to spread that is quintessentially and metaphorically what we are trying through this show to get people to think about in terms of just being an army of normal folks doing extraordinary things.

And you know, dude, your life is just simulating it. It's… to think about in terms of just being an army of normal folks doing extraordinary things. And you know, dude, your life is just simulating it. It's... D- I'm trying, Bill. The financial part is the hardest part, man. To get people to understand what I'm doing is not for financial gain. Like this is my purpose, you know? And I'm set on the next two years after I retire, I wanna wake up to be able to put that costume on and visit the hospital or go visit some kids home. So let's talk about a couple of things that happened that's pretty cool.

In 2022, you were in New York sitting in a deli. I don't know what they told you you were doing. What did they tell you you were doing there? Don't tell you what happened yet. What did they say? Come to New York, were you on a tour? What was the deal? Why were you even in New York?

This is what happened. They called me six months before that prior and a buddy of mine who's a graphic artist for a nonprofit, he runs the art portion of our nonprofit Juan Carlos, and they called him, they called me to speak to him. And they said, we got some art thing coming up for the show and we wanted him to be a part of it.

I'm like, I was just like, wait a minute, I'm doing all this stuff. I know, and Juan will tell you, you know I love that guy to death. And I'm like, what did he do that I didn't do? You know, so I'm like, whatever man, long as one of us get on this show or whatever, right. And it was good morning America. Yeah. Good morning America.

So he held us for six months that I was going to be on there. But you thought he was going to be there and you were just, so you were in this deli next door to the studio, sitting there minding your own business, I think eating some breakfast or something, weren't you? Tell me what happened. Well, they told me, and I asked the producer, I'm like, hey, is this gonna be filmed today? He kept hitting me with no, we gotta edit it,

and you might not be on the show today. Then he said, I said, well, what's going on? He's like, well, and like I said, I don't have my back to the door, so I'm sitting on'm, I said, well, what's going on? He's like, well, and like I said, I have my, I don't have my back to the door. So I'm sitting on your side at first looking to the door so I could see who's coming in. And he was like, oh no, you sit on this side. Cause the camera angles will be better on you, right?

So yes. I'm like, all right, whatever. So now you gotta get up and move. Yeah. So I'm, you know, still like this and I'm feeling uncomfortable. I'm waiting there for an hour. And then he tells me, you're going to get interviewed by Superman's son. And you know me, I know the comics and all that stuff. So I pull out my phone and I'm like,

does Superman have a son? You know, and I try to get ahead of him. And so he comes back to me, he says, you know, you need to turn your phone off because it's hitting the mic and I'm like, I'll turn it off. So I'm sitting there still eating. And then I hear Michael Strand's voice, you need to turn your phone off because it's hitting the mic and I'm like, I'll turn it off. So I'm sitting there still eating. And then I hear Michael Strand's voice. You know his voice and Duane's voice.

Michael says it first, he says, Yuri Williams. And I was like, damn, they got me. That's Michael Strand. And then I heard Duane's voice. You were Duane Johnson, y'all, the rock. Yes. So he says my name and I'm like, damn, they got me, man, they got me. These two big giants walk in this deli

and just say, what's up? Yeah. And this was, I guess Dwayne was promoting Black Adam. Right. But as part of the promotion of Black Adam, they yank you out of the deli, and now just a few minutes later, you're on the set of Good Morning America.

Yeah, and the funny thing is, I had on the Black Adam shirt, the socks. Why did you have on a Black Adam t-shirt? I was going to see, you know, they said he was gonna be in town, so I was like, I might as well go and see if I could run into him, and not knowing that he was gonna come to me.

That's crazy. Yeah. And it was just meant to be, cool, both of those guys are down to earth. And I met Robin and my mom was, love Robin. And I saw her and she reminds me of so much of my mom because she dresses just like my mom. And I had her come in my room and I told her I wanted to pray for her

and what she's been through and what her wife was going through. And it was just a special moment because it was like I was with my mom again, you know? And so that got you a bunch of publicity, you know, which is, I know they gave you a bunch of stuff, but the publicity was worth everything. And what are you doing in Memphis?

I uh today today or this week or whatever what you doing here man? You know you invited me here but I said I might as well kill two birds with one stone so I said I'm gonna start this tour of visiting every hospital so I started with Le Bonheur Hospital. And the Bonheur Children's Hospital in Memphis. You're a beautiful facility. Yes, beautiful facility. And I went there and delivered toys. Toys for Tides gave me some toys and... Dresses what?

Mandalorian. Yeah. Yeah, dresses Mandalorian. The helmets on the table, everybody, for those of you listening, and the gloves. And I don't know what this is. What is this? Wrist? Yeah, it helmets on the table everybody for those of you listening and the gloves and I don't know what this what is this? Yeah, just yeah, it goes with the wrist piece. Yeah So what was that like beautiful man the kids Some people thought I was an actual statue because I was just standing there, you know

And I like to scare people so some of my people come up to me Oh, you know you were standing there still and they can jump at them. That ain't right. I know. And then they just laugh. But it's funny. Right. Yeah. And the kids just love it, man. Kids just love it. They need that. We'll be right back.

I'm Andrea Gunning, host of the all new podcast, There and Gone. It's a real life story of two people who left a crowded Philadelphia bar, walked to their truck and vanished. Nobody hears anything. Nobody sees anything. Did they run away? Was it an accident or were they murdered? A truck and two people just don't disappear. The FBI called it murder for hire. It was definitely murder for hire for Danielle, not for Richard. He's your son. And in your eyes, he's innocent. But in my eyes, he's just some guy my sister was with.

In this series, I dig into my own investigation to find answers for the families and get justice for Richard and Danielle. Listen to There and Gone South Street on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hello, from Wonder Media Network, I'm Jenni Kaplan, host of Womanica, a daily podcast that introduces you to the fascinating lives of women history has forgotten. This month, we're bringing you the stories of athletes. There's the Italian race car driver who courted danger and became the first woman to compete

in Formula One. The sprinter who set a world record and protested racism and discrimination in the US and around the world in the 1960s. The diver who was barred from swimming clubs due to her race and went on to become the first Asian American woman to win an Olympic medal. She won gold twice.

The mountaineer known in the Chinese press as the tallest woman in the world. And the ancient Greek charioteer who exploited a loophole to become the first-ever woman to compete at the Olympic Games. Listen to Wamanica on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Radio Music Festival presented by Capital One. Coming back to Las Vegas. September 20th and 21st, streaming live only on Hulu. Don't miss. Big Sean, Camila Cabello, Doja Cat, Gwen Stefani,

Poesier, Keith Urban, New Kids on the Block, Paramore, Shaboosie, The Black Crows, Thomas Rhett, Victoria Monet. And more. Get tickets to our 2024 iHeart Radio Music Festival presented by Capital One right now before they sell out at AXS.com So When's the next national tour?

Like I said, we're hoping for Thanksgiving Day. Me and Rodney are making the sixth tour. We're able to raise the money. I'm going to set up a GoFundMe probably in October. Hopefully we get the job done again. Alright, so here's the deal. Everybody out there listen. This man, he does have a 501c3, so anything that you donate

is tax deductible and all that, but this guy is a probation officer, living in Long Beach, working his hours, doing his job, and then he spends all his extra time trying to bring smiles to the faces of disadvantaged families and children who are not only disadvantaged financially, but more importantly, they have sickness and some of them are dying, as well as the elderly

and veterans and just anybody who needs to put a smile on their face, you're dressing up like some superhero and trying to give them some light. Even animals too. I love animals so we stop at the shelters and adopt animals or pay for medical bills. Are you dressed like Spider-Man? Yeah.

I was a Mandalorian, I was. I got some pictures with me holding animals with the helmets on. So how do people find you? How do people support you? And God forbid if somebody's out there listening that wants to dress like Robin or I don't know, Aquaman or some craziness and wants to join you,

I just can't imagine you ever saying no to somebody. I love it, the more the better. How do people reach you? Yes, you can visit my website, www.futuresuperhero.org or futuresuperhero.com, Instagram, futuresuperhero, Facebook, Uri Williams. And like I always tell people, go look at the videos, see what I actually do before you make a donation

so you can actually see the impact you can help us make together. And I want people to see that. I just don't want people to be asking for money and you thinking I'm going to buy a Lamborghini. It's not, I'm going to buy toys. We have to pay for these hotels, to travel for gas. And this is what I want to do for the rest of my life.

So I'm just asking for anybody's help, any of these corporations, the airlines, hotels that can help us out, you know, anyone. I'm asking for all help. And all you want to do is get in the car and spend hours and hours with Rodney driving, dressed like an elf, spend hours and hours with Rodney driving, dressed like an elf,

to put some spouts on some people's faces who desperately need it. Yes, that's it. Also, if somebody wants to get directly in touch with you, would you share your personal email? Sure, will. It's afuturesuperhero.com. Futuresuperhero.com.

Afuturesuperhero.com. Afuturesuperhero.com. A future superhero. A future superhero at gmail.com. And Yuri, do me a favor. Hit me up when you and Rodney start your next, when it's the next one. I really wanna know about it, and I'm gonna mention it on the show to let people know y'all out there doing it again.

You've done it five, Rodney's done it 17. That is phenomenal. It might be 18, I might be wrong. Wow, that's crazy. I'm in a Guinness Book of World Records, I'm not in there, but I'm the only person in this world that has gone to five states and five different costumes. So that's a Guinness Book of World Record in my head.

We are working, oddly, on a Guinness Book of World Records thing that we'll reveal at a later date. If we get those people on the phone, I'm going to tell them to get with you too, because I mean, it is what it is. You need to see me in the book. Right. That's right.

Brother from a kid that grew up in South Central LA, the son of a woman who wanted to get on an American bandstand from Louisiana who ends up coming a probation officer who has seen friends get shot, who became a probation officer himself who went into a great depression after he lost his mom to now a man literally traveling the entire country state state to state, for years, dressed up as a superhero to simply put a smile on the faces of people that need it. What an amazing legacy you're leaving the world. What a legacy you're leaving your daughter.

And what an amazing thing you're doing some people who need it. And you are absolutely realistically, metaphorically, and in the flesh exactly what I talk about when I talk about an army of normal folks can change this world. Just a normal do, bro. I am so inspired by you and I thank you so much

for spending time with me and telling the story. But more importantly, I just thank you for all you spending time with me and telling the story. But more importantly, I just thank you for all you do for people around our country who need it. And hopefully the inspiration and your actions will provide to other people to say, you know what, I don't have to be part of some big NGO organization. Anybody can make a difference in somebody's life if they just try. Right. Thank you for having me, Bill. I appreciate you. And I watched Undefeated and you've made an impact on kids in this community, you know. Believe it or not, I remember the money, the OC, those other guys, Latavius.

Yeah. Yeah. I watched you. So you made an impact brother. My favorite part of that movie was you holding your son's equipment. I will tell you a quick story about that. This is a weird way to end this episode, but I'll tell you, the first time I ever saw the movie I was surrounded in full. I was surrounded by five or six hundred people. And that's real in and of itself, watching yourself on screen.

First, I thought, man, you talk funny. Second, I really, something's wrong with the mirrors that Lisa's put in our house because I did not know I was that fat. She's got some of those slimming mirrors around the house, I think. But the third one was, you know, people laughing and cheering and crying around you when it's you. Right. It's just an odd feeling.

I can't, I don't know that I, I like language and I lack, I lack the skill to properly articulate what I was feeling. But I will tell you, one of the most ingrained times of my life was when kids were walking off the football field when I was a player and I was one of the dogs and everybody's walking off with their dads and they got their helmet and their shoulder pads, carrying them for their kids. And I was always carrying my own and didn't have anybody. I did not know they filmed that scene. I didn't even realize I'd done that with my son. It's just you're going through life, right? And when

that scene came up of me walking off the field carrying my kids, I can't believe you say that's your favorite scene because it is mine too. And it is the most impactful and even 10 years later, as you can tell, I saw a lump in my throat talking about it because that was when my life came full circle for me. And so the fact that that's your favorite scene really means something to me because that is my favorite scene. And I got to believe your mom is in heaven looking down on you, much like that in the same way, smiling her ass off at what her son is doing for other people in this world.

And bro, doesn't matter if it's and bro. Doesn't matter if it's a movie, doesn't matter if it's football coach, doesn't matter if you are mowing lawns, doesn't matter if you're the Michael Jordan community policing or you're like anybody else that we've chronicled this first year of our show or if you're Spider-Man. When you take your time and your effort and your money and your love to simply do something good for another person who is in your community that isn't as fortunate as you, you are to be celebrated. And Yuri, I celebrate you and you're inspirational and I hope some people listening to us today will support you so you and Rodney can go on the next one.

Let me ask something, have you ever seen the movie Elf? Yeah. That's funny man I love that movie. I try to get Rodney to... That's my question! Is when they're in the the department store and that little small person walks out with the pointy shoes and hat, that dude, that's what I want to see Rodney looking like. He won't do it. No, I tried, I already tried. I sold him that one, he's like, nah man.

Rodney needs to step up. He is falling down. He needs to dress like that and ride a, ride in La Moore like a sleigh and cut some grass. That's a good idea. That would be good. I'm gonna tell them. Tell them to come on to Memphis and do it.

I'll find them a yard. All right. All right, man. And maybe next time I'm on the sideline, I'll coach in a Spider-Man outfit. What do you think the other team will think about that? They might call a game. They might.

They might. Brother, Yuri, thanks for coming to Memphis. Thanks for joining me. I really enjoyed getting to know you, bro. Thank you. Thank you for having me. Appreciate you. Bye. And thank you for joining us this week.

If Uri Williams or other guests have inspired you in general, or better yet, inspired you to take action by donating to a future superhero and friends or something else entirely, please let me know. I'd love to hear about it. You can write me anytime at Bill at normal folks dot us. And I swear I will respond. Everyone please hear me on this. If you enjoyed this episode, share it with friends, share it on social, help

us get the word out. Subscribe to the podcast, rate it, review it, become a premium member at normalfolks.us. Do all of these things that will help us grow this army of normal folks. Thanks to our producer, Iron Light Labs. I'm Bill Courtney. I'll see you next week. I'm Andrea Gunning, host of the all new podcast, There and Gone. It's a real life story of two people who left a crowded Philadelphia bar, walked to their truck, and vanished. A truck and two people just don't disappear. The FBI called it murder for hire. But which victim was the intended target and why? Listen to There and Gone South Street on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Hello, from Wonder Media Network, I'm Jenny Kaplan, host of Wumanica, a daily podcast that introduces you to the fascinating lives of women history has forgotten. Who doesn't love a sports story? The rivalries, the feats of strength and stamina. But these tales go beyond the podium. There's the teen table tennis champ, the ice skater who earned a medal and a medical degree,

and the sprinter fighting for Aboriginal rights. Listen to a manica on the iHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. It started with a backpack at the 1996 Centennial Olympic Games, a backpack that contained a bomb. While the authorities focused on the wrong suspect, a serial bomber planned his next attacks. Two abortion clinics. And a lesbian bar. But this isn't his story.

It's a human story. One that I've become entangled with. I saw as soon as I turned the corner, basically someone bleeding out. The victims of these brutal attacks were left to pick up the pieces, forced to explore the gray areas between right and wrong, life and death. Their once ordinary lives, and mine, changed forever. It kind of gave me a feeling of pending doom. And all the while, our country found itself facing down a long and ugly reckoning

with a growing threat. Far right, homegrown, religious terrorism. Listen to Flashpoint starting July 25th on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.