Father's Day Special: The Essential Role of Dads in the Family Ep. 112
Jun 16, 2024
Jamie Truman
What impact does the absence of a father have on children and society at large? Join me, Jamie Truman, as we explore this critical issue on a heartfelt Father's Day episode of the Truman Charities podcast.
We celebrate the incredible role fathers play, starting with a tribute to my husband and co-founder, Jerry Truman, whose small charity event 15 years ago set the wheels in motion for our organization. From that initial gathering, we've managed to raise over $2 million for various causes. Inspired by my podcast journey and conversations with over 100 nonprofit founders, I’ve written "Vanishing Fathers: The Ripple Effect on Tomorrow's Generation," a book that uncovers the alarming statistics and personal stories tied to fatherless homes.
What impact does the absence of a father have on children and society at large? Join me, Jamie Truman, as we explore this critical issue on a heartfelt Father's Day episode of the Truman Charities podcast.
We celebrate the incredible role fathers play, starting with a tribute to my husband and co-founder, Jerry Truman, whose small charity event 15 years ago set the wheels in motion for our organization. From that initial gathering, we've managed to raise over $2 million for various causes. Inspired by my podcast journey and conversations with over 100 nonprofit founders, I’ve written "Vanishing Fathers: The Ripple Effect on Tomorrow's Generation," a book that uncovers the alarming statistics and personal stories tied to fatherless homes.
Welcome to the Truman Charities podcast. I'm Jamie Truman, your host. Happy Father's Day to all of the dads out there and especially to my favorite dad, that is, my husband, jerry Truman, who was also the co-founder of Truman Charities. Without Jerry, we would not have a Truman Charities. He started this organization 15 years ago where he hosted a small party to raise money for one of his good friends that was in remission from leukemia. She was running like the night walk in Rockville and he wanted to see how much he could help her raise by having some friends and family over. He raised $8,000 that night and since then we've grown. We have a wonderful board members and it's a volunteer-based organization. So I'm pretty proud of us because our largest event now, we've raised $117,000 in total. Throughout the years we have raised $2 million for various charities. A special happy Father's Day to Jerry Truman. It is a special happy Father's Day to Jerry Truman, but I did want to talk to all of the men out there and let them know just how important they are within the family unit and why I do believe that and I feel so strongly about that.
Speaker 1:
I decided to write. Vanishing Fathers the ripple effect on tomorrow's generation. Vanishing Fathers the Ripple Effect on Tomorrow's Generation, and it came about after I started my podcast in 2021. And now I've interviewed over 100 different nonprofit founders and I noticed this common thread that seemed to be having this major impact on the rate of high school dropouts use with substance abuse, homeless use, teen pregnancy, women being exploited and I couldn't believe that this one issue was causing so much destruction in society, one issue that had such a profound impact on the outcome of children, regardless of their background, and one issue that no one was talking about and that was the lack of father involvement in a child's life. I never really understood what a large impact that fathers have on a child. Now, if anybody that knows me, I just spoke actually at an event a few weeks ago and I told a little bit about my backstory and talked more about my book. But I had a complicated relationship with my father. He had substance abuse issues and I knew what impacts it had on me myself and my family, but I didn't understand in a whole in society, the impact that fatherless homes have. So let me paint a picture for you so you have an idea.
Speaker 1:
Some statistics behind this. So 71% of high school dropouts do not have a father. 70% of youths with substance abuse issues do not have a dad, 70% of exploited women do not have a father, 90% of homeless youths do not have a father, and one out of every three teen girls that grow up without a father will become pregnant, and that's opposed to less than 5% of girls that grow up with an involved father that end up being pregnant as a teen. Fathers have such an impact on their children's lives and I don't feel that it's very much recognized. I grew up with a single mom and I have the utmost respect for all single moms because, in my opinion, they're left with the hardest job and that's having to be two people job and that's having to be two people. So I wanted people to become aware of what I learned.
Speaker 1:
I decided to write the book, as I mentioned, vanishing Fathers the Ripple Effect on Tomorrow's Generation. I spoke with all different types of individuals from all different backgrounds to learn what it was like growing up without a father, the challenges they faced, how they were able to overcome these obstacles, and some of the men that I spoke with have ended up being loving husbands and fathers themselves. A couple of individuals that I spoke with in the book. One was. I don't know if you guys remember the 90s rock band. They had that famous single, father of Mine. I spoke with the lead singer, art Alexakis, about why he decided to write that song, the story behind that, and he even said that people now, gosh, this was back in the 90s. So even people today come up to him and tell him how much that song made them realize that they weren't really alone. That song made me, made them realize that they weren't really alone. When I also spoke with NFL player Justin Pugh about the loss of his dad and then the wonderful relationship that he has with his stepdad. I spoke with two women that had been trafficked for over 20 years. There are so many other stories and there are so many other individuals that I spoke with, but those are just a few, and these stories are so inspiring they're actually hard to hear too.
Speaker 1:
At the end of the book I say if young men can only take one takeaway from this book, it's this is that you are not only wanted, you are needed, but, most importantly, you are loved. I also wanted this book to help children that are growing up without a father. That's why 100% of the proceeds right now are going to so what Else's youth programs. I want all the fathers out there to know how important they are within the family unit. We love and we appreciate all of you today. I hope that you're sitting around today and enjoying your family as you should. This is a day to tell you how much we love you. Have a wonderful Father's Day to all the men out there.
Speaker 1:
If you enjoyed this episode of the Truman Charities podcast, make sure to rate and review it. I do read every single review and they really do count. And while you're at it, please subscribe to this podcast so you won't miss any future episodes. If you'd like to follow us, you can follow us on Facebook at Truman Charities. Instagram at Jamie underscore, truman Charities. You can follow me on LinkedIn, jamie Truman. And if you don't want to miss any of our events, go on to Truman charitiescom. They'll be listed there upcoming events, but also sign up for our newsletter as well. And, of course, if you would like to purchase vanishing fathers the ripple effect of tomorrow's generation you can purchase that on Amazon or any online bookstore. Remember, a hundred% of the proceeds from this book go to charities that help at risk youths. Thank you for tuning in to another episode of the Truman Charities podcast.
