Project D.R.E.W. brings together veterans and songwriters to turn their stories of service into songs.

The nonprofit was founded by Marilyn Zeidner, Mike Winnen and Brian Ferguson in honor of Captain Drew Ferguson, an Army Green Beret and Special Forces team leader who carried a guitar with him on deployment. Frank sits down with Marilyn, Mike and Brian to talk about what happens when a veteran hears his own story sung back to him for the first time.

In this episode, we discuss:

• The Story Untold: How a song can surface something a veteran has held in for 40 years or more.
• Hearing It Sung Back: What actually happens when a veteran hears his own song for the first time.
• The Lyric That Lands: The moving, powerful lines that come out of this work — including one that brings a Navy SEAL to tears.
• A Living Memorial: How Project D.R.E.W. is building what it calls "a registry of collective national memory."

Chapters:

[06:29] The Barn That Started It: How a few bands in a driveway became "Barnegie Hall" — and, eventually, a nonprofit.

[15:02] Delivering Restorative Energy: What Project D.R.E.W. actually does over one weekend — Saturday, they talk; Sunday, the song is played out loud for the first time.

[16:02] The Stories They've Never Told: How a stranger with a guitar reaches what decades of family never could.

[23:19] Why It Works: Brian Ferguson on why songwriters who never served are exactly the right people to draw a veteran's story out.

[35:15] A Crazy Good Turn: Our guests on who has done a crazy good turn for them.

[39:50] The Man in the Song: A veteran hears a song about a rescue mission — and realizes he'd been among those rescued.

[42:00] Captain Drew Ferguson's Song: The song Drew wrote as a young man, now sung by the whole room at the close of every workshop.

My Sincere Thanks

Because of listeners like you, our show now ranks among the top 5% of most-downloaded podcasts by volume per month. Your support has helped take our little idea to celebrate generosity and good deeds and turn it into one of the most-listened-to podcasts available. Thank you for being part of a community that celebrates people who do good things for others.

Please help us continue to grow by subscribing on your preferred podcast platform and sharing our show with friends.

Lindy Wood is the founder of Westonwood Ranch, a 10-acre working farm in the Florida Panhandle. When her son Weston was diagnosed with autism fifteen years ago, she realized a terrifying "services cliff" awaited him—and millions of others—the moment they transitioned into adulthood.

Rather than letting her son fall, Lindy built an extraordinary hands-on community where teens and young adults with autism learn life-changing job and life skills. Today, the ranch has grown from serving just four individuals to a full-time program supporting 60 participants.

In this episode, we discuss:

• The "Services Cliff": Why ending high school is a frightening reality for families.

• Growing the Vision: How Westonwood Ranch expanded to a full-time program serving 60 young adults.

• The Power of Small Milestones: Why learning to use a microwave became an emotional victory.

• A Crazy Good Turn: The incredible gift Lindy still has trouble processing.

[04:12] The Diagnosis: How a 2-year-old's diagnosis sparked a much larger, lifesaver vision.

[07:45] The "Services Cliff": Why society stops providing resources just when those with IDD need them most.

[12:30] Building Westonwood Ranch: How a 10-acre working farm went from serving four young adults to 60.

[19:15] The Microwave Milestone: Why small achievements are massive emotional victories for families.

[25:40] An Unbelievable Turn: Lindy shares a "crazy good" gift that changed everything for the ranch.

[31:10] Finding Meaningful Work: Lessons on neurodiversity, inclusion, and the simple dignity of labor.

My Sincere Thanks

Because of listeners like you, our show now ranks among the top 5% of most-downloaded podcasts by volume per month. Your support has helped take our little idea to celebrate generosity and good deeds and turn it into one of the most-listened-to podcasts available. Thank you for being part of a community that celebrates people who do good things for others.

Please help us continue to grow by subscribing on your preferred podcast platform and sharing our show with friends.

Luke Mickelson is the founder of Sleep in Heavenly Peace, a nonprofit dedicated to building and delivering beds to children who don't have one. What started as a family project in an Idaho garage has grown into a global organization with nearly 400 chapters and more than 300,000 beds delivered to date.

In this episode, we discuss:

• The moment Luke discovered that kids in his own town were sleeping on the floor—and why that was so shocking.

• The Christmas project that helped Luke see poverty through the eyes of a six-year-old.

• How TV personality Mike Rowe got involved—and helped spark a national movement.

• What actually happens at a bed build—and why volunteers keep coming back.

• The 150,000+ kids currently on their waiting list and the plan to reach them.

Chapters & Timed Links:

[04:12] The "Garage" Start: Why great American stories often begin in small, unheated spaces.

[08:45] The Discovery: Realizing "bedlessness" was a crisis in a town of only 4,000 people.

[12:30] The First Design: How Luke measured his daughter's bed to build furniture for the first time.

[17:15] Haley's Story: Seeing the impact of a bed through the eyes of a six-year-old.

[23:40] Avoiding "Mission Creep": Why saying "no" to teddy bears helped SHP scale to 400 chapters.

[31:20] The Mike Rowe Effect: How the Returning the Favor program launched 125 chapters in one year.

[40:05] More Than a Bed: The physical and emotional weight of a good night's sleep.