The Stan Deen Foundation is a relatively new nonprofit organization with the mission of helping troubled youth across the nation, much like how its founder received help from one of his teachers when he was a student.
Nate Deen, whose true story was brought to life in the latest film from Angel Studios, Brave the Dark, told the Washington Examiner how his teacher and future surrogate father, Stan Deen, helped him get involved in “the arts and education” when he was facing incredibly dark times in his youth. Deen now aims to give other “underserved kids” the same help he received.
“Maybe their grades aren’t that great, but good enough to get them in college, but they can’t afford to go to college,” Nate Deen told the Washington Examiner. “We want to help that child get to college if that’s what they desire. We want to help get that kid through mentorship programs. In the arts, how cool would it be if we could get some of these kids on the movie set as young people? Just kind of learn, and maybe that’s what they’d like to learn and be a part of a movie. And when you’re part of a movie, you’re part of a community and you all become like a family, and that’s what kids need. They need a community around them, and that’s what we want to do.”
Deen added that the foundation aims to partner with other nonprofit groups to aid them in their mission of helping children, citing areas of expertise that other nonprofit groups are more equipped to help children with, including mental health. He also stressed that his nonprofit group would not simply “pass them off” and would stay with the children to ensure they get on the right path, after which they can help the children get involved in a community.
“Let’s get them music lessons. Let’s get them the things that maybe they can’t afford,” Deen said. “Instruments for band are expensive. It’s not like some families can afford those things. But I know a lot of children, a lot of young people find hope in music. They find inspiration in music. Why not teach them how to play music? So all sorts of wonderful things that we have in store and are working towards.”
One of the nonprofit groups that the Stan Deen Foundation is partnering with is the Court Appointed Special Advocates, in which volunteers can help foster children in the court system. CASA is helping promote the newly released film, Brave the Dark, with Deen stating his nonprofit group and CASA believe that sharing this film “at all of the CASA places across the country” paves the way for the Stan Deen Foundation to begin receiving some of the finances needed to help children and also meet the people “who want to be the Stan Deens of their community.”
Deen recalled the first time his future surrogate father aided him “in a time of need,” when he had not eaten for three days and was shaking the school’s vending machine for food. Upon Nate sitting in Stan Deen’s classroom, where his next class was, the teacher presented him with a giant chocolate bar, which Nate recalled was “the planting of the seed of hope in my life” that was the starting point of turning his life around.
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One future endeavor that the Stan Deen Foundation plans to pursue is a series called “I Braved the Dark,” in which people can tell their stories of how they and a troubled child they helped “braved the dark” together. Deen also expressed hope of turning these stories into short films for the foundation, expressing hope that “hundreds” of these stories can be shared.
