A family whose teenage son died after struggling with his mental health has received art from celebrities to help raise money to support young people with autism.
The parents of Stefan Kluibenschadl, who died in 2022 aged 15, set up Stefan’s Acts of Kindness (Stak) to offer support to young neurodivergent people.
The non-profit group is hosting a three-day art event in Cliftonville in Kent, which runs until Sunday showing more than 160 artworks which have been donated by artists including actors Nick Frost and Tom Glynn-Carney and musicians James Bay and David Gray.
Stefan’s father Tristan said every £5,500 raised could fund 100 hours of specialist counselling for a young person with autism.
Nick Frost has featured in films including Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz [PA Media]
Kluibenschadl, from Margate, said he wanted to organise something creative to mark Stefan’s birthday as he was a fan of music and art.
“It’s just absolutely amazing, the generosity and the sort of humanity with these big names reaching out to a small local not-for-profit, it’s just fantastic and it means an awful lot,” he explained.
Kluibenschadl said his son’s mental health deteriorated when he was being bullied for being autistic.
“We thought that no other parents should go through what we went through,” he said.
The group is hoping to raise between £7,500-£10,000 through the event.
“The more money that we can raise, the more hours we can pay for, the more neurodivergent children we can help,” Kluibenschadl said.
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