At just 22 years old, Jason Warner was living out his musical dreams by touring with a Christian band after graduating from Lee University in rural Tennessee. But soon after, those dreams were squashed and his world turned upside down. The band kicked him out and he became homeless.
“I couldn’t believe the one place I should’ve felt the safest, I was basically in the most danger,” Jason says. “I made it my cause to go out and share my story.”
A couple took him in and helped him get back on his feet and soon he was traveling to churches, sharing his story, and holding concerts. He made the move to Los Angeles in the early 2000s, and launched into a career rooted in good music and a good message: raising awareness about homelessness and teenage suicide.
“I ended up with some pretty wonderful success in my music career,” Jason shares. He met his husband while living in LA, and the pair became known as musical duo Jason and deMarco. “We toured for over a decade. We did a lot of inspirational music, but we also had a documentary filmed about our story called We’re All Angels.”
The documentary aired on both Showtime and Netflix, and helped introduce the duo and their compelling story to the world.
“We rode that wave for over a decade, we toured full-time, and we really made it our cause to talk about teenage homelessness and reconciliation,” Jason adds. “Our message was simple. We don’t have to agree, but we can agree to disagree in love and compassion rather than judgment and hate.”
The pair decided to start a family, and after welcoming their twin sons in 2011 through surrogacy, they made plans to relocate to Music City. In a story we’re all likely familiar with, they fell in love with a home in the Franklin area (Leiper’s Fork, to be exact) and would introduce an organization that has had a profound impact on the local community.
On the surface, GratiDude Ranch is a stunning mini-farm offering a private resort vacation experience. Spanning 25 hilly acres, the ranch can accommodate up to 40 overnight guests and offers community experiences such as private farm-to-table dinners, murder mystery dinners, and birthday parties.
But the impact these events have on the community goes far beyond a quintessential evening in bucolic Leiper’s Fork: a portion of proceeds from the events support SAFE (Safe, Affirming Family Environment), the non-profit organization founded by Jason and deMarco.
SAFE began as a drop-in center for homeless youth. During its first year being open and serving 60 to 70 homeless youth each day, they found the majority of the youth attributed being homeless to aging out of foster care.
“It really was an “aha” moment for us realizing how many kids are out there on the street because they were never adopted, and when they turned 18, they are basically shown the door,” Jason says. “Even though there are a ton of benefits available to them, less than five percent are using them–benefits such as free housing, free college education, free healthcare and many others.”
“Here we were on a farm in Franklin… two guys from Hollywood,” Jason laughs. “What do we do with this farm? It was great for us and our family, but we wanted to give back.”
It all clicked, and Jason and deMarco realized that the ranch was an opportunity to serve foster children and foster families. From there, they identified the needs local foster families were facing. They began offering free birthday parties to foster children, hosting foster teen camps in partnership with DCS agencies that help teach foster children about their benefits, and more.
As a grassroots organization, they depend on their annual benefit, Fork & Vine (ForkAndVine.org) to raise funds for the upcoming year of services. To support SAFE, the community is invited to Fork & Vine Masquerade on Saturday, October 26 from 6 - 9 p.m. Given its proximity to Halloween, this year’s event will have a swanky masquerade-meets-Bridgerton theme. The tented event will feature a delicious food spread catered by local BAM Foods paired with wines, live entertainment, guest speakers, a silent and live auction, and a surprise guest.
Beyond the big event, the community can sign up to volunteer at other ranch events throughout the year including foster camps, foster birthday parties, or gatherings such as Christmas stocking stuffing and an annual Easter basket stuffing where over 150 children are served.
deMarco is the event and property manager at GratiDude Ranch while Jason is the Broker of Luxury Homes of Tennessee in Leiper’s Fork. Don’t miss Jason and deMarco’s latest venture in Leiper’s Fork: Bubble Joy Candy Shoppe & Bubble Bar. This kid-friendly shop honors all things bubbles and bars, from candy bars to a mocktail bar, oxygen bar, and jewelry bar. Jason says, “We have one great goal: to bring joy to our community.”
GratiDudeRanch.com/SupportSafe.org