Nerd culture has become a marketable commodity in recent years, a branding opportunity that has seeped into every aspect of mainstream advertising and entertainment.

But on the streets, nerd culture isn't a commodity. It's life.

Nerd Louisville, a loose-limbed collection of multi-purpose nerds, celebrates that culture and also uses it as launch pad to do some good. Via its Next-Gen Nerds program, Nerd Louisville has committed several thousand dollars to help at-risk students who share a love of all things geeky.

Nerd Louisville has partnered with everyone from local bars to Big Brothers & Big Sisters of Kentuckiana. This year it expects to generate more than $10,000, with everything after expenses going to needy students.

We're obviously not talking about a lot of money here, but Nerd Louisville is looking at the big picture. It wants to nurture a sense of community and a future for that community.

What exactly is nerd culture? Opinions differ but it's safe to say that nerds have curious minds and active imaginations, which leads them to explore games, movies, television shows and books that embrace elements of science and science fiction, fantasy, mythology and role-playing. The cult of "Star Wars" is an excellent example of nerd culture.

Nerd Louisville's mission statement also includes promoting Louisville as a nerd destination and being a central hub for events and activities, but president Jonathan Meadows said the group's primary foci don't tell the whole story.

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Meadows was going through a divorce when he first connected with the group and, as a Paintsville native new to Louisville, had no real friends. He found gaming groups via NerdLouisville.org and they helped get him through some long nights.

"The reason I'm passionate about it is that I don't know where I'd be without gaming," said Meadows, 29. "I built a support system ... and I see this organization do that for a lot of people."

Nerd Louisville's birth in May of 2015 was, of course, nerdy.

Co-founders Mike Pfaff and Andrew Bates have long been involved in Louisville's gaming culture and wondered why there wasn't a central online hub where people could meet and learn about events.

Bates, who leads the Planning and Compliance Division of the Louisville Metro Department of Resilience and Community Services, was immersed in the world of non-profits but had no real-world experience in running one.

Pfaff convinced Bates that a nerd-centric group and website was the ideal non-profit opportunity and Nerd Louisville was born. Their expectations were modest: Generate enough income to pay website hosting fees.

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Things got complicated, in a good way, when the idea took off. Nerd Louisville now maintains an unpaid six-member board and a hoard of volunteers.

In early 2016, Nerd Louisville began hosting Sunday gaming events called Slur Your Role at Kaiju, a Germantown bar noted for its love of nerdish things, and accidentally started making a profit from their cut of bar sales.

Pfaff and Bates lined up a few sponsors and started charging for a seat at the games. By 2016, Nerd Louisville was covering all of its expenses and decided it was time to ensure the future of nerd civilization with the formation of the Next-Gen Nerds program.

The program kicked off with gaming supplies provided to Cabbage Patch Settlement House, and it then bought several Dungeons & Dragons books for Iroquois High School's Tabletop Gaming Club.

It was an eye-opener for Bates that students didn't have their own books, which are de rigueur for any level of gamer.

"That was a surprise to me and really put it into perspective," said Bates, 48. "I grew up pretty middle class, and when I played Dungeons & Dragons, I begged my parents a little bit, and they got me the books. The books are $40 and a struggling family isn't going to drop $40 on books."

Nerd Louisville has spread the love in a variety of ways:

• An elementary school student was sent to a week-long summer camp called Club SciKidz. He was chosen after his family lost their house in a fire.

• It brought in acclaimed game designer Kenneth Hite to talk to Iroquois High School's gaming group, and he ran his "Trail of Cthulhu" game for the students.

• Donated a stack of games worth hundreds of dollars to The de Paul School's "Games of the World" club and hosted an after-school game night for students.

• Donated books or gaming supplies to the Louisville Free Public Library, Boys and Girls Club of Kentuckiana, and Knight Middle School. It has also volunteered to run gaming events at the library.

• Sent 15 kids from the Big Brothers Big Sisters Kentuckiana chapter to the Kentucky Science Center.

"They provided something for us that our matches ask for and use," said Patrick Erdley of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Kentuckiana.

Nerd Louisville has committed to donate at least $1,000 to Knight Middle School's Nerd Nation after-school program. Teacher Brandon Thomas is raising $2,000 via DonorsChoose.org to start a YouTube nerd channel produced and edited by students, and Nerd Louisville has pledged to add $1,000 when that goal is met.

"Nerd Louisville has been really awesome" about donating to Nerd Nation, said Thomas, who oversees around 75 students in the club.

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It's not just about the games, of course, with grade-school nerds. The club provides validation and a chance to learn teamwork and social skills. The enthusiasm at a recent Nerd Nation meeting – the meeting where they decided to call themselves Nerd Nation, actually – was palpable.

Sumeya Allahabad and Madison Mitchell, both 12, are veteran Knight Middle nerds.

"We think that nerds are unique people. They're smart, they're intelligent ... they're funny," Sumeya said. "They're beautiful."

"I like it that they don't have like a cool kids club," Madison said, "but there's a nerds club and I really like it."

The future of Nerd Louisville seems to be in good hands.

Reporter Jeffrey Lee Puckett can be reached at 502-582-4160 and jpuckett@courier-journal.com.

HOW TO HELP

Nerdlouvia is Nerd Louisville's annual fundraiser and is a two-day gaming convention.

WHEN: Noon, Nov. 18-19

WHERE: Tim Faulkner Gallery, 1512 Portland Ave.

COST: $15-$40, available at NerdLouvia.com