Kid in the Corner builds community for kids across the Valley

It’s been almost nine years since Francine Sumner’s 16-year-old son Zach died by suicide. She founded Kid in the Corner, a nonprofit that educates, spreads awareness, and connects kids with the community to shatter the stigma surrounding suicide and mental illness.

At a time when suicide is the second leading cause of death for young people ages 10-24 in the United States, this type of programming is needed now more than ever.

Kid in the Corner is in multiple schools throughout the Valley. They talk with 4th-12th graders about understanding mental health, the importance of peer support, self-care, kindness, how to reduce the stigma, when and where to reach out for help, and resources available in the community.

Francine Sumner, the founder and CEO of Kid in the Corner, joined “Arizona Horizon” to discuss the impact that Kid in the Corner has had on young people across the Phoenix area.

“Kid in the Corner is a non-profit organization that’s out to shatter stigma that surrounds mental illness and support the kid in the corner,” Sumner said, “…we’re all the kid in the corner.”

Sumner explained how the stigma means a society that views mental health and people struggling with mental health as weak.

“What happens is we wind up internalizing that ourselves,” Sumner discussed, “…and we think if we’re struggling with some type of mental health issue that we’re weak.”

The organization has a three-day program in elementary schools called the penny pledge program, with the idea being that one penny alone doesn’t mean much, but collectively, they add up.

“They can change culture, change behaviors, and so, at the end of the program, kids pledge to reach out to the kid in the corner,” Sumner said, “…They pledge to take care of their own mental health, and they pledge to be a safe and caring person for others.”