BEAT

CONTAGIOUS KINDNESS

Francine Sumner connects local youth to the resources they need

Francine Sumner is on a mission to shatter the stigma that surrounds mental health. The founder and CEO of Kid in the Corner (www.kidinthecorner.org) created the nonprofit organization in 2017 after she lost her youngest son to suicide. “The loss of Zach was certainly the catalyst but knowing that we could not change Zach’s story but had potential to change future stories was the true motivation to start Kid in the Corner,” Sumner says. After reflecting on Zach’s story, it was clear to Sumner that stigma played the starring role. By starting frank conversations, Sumner and her team are able to provide youth with the skills, tools and resources they need to reach out to others, take care of their own mental health and be a safe and caring person that others can talk to. Sumner’s background in training and education comes in handy when spreading awareness. As a previous owner of an award-winning jewelry design business, she knew what it was like to build a brand from the ground up. “It is all about having a vision, staying true to your mission and building a great team,” she says. Kid in the Corner started around her dining room table with friends and family that knew the tough conversations with youth that needed to happen. Sumner has reached thousands of youth, changed stories and saved lives with her Penny Pledge Program. “When someone completes the program, they receive a penny with a drilled hole and then they take the Penny Pledge, an individual call to action that reminds them to reach out to the kid in the corner. To date, over 30,000 people have taken the Penny Pledge. This year, Kid in the Corner will reach upward of 5,000 youth, host four community events and begin work on an app that will complement its current programming of providing critical resources, tools and other information. “Every time I hear that a youth has come forward, advocated for themselves and have gotten help, I know what we are doing is working,” she says. “Changing and saving one life at a time makes all that we do worth it.”

BY MANDY HOLMES / PHOTO BY CLAUDIA JOHNSTONE