Kid in the Corner spotlights mental health with ‘Every Brilliant Thing’ – Jewish News of Greater Phoenix

For its second annual fundraiser, the nonprofit Kid in the Corner is doing what it does best: Breaking down the stigma that surrounds mental illness.

On Saturday, Dec. 28, the nonprofit organization will hold two performances of Every Brilliant Thing, a one-woman play about a daughters life-long journey to understand her mothers suicidality by creating a list of reasons to live.

I want people to take away from the performance that there are reasons to live, said Francine Sumner, who founded Kid in the Corner in 2017, soon after her son, Zachary Sumner, died by suicide. Im living my best and my worst life at the same time, but suicide is never the answer, and focusing on the reasons that you have to live will get you through.

Kid in the Corner offers educational programs for students in kindergarten through high school, a comprehensive resource guide for mental health and suicide prevention and community events that focus on kindness.

Our mission is to support the kid in the corner, whoever that may be, and to shatter the stigma around mental illness, Sumner said. People dont know where to go, nobodys reaching out to people with mental illness and kids with mental illness are not really speaking up, all due to stigma.

Debra Rich Gettleman will perform Every Brilliant Thing at the Kid in the Corner fundraiser. Gettleman, a professional actress, producer and playwright, also produced last years fundraiser, You Are Not Alone, a cabaret performance featuring a series of stories about hope, belonging and self-confidence..

She calls Every Brilliant Thing one of the most incredible pieces of theater shes ever read.

Even though its a very specific story, it is so universal, because its about mental health. Its about depression. Its about the things we dont want to talk about, Gettleman said. What Kid in the Corner is all about is shattering that stigma and starting conversations. This show is a conversation starter.

Gettleman met Sumner when she moved to Arizona in 2000, and her son Levi grew up with Zachary.

When Zach took his own life, it was devastating to all of us, Gettleman said. Francine basically created this foundation and decided that shes going to help every kid at every school in the state of Arizona. She doesnt want any other parents in the world to ever have to feel the pain of losing a child.

In its second year, trainers from Kid in the Corner visited 20 schools and 20 youth group meetings, and 7,000 kids took the Penny Pledge. Each student who takes the pledge receives a penny, inspired by Zacharys love of coin collecting, and commits to reaching out to others, taking care of their own mental health and wearing a penny to let others know that theyre a safe, caring person to talk to.

We want people to understand that mental illness is not anything to be ashamed of, its just part of your health, Sumner said. We try to equate it to physical health. You know youre going to get a cold sometimes, but if it gets worse, you go to the doctor. Its the same thing with mental health.

Next year, Sumner plans to create additional programming, add additional trainers to the program and expand the Kid in the Corners resource database.

Gettleman hopes that her performance on Saturday will engage the audience in the complexities of suicide and encourage them to join the conversation about mental health.

As Jews, we talk about how its our role in life to repair the world, Gettleman said. And if we dont start here, were losing an entire generation of promising, amazing young people who feel so alone. We want them to know theyre not alone, that theres a community right here. JN

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Kid in the Corner spotlights mental health with 'Every Brilliant Thing' - Jewish News of Greater Phoenix