A New Lens on Life
Charity ID (EIN): 47-2440569
Arizona QCO: 20929
Copyright © 2024 Kids in Focus,
All Rights Reserved
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Kids in Focus is a nonprofit organization mentoring youth to overcome adversity and build resilience through the art of photography.
Since 2012, Kids in Focus has been putting cameras in kids’ hands with the guidance and encouragement of adult mentors – many who are avid and professional photographers. Following our training program, these skilled mentors use photography to connect, engage and encourage life-long creativity. We collaborate with local schools, nonprofit community partners and foster care programs to engage valley youth through our signature After School Mentoring Program, workshops, and the Grads in Focus Program.
Kids in Focus provides over 700 unique experiences to over 350 students each year . We create opportunities for any child to express their unique perspective and voice with skills that foster confidence, resilience and joy.
Karen created the first Kids in Focus project to teach kids to see themselves and the world with a new perspective
Founder’s Story
After emerging from a challenging and traumatic childhood home, Karen Shell was driven to give back in the community. She took kids from the West Valley Child Crisis Center on adventures, mentored girls at Florence Crittenton, and read to homeless children at UMOM. Karen’s personal experience healing through photography, and her initiative to provide free Picture Day for the students at Children First Leadership Academy inspired her to establish Kids in Focus, a youth development nonprofit that has since flourished into a highly impactful organization.
Alongside her community service, Karen’s decades as a commercial photographer, taught her the powerful value of seeing outside oneself. In 2017, Phoenix Home & Garden named Karen one of the “10 Western Women We Admire” for her dedication to helping underserved communities.
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