Photo Exhibit by At-Risk Kids Opens March 29

An annual photography project that mentors at-risk youths in the Phoenix area will exhibit the youths' photos in Phoenix and Scottsdale starting later this month.

Kids in Focus, founded by photographer and Arizona Highways contributor Karen Shell, provides youths with point-and-shoot digital cameras, and professional photographers from the Phoenix area mentor the children and take them on field trips around the Valley.

"The kids learn to see the world differently, changing their perspectives about themselves and their environment," Shell said in a news release. "Kids in Focus is helping these youngsters build the self-esteem and awareness they need to overcome the challenges they face."

For the 2019 installment, Kids in Focus worked with students from Children First Leadership Academy and the IG Homes branch of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Metro Phoenix.

Sixty photographs made by the students will be unveiled Friday, March 29, at an opening reception from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Arizona Center, 455 N. Third Street, in downtown Phoenix. The event is free and open to the public.

After the reception, the exhibit will move to the Scottsdale Civic Center Library, at 3839 N. Drinkwater Boulevard, and remain there through April 30.

For more information, visit the Kids in Focus website.