Dr. Pat Quigley has practiced clinical psychology in Ahwatukee for more than 10 years, and is offering something new to the area for kids and adults with attention-deficit disorders or working memory issues.

I am one of those whose mother invoked starving children in India or China as a way to get me to eat nasty vegetables like eggplant and okra and to otherwise leave nothing on the plate. These days, I like vegetables, I clearly do not often leave anything on the plate, and my mother need not look past our own shores to see starving children.


After seeing her daughter, Delilah, graduate from preschool at the Foundation for Blind Children’s Chandler campus, one mother stood up and recited a poem for parents, staff and students on Thursday.
“The crooked stem no longer mattered, no one missed the leaves, all they saw was the exquisite rose, that someone was a teacher and that rose was my daughter.”
Moved with compassion and empathy, several parents wiped away tears at the Cooperative Preschool for the Visually Impaired during the small ceremony at the campus on Warner Road near the Loop 101.
Parent Christine Knots said the growth she has seen in her son, Cameron, this year has been huge. Cameron, 5, who has been visually impaired since birth, now dresses himself, feeds himself, uses a Braille writer everyday, and started potty training earlier than expected.
“He’s so independent now,” Knotts said.
The foundation graduated nearly 40 students from its preschool program around the Valley this past week, with some students now heading to elementary schools in the Kyrene and Chandler Unified school districts.
For teacher Jean Murphy, every year graduating her students is unique.
“For some reason it’s really hard this year, the changes in the kids have been over the top,” she said, with tears filling her eyes.
Murphy said some of the changes included seeing her students walk, learn American Sign Language, improve in motor skills, and more.
“It’s just about seeing the light bulb come on and take whatever tiny little step it is,” said Murphy. “It’s always so exciting for me.”
Certificates of achievement were handed out to each student on Thursday, along with single, yellow carnations for their parents as a “thank you.”
The preschool program packs in a wide array of services to the students in five-hour days during the week. Students are exposed to music, gymnastics, pet, physical and speech therapies as well as social and cognitive development.
One of the graduates, 5-year-old Aubrey Brock, could have easily been recognized as “Miss Congeniality,” after running off to the back of the stage giggling after receiving her certificate.
Her mother, Aria, said the past year at the preschool has made Aubrey more confident and was truly a “blessing.”
“She was already a social butterfly, but I’ve just seen her bloom here and it’s been amazing.”
Foundation for Blind Children’s Chandler campus is located at 2005 N. 91st Place. For more information, visit seeitourway.org.


The Memory Assistance and Planning Session (MAPS) will overview the changes caregivers can expect during the moderate to advanced stages of dementia in a workshop this Friday, May 24.

Despite the bad rap that saturated fats have, there’s a lot of evidence indicating that saturated fat is essentially good for you. The real harmful and unhealthy fats include trans fats, hydrogenated fats and vegetable oils.

“Those three seconds I took my eyes off the road changed my life forever.”

Join a dementia specialist from Banner Alzheimer’s Institute at the upcoming GPS lecture this Friday at the Ahwatukee Recreation Center.

(602) 369-4198

Eating right and healthy, and happy living are all a matter of mindful thinking, said local mindful eating expert and author Dr. Michelle May.

From the moment chocolate was discovered it was considered a valuable, divine and decadent treat. The first chocolate candies were invented in the 1860s by Cadbury, who was also the first to market them in a heart-shaped box for Valentine’s Day that same decade.

The Ahwatukee Foothills Chamber of Commerce is looking for vendors to participate in the Mind, Body, Spirit Expo planned for March 26 at the Arizona Grand Resort. Vendors related to the health and wellness industry are invited to take part in this trade show featuring local resources for health and wellness.

4530 E. Muirwood Drive, Suite 103

In a previous column I discussed the PACER, a test of cardiovascular fitness that is part of the national youth physical fitness test battery (FITNESSGRAM). FITNESSGRAM, was developed at the Cooper Institute in Dallas and is now offered as a cooperative program with the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports, and Nutrition (PCFSN) and the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance (AAHPERD). In addition to assessing cardiovascular fitness, the FITNESSGRAM Test Battery includes tests of muscle fitness, flexibility, and body composition.

A handful of students at Desert Vista High School got to sneak a peak at newly arrived Circus Vargas in Phoenix during a special rehearsal last week.

A handful of students at Desert Vista High School got to sneak a peak at newly arrived Circus Vargas in Phoenix during a special rehearsal last week.

The Phoenix Symphony is one of just 22 American orchestras to receive a first-year Getty Education and Community Investment Grant. The grant was awarded as a new and emerging work to expand the orchestra’s B-Sharp Music Wellness program, targeting the homeless population of urban Phoenix, and is recognition of the Phoenix Symphony’s innovation and dedication to increasing its relevance to the community.

500 N. 56th St.

South Mountain Community College students, faculty and staff will volunteer to help package up food items and make them available for the general public on selected Friday mornings.

15215 S. 48th St., Suite 161

Thanks to a range of factors — including medical advances, healthier eating habits and better fitness — Americans are living longer lives. Life expectancy in the U.S. recently hit a record 78.7 years, and the number of Americans living past age 90 has nearly tripled during the last 30 years. But while living well into our 90s is a dream for many of us, the possibility of outliving our savings serves as an eye-opener.

So much of Chinese medicine is linked to how our emotions are connected to our health and well being.  In fact the very fundamentals of Chinese medicine are reflected in the five elemental theory. This theory states each major organ has a specific emotion that affects it. It also states that out of that negative emotion can come a positive drive. For instance, at one point in my life I got angry with the way that I was being treated as a patient. I was also upset that there were no options to help me in my condition. If that wouldn’t of happened I would have never thought of becoming a health care provider. Out of that anger came a passion to help others in their healing process.

Hospice of the Valley and the Diocese of Phoenix Catholic Cemeteries and Mortuaries are hosting a no-cost community presentation next month.

An Ahwatukee Foothills family is hosting a walk in Tempe tomorrow, raising money for dementia awareness.

Memorization techniques are helpful in many situations. For high school and college students, learning these techniques will help to get ahead and stay ahead in class work and studies.

With Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton having proclaimed September as “Hunger Action Month” in the city of Phoenix, the tallest and brightest representation of the hunger issue in Arizona began Sept. 4 when the 40-story Chase Tower started glowing orange.