28 SEPTEMBER 2021 By Jennifer Marshall Diana Gregory has a special place in her heart for the veterans and seniors she has come across over the years. That passion is what sparked the creation of her nonprofit, Diana Gregory Outreach Services, and its offshoot, Veggies for Veterans. “I’ve been helping seniors and vets since I was eight years old,” Gregory said. “I was playing outside one hot July day when I noticed my 85-year-old neighbor struggling to carry her grocery bags. I instantly leaped to her assistance and helped her carry her food up eight flights of stairs to her apartment, as the elevator was broken.” From that moment on, Gregory vowed to continue helping seniors and vets. After a 30-year career in corporate marketing and sales, she made good on her promise when she established Diana Gregory Outreach Services and Gregory’s Fresh Market. The charity’s mission is to “restore meaningful food access and eliminate health disparities in under-resourced communities.” That mission has served thousands of seniors and vets since 2009. In 2017, Gregory founded Veggies for Veterans – a mobile farmers market that brings fresh fruit and produce to senior centers and the Phoenix Veterans Affairs Health Care System. “We’d already been serving transitional veterans when we were invited to bring our farmer’s market to Victory Place – a temporary housing community for homeless vets – four years ago,” Gregory said. “Over those four years, we’ve served almost 10,000 veterans.” Before the pandemic, Veggies for Veterans visited Victory Place once a month and gave every veteran a $10 voucher to purchase fruits and veggies. Gregory explained that offering the vouchers encouraged the veterans to venture out of their comfort zones, leave their apartments, get nutritious food and interact with others. “The program is about socialization versus isolation and allows us to teach them about healthy eating,” she said. Veggies for Veterans’ successful work at Victory Place led to an invitation to visit the Phoenix VA to duplicate the vouchers. The program serves a minimum of 500 veterans, and last year it pivoted to a delivery system using prepackaged bags of fruits and vegetables. “Everyone at Victory House and the VA Hospital loves the program,” Gregory said. “To enrich lives through healthy eating is our mission statement, and what a wonderful way to honor vets.” Gregory said volunteers are the backbone of the organization, and they couldn’t do their valuable work without the support of their sponsors and suppliers. However, since food needs have far exceeded what they can buy and receive in donations, they established a small, local farm in 2019 to grow pesticide-free produce. The farm, located at Spaces of Opportunity community gardens in south Phoenix, grows broccoli, beets, cabbage, cauliflower, eggplant, collard greens, kale, corn and more. dianagregory.com Nonprofit gives back to veterans with donated produce Diana Gregory Diana Gregory Michael Welsh and Dr. Isabel Kozak of the Phoenix VA, Jerry Wissink of Berkshire Hathaway, Diana Gregory and two active duty veterans who volunteered at the Veggies for Veterans event sponsored by Berkshire Hathaway’s Legacy Foundation and WellCare. PHOTO COURTESY OF DIANA GREGORY 602.399.8540 debbiefrazelle.com dfrazelle@cox.net Debbie Frazelle | CLHMS | ABR PAST P AST P ARCADIA PTO VP T O VP T PAST P AST P H AST H AST OP H OP H I OP I OP P I P I TA PRESIDENT P RESIDENT P ARCADIA RESIDENT FO F O F R O R O OVER OV ER OV 30 ER 30 ER YEARS Top 1% of Coldwell Banker Agents BUILT IN 2018 BY A LOCAL DEVELOPER WESLEY HANES CONCEPTS AND DESIGNTANK, THIS CONTEMPORARY HOME IS A 2800+SQ FT SINGLE LEVEL OPEN FLOOR PLAN 3 BEDROOM + AN OFFICE WHICH CAN EASILY BE USED AS A 4TH BEDROOM. GREAT KITCHEN WITH A WALL OF COLLAPSIBLE GLASS GREAT FOR INDOOR/OUTDOOR LIVING. TAVAN/ARCADIA SCHOOLS. CLOSE TO FINE DINING AND AIRPORT! ARCADIA LITE RENTAL Available 10/15 or 11/1 for a 1 year only lease at $5000 a month. Religious Instruction • Strong Academics • Cutting Edge Technology • Service Learning Leadership Programs • PE and Interscholastic Sports • Instrumental and Vocal Music “Arts Attack” Program • School Nurse • Bus Transportation Available OUR NEW TEACHERS HAD A GREAT FIRST DAY! 3901 East Indian School Road • 602-957-7010 • www.clsphx.org CHRIST LUTHERAN SCHOOL Christian Values. Quality Education. Preschool through Grade 8

29 SEPTEMBER 2021 By Mallory Gleich The Frederick on Missouri is an homage to mid-century modern architecture, with a fresh take on the outdated strip malls of the past. The owners describe it as “a gathering place for the community to shop and dine; a place that is unique and something that creates a sense of pride in the neighborhood.” Arizona transplants Chantell Nighswonger and her husband Kevin Cieszkowski, owners of The Frederick (1215 E. Missouri Ave.), said the plaza is their passion project. They also run a women’s clothing boutique there. “When I moved back to Phoenix, I had a difficult time finding the fashion-related marketing job I wanted, and it was my husband who suggested starting the boutique I had always dreamed of opening,” Nighswonger said. “I always wondered why there weren’t more boutiques like the ones I would visit in California or around the world, and I would mostly shop online, so I decided I would start my boutique based on the shops I had visited.” Nighswonger’s dream became a reality when she opened Vida Moulin five years ago. From there, the vision grew, and the duo decided to move the boutique into its own building. “My grandparents were entrepreneurs, mostly in commercial and industrial real estate, so I always had a deep understanding that owning your own buildings and land was one key to personal wealth and growth,” Nighswonger said. She reached out to friends who also owned small businesses and asked if they would be interested in joining them as tenants. Once the other shops were on board, it was time to find a space. “Our biggest grief with the Phoenix commercial real estate market for small business retail shops is that there were lackluster strip malls where your neighbors would not necessarily be driving the type of business you wanted. Or, there would be brand-new shopping complexes mostly made of nighttime-focused restaurants and charging extremely high prices for larger spaces than what you needed,” Nighswonger said. Fate stepped in one day when Nighswonger and her husband, along with architect Christoph Kaiser, found an empty building at 12th St. and Missouri Ave. The original architect, Frederick Weaver, had designed notable buildings around the Valley, including the ASU library and the former Valley National Bank at 44th and Camelback. They decided to name their project after him. “With so many original mid-century buildings being torn down all over Phoenix, we wanted to keep the historical integrity and have this gem restored for future generations to appreciate,” Nighswonger said. “Weaver’s daughters visited, and at that moment, we knew that taking the additional cost of restoring the building was the right choice.” The complex, built in the 1960s, originally housed a dental office. Now, eight businesses complete The Frederick. Along with Vida Moulin, the shopping center includes Form Floral, Cricket & Ruby children’s boutique, Metalmark fine jewelry, a beauty concept called Melt by Melissa, Batea vintage goods, Creative Kind gift shop and Mahalo Made shaved ice. “The majority [of the stores] have been in business for three to five years and have quite a community following. We expected a great reaction from the community when it came together, but I think we are all blown away at how excited the entire Valley has been to have a destination like this,” Nighswonger said. She and her team have plans to open another retail and dining complex called The Murphy that will be “an industrial-influenced building set on the train tracks that run through downtown Gilbert,” Nighswonger said. It will be named after Frank Murphy, who built the Arizona Eastern Railway in 1903 through the town. thefredphx.com Mid-century modern retail complex opens in central Phoenix Small business owners Melissa Pruett, Theresa Delaney, Malori Maeva, Elena Shaw, Abby Snow and Chantell Nighswonger. PHOTO COURTESY OF CHANTEL NIGHSWONGER Are you at risk for stroke or cardiovascular disease? Screenings are easy, painless and non-invasive. Call Life Line Screening at 833-335-0203 Special Offer for Readers 5 screening package for $149 R Family-Owned and Operated. Serving Arizona since 1988 ROC080472 • ROC297225 • ROC297226 • C5274E 480.545.9755 trees@caretakerinc.com • www.caretakerlandscape.com n Storm Damage Clean-Up n Tree Health & Risk Assessments n Tree Removals & Stump Grinding n Oleander Replacement/Removal n Licensed, Bonded & Insured n Annual/Semiannual Standard & Specialty Pruning n Enhancement & Design Services Residential Tree Services ISA Certified Arborists and Tree Workers