Horses make great partners on our human journeys of healing. Whether it is a physical or emotional condition, there are many ways in which horses can help guide and support the healing process. By their inherent nature, horses behave and react in ways that give us a great deal of information about ourselves.

Kimberly Cardeccia, Owner/Operator of the Hidden Promise Equestrian and Healing Center will discuss how this happens and explore some of the different ways horses can make our lives better.

Kimberly Cardeccia is a Licensed Professional Counselor who has been involved with horses for over 30 years. She has operated her counseling practice since 2001, following 10 years as an elementary physical education teacher. She combines her professional skills with her passion for horses in order to help individuals surpass the mental and emotional blocks that continue to limit their experience of life. Her unique style of compassionate guidance emphasizes communication and safety (both physical and emotional) in her work with people and horses. She combines her training and expertise into holistic methods to help clients heal their mind and body connection

Enjoy stories, puppets, and movements that promote coordination, flexibility, and storytime fun with Ananda Children'sCatalina Arango.

Ananda Children is a bilingual (English & Spanish) research based program that combines yoga, music, art and counseling techniques to empower children by enhancing their physical fitness, emotional well-being and stress management

Whether the thought of participating in a marathon excites you or makes you cringe, there's no question that running 26.2 miles (or those ultramarathons of 50 or 100 miles) takes a lot of dedication and hard work. Good nutrition and diet are key components in any runner's training plan, and for some, that means a plant-based diet.

Vegan ultramarathoner and blogger Matt Frazier will be visiting AADL to discuss his new book No Meat Athlete: Run on Plants and Discover Your Fittest, Fastest, Happiest Self, as well as talk about his active, vegan lifestyle. Copies of the book will be for sale, and the event includes a book signing.

Matt Frazier started nomeatathlete.com in 2009, roughly the same time he transitioned to a vegetarian diet, and qualified for the Boston Marathon six months later. In 2010, he ran his first 50-mile ultramarathon, and has since run several other marathons and ultras, including the recent 100-mile Burning River Endurance Run in Ohio. He credits his success and good health to a plant-based diet.

This event is cosponsored by VegMichigan, a nonprofit organization promoting awareness of the health, environmental and ethical benefits of a plant-based diet. In conjunction with this event, local business Running Fit (at the corner of 4th Ave and E. Liberty) will be hosting group runs with Matt at 7:00 a.m. (for distances over 10 miles) and 7:30 a.m. (for distances under 10 miles). Anyone interested in running is invited to lace up and join them! A vegan breakfast will also be available at The Running Institute (connected next door to Running Fit) from 7:30-9:30 a.m.

Based on the acclaimed book by ecologist and cancer survivor Sandra Steingraber, the 2010 award-winning documentary Living Downstream follows Sandra during one pivotal year as she travels across North America, working to break the silence about cancer and its environmental links.

After a routine cancer screening, Sandra Steingraber, receives a worrisome result. The film covers two journeys with Sandra: her private struggle with a possible cancer recurrence and her public quest to bring attention to the toxic chemicals in our environment.

We follow these invisible toxicants as they migrate to some of the most beautiful places in North America. We see how they enter our bodies and, once inside, how they may contribute to cancer formation. Experts in the fields of toxicology and cancer research talk about their own findings - findings that illuminate the significant connection between a healthy environment and human health.

A discussion will follow the screening of this 60 minute film, led by members of the Michigan Breast Cancer Coalition

The City of Ann Arbor Natural Area Preservation staff will lead a Spring nature walk in Barton Nature Area, a 102 acre park with wonderfully diverse natural features.

The park is in two sections: the larger is known locally as the oxbow, and connects to Argo Nature Area; the smaller is known as Foster, and is accessible only by boat from Barton Pond. The main trail in the oxbow is wood-chipped, and connects the two bridges that lead to the parking area. Most of this area is open field, but some areas are shrubby, and lower wet areas support sedges and marsh plants. Foster has a small trail through a relatively open woodland on its eastern side.

We'll meet in the parking lot off of Huron Drive just north of the intersection with Bird Road.

With the passage of healthcare reform, numerous laws will take effect beginning October 1 and many people within our community will be directly affected. Join Aaron Wooster from Senior Benefits Group of Brighton as he discusses:

- The federal mandate for US citizens to carry health insurance
- Tax subsidies to help lower the cost of coverage
- Penalties for not having insurance
- The Federal Health Exchange operated in Michigan
- Changes to laws regarding preexisting conditions
- Federal Health Plan standardized benefit levels

This program is intended to provide community members age 64 and under with the information and resources to correctly navigate the important decisions that must be made to comply with new healthcare laws.

Anxiety disorders can be disabling and are surprisingly common, affecting up to 30% of all youth. While transient fears and anxieties are a normal part of child and adolescent development, if the anxiety causes excessive distress, leads to avoidance, and/or interferes with school performance, activities, or relationships, this could be an indication of an anxiety disorder. The good news is that effective treatments are available.

Learn more about anxiety disorders in youth and adolescents, including the latest treatment options, at this forum featuring Kate Fitzgerald, MD, Assistant Professor in the U-M Department of Psychiatry, co-director of the Pediatric Anxiety and Tic Disorders Clinic, and a U-M Depression Center faculty member. Dr. Fitzgerald's presentation will be followed by questions from the audience and a discussion with expert panelists, including Depression Center faculty members Joseph Himle, PhD, MSW and Elizabeth Koschmann, PhD, along with Karen Nicholson-Muth, LMSW, a private practice clinician in Ann Arbor.

This event is cosponsored by the U-M Depression Center. For more information on the Center, visit the Depression Center website at www.depressioncenter.org, or contact Trish Meyer, 763-7495, or meyerpa@umich.edu.

Natural Area Preservation (City of Ann Arbor) volunteer and Master Gardener Aunita Erskine lead a nature walk through Furstenberg's Native Garden.

Learn about the ecology of the park, how to identify many of the autumn prairie plants and how people have historically used some of the plants for food and medicine.

Furstenberg is off Fuller, across from Huron High School. Meet in the parking lot near the Native Plant Garden.

A narrative retelling of the relationship to a person we’ve loved and lost becomes profound when the sense of smell is introduced as a catalyst for memory. Michelle Krell Kydd, editor of the award-winning blog Glass Petal Smoke, will introduce Smell Mapping a tool for cataloging memories and continuing our relationship with a loved one in an internalized form.

Workshop attendees are encouraged to bring aromatic items that remind them of a particular loved one who has passed on (cologne, shampoo, soap, spices, etc.). These will be used for personal inspiration and act as a catalyst for storytelling.

ADHD was once thought to be limited to only to childhood. Symptoms, however, frequently persist into adulthood. For some people, adult ADHD can cause significant problems and lead to unstable relationships, poor work or school performance, and low self-esteem.

Learn more at about adult ADHD at this event, co-sponsored by the Michigan Institute For Clinical Health Research and the U-M Department of Psychiatry. Featuring Chandra Sripada, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Michigan, the session will highlight new research in this area, and attendees will also learn more about clinical and health research opportunities available through UMClinicalStudies.org.

Chandra Sripada, MD, PhD, is an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Michigan. He uses neuroimaging and other brain-based methods to study the neural mechanisms that enable people to exert control over attention and motivation. Dr. Sripada is an Adult ADHD specialist and the former director of the U-M Adult ADHD Clinic.