Support Military Child Memorial at Painting Event & Beer Social

BY CHERYL CONWAY STAFF WRITER

MOUNT OLIVE - May flowers will most certainly be blooming this spring, not only in landscapes and gardens, but at the Jersey Girl Brewery in Budd Lake.

Whether it’s art, music, socializing or beer, The Military Child fundraiser set for Sunday, May 21, at the local brewery on Sand Shore Rd. will be the place for fun and camaraderie. The event is being sponsored by the All-Veterans Memorial in Budd Lake.

The community is invited to the Military Child Painting Event from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., followed by the AVM’s Beer Garden Social from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.

“We are raising funds for the Military Child Monument,” explains Charlie Wood Uhrmann, founder of the AVM. She says “100% of the proceeds will be applied towards the monument.”

The Military Child Monument is the latest element being designed and sculptured at the AVM, a one-of-a-kind memori- al site dedicated to all those who have served and are serving in the military.

The latest element features a garden representing five variations of flowers: Three different stages of the dandelion, a poppy and a daisy. The dandelion will represent the resilient life stages of the military child. A red poppy will represent “the life of our fallen warriors; the memory of children, all children, our children during war,” says Uhrmann. And the daisy symbolizes innocence and purity and new beginnings for children, “all children,” caught up in life’s many battles.

Uhrmann created the design and the concept of the garden. She is hiring Tim Sheldon of Wicked Workz to create the steel sculptured monument, that will stand just under 10 feet on a large mound of stones.

“We need to raise $8,500 for the monument,” says Uhrmann.

The AVM is a non-profit 501©3 organization that has been made possible through donations and sponsorships for the past 15 years.

For the Military Child Painting event, Uhrmann asks participants to register to ensure there are enough materials. Anyone aged 16-90 is welcome but there is a limit of 50 attendees. The cost is $45, which will include all materials and instructions.

“Each participant will take home their painting, and a gift bag from the AVM,” says Uhrmann.

While Uhrmann came up with the overall design and concept, the artist behind the drawing is Eileen Schissler of Mt. Olive, who will be instructing the class.

“Participants will learn artistic techniques and skill sets from the artist who painted several of the murals at the AVM (Blue Skin),” says Uhrmann.

The design for the fundraiser is a modified version of what the sculpture will entail. Schissler’s artwork which participants will replica at the event is a “dandelion to represent the Military

Child,” explains Schissler. “The three flowers represent the stages of a child’s life. The bud for the infant/toddler, flower for the adolescent and the fuzzy dandelion for the teen.”

Under Uhrmann’s suggestion, “I have been working over the past few weeks to come up with a design that would represent the Military Child as well as being a piece that others will be able to paint without too much difficulty,” the artist explains. “The original idea presented to me was several different flowers. The concept was refined to only include one dandelion. I took that concept to include a bud, flower and fuzzy dandelion.”

The flower will be painted with acrylics on a black canvas, she describes.

“I purchased sketch pads and canvas as well as the paints to complete the design,” says Schissler, an associate support department supervisor at Home Depot where she has worked for the past 25 years.