CRANBURY: Around Cranbury

Woman forms Deepak Foundation to help children

By Lorraine Sedor, Special Writer
 Kat Kehrt, who graduated from Green Mountain College earlier this month, is using her degree in sociology and anthropology as well as her life experience to form a nonprofit foundation.
   The idea for the Deepak Foundation was born during Kat’s gap year prior to entering college.
   She traveled to Nepal for six months, worked at an orphanage and there met Deepak. This little guy worked his way into Kat’s heart and never left.
   All through college, she considered how to help children like him have an equal opportunity to decent housing and an education. Kat named her foundation for him and has begun the long but necessary process of filing for tax-exempt status.
   To raise funds for all the fees, Kat is holding a yard sale tomorrow, May 26, from 7 a.m. until sellout at her home at 18 Evans Drive.
   To learn more about Deepak and Kat’s story, visit thedeepakfoundation.org or stop by the yard sale, say hello to Kat and pick up a bargain that may be life-changing!
   The Cranbury Lions Club is having an open house reception for its exhibit in the Cranbury Museum on Sunday, June 3, from 1 to 4 p.m.
   This exhibit, in honor of its 80th anniversary, includes an impressive array of memorabilia from the Cranbury Lions. The exhibit includes Lions Club projects through the years and features a book of the Lions history compiled and written by council Chairman Bob Virgadamo.
   Did you know the Cranbury Lions donated about 2 acres to create Village Park? Or it arranged the dredging of the lake, which, in turn, created the only real sledding hill in town? Or it built the park’s pavilion?
   These are just some of the projects the Lions have accomplished to improve our community.
   Share the Lions’ pride! And visit the exhibit June 3!
   Refreshments will be served.
   The Cranbury Farmers Market is launching this summer, and it needs a logo!
   All kids 18 and under who are Cranbury residents are welcome to enter the market’s logo contest.
   Logos should be submitted on a plain 8½-inch by 11-inch sheet of paper at 26 N. Main St., Cranbury, by June 8. The winner will receive a brand-new specialized bicycle from Knapp’s Cyclery!
   On the back of your design, include your name, grade, school, address and phone number where you can be contacted if you win.
   Questions? Call Julie Kim at 609-662-4149.
   PHS Studio Band invites families, friends and alumni to the 35th anniversary band concert Saturday, June 2.
   The band has had an epic year, including performing at the 70th commemoration of Pearl Harbor.
   The evening will feature some of the music the band performed in Hawaii, its 2012 competition set as well as some Studio Band standards.
   Studio Band alumni are encouraged to bring their instruments and join the band for a few tunes.
   The concert will be held at 8 p.m. in the PHS Performing Arts Center. Tickets are $10 for adults and $6 for students and seniors.
   The concert is a benefit for the PHS band program.
   Enjoy a brief remembrance of the late George Stave and his art at a special, single-evening exhibit of his work at Gourgaud Gallery on June 1 from 6 to 9 p.m.
   A prolific artist and native Californian, George studied at Chouinard Art Institute in Los Angeles, at Academie Julian in Paris and with abstract expressionist Robert Motherwell.
   In 1951, as the recipient of a Fulbright Act grant, George traveled to India, southeast Asia and Japan, working and collecting local art.
   For most of his career, George worked as a union set painter for NBC Studios and Lincoln Scenic Studios in New York.
   The retrospective was curated by George’s wife, Mabubeh, and includes pieces that are in private collections.
   Sunday, June 3, an exhibit by Watercolorists Unlimited, “Barns and Beyond,” opens at the Gourgaud Gallery with a meet-the-artist reception from 1 to 3 p.m.
   Each month, the group of artists has been meeting, for more than 25 years, to critique their paintings on a new subject.
   The 18 artists show their work throughout New Jersey and annually at the Gourgaud Gallery. The artwork is for sale with 20 percent of each sale going to support the Cranbury Arts Council and its programs.
   Cash or a check made out to the Cranbury Arts Council is accepted as payment.
   Maggie Bleach, a junior from Cranbury studying at Susquehanna University, has set a goal to run at least five marathons in her lifetime.
   Her marathon will accomplish a personal goal and a philanthropic one as well.
   As a member of Team in Training, she will be raising funds for leukemia research. She is nearly halfway to her goal of $5,000
   You can learn more about Maggie’s efforts by reading her blog and donating at http://pages.teamintraining.org/vtnt/anchor12/mbleach.
   While many of us would never consider running a marathon, we can certainly help Maggie cross her first finish line and support leukemia research at the same time. Be certain to visit her page and support the businesses that are supporting her first run.
   Monday, we celebrate Memorial Day with parades and remembrances of those who gave their lives for our freedom.
   At 11:30 a.m. in Brainerd Cemetery, members of the New Jersey Civil War History Association will conduct their annual Memorial Day ceremony at the Civil War Monument.
   Re-enactors in Civil War uniforms and women in period dress will take part in the impressive 30 minute ceremony in memory of those soldiers from the area who were in the Civil War.
   Beginning at 12:45 p.m. John Chambers will sign copies of his new book, “Cranbury, A New Jersey Town from the Colonial Era to the Present,” in front of the Cranbury History Center, 6 S. Main St.
    The book is $29.95, and checks should be made payable to Cranbury Landmarks Inc.The Memorial Day parade, complete with marching bands and floats, begins at 1 p.m.
   A brief memorial service will be held at Memorial Park next to the Cranbury firehouse following the parade.
   This is my last “Around Cranbury” column.
   It’s been so many years I can’t remember when I began sharing our neighbors’ news, community events and special occasions on page 2 of the Press!
   I appreciate the positive feedback I’ve received while getting to know Cranbury in this special way.
   The Cranbury Press still will cover your news in feature stories and the calendar section of the paper so please continue to share!
   Send your story ideas and press releases to Managing Editor Charles Kim at [email protected].
   I’m not leaving so I hope to see you “around Cranbury!”