Toms River Girl Scout's 'Art Heals' Mural Set For Unveiling

TOMS RIVER, NJ — Months of work put in by a Toms River teen on a project to create a mural that brings awareness to mental health and addiction issues and the role art can play in helping people is finally complete.

The only thing that remains for Alessandra Sophia Regenye is the unveiling.

Regenye, who is a Cadette in the Girl Scouts of the Jersey Shore council, created the mural titled "Toms River Art Heals" over a process dating back to last fall as her Silver Award project for Girl Scouts.

The mural is scheduled to be unveiled Saturday, May 18, at Cafe Enigma, 216 Main St. in downtown Toms River.

The unveiling ceremony will begin at 11 a.m.

"My goal is decreasing the stigma attached to mental health and addiction issues; and, increasing awareness of holistic health approaches many forget to consider, while bringing attention to the impact art can have on healing and building resiliency," Regenye wrote in a letter last fall seeking supporters for her project. "These approaches are often less expensive, more accessible because you can do them in your own home and can possibly treat people's mental health without addictive medications that often have side effects."

Visit the project's Facebook page for more information on Sophie's project.

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