Born with a complex cardiac defect, Marisa Tufaro lived with a medical condition that restricted her from some physical activity, but never prevented her from bowling.

Marisa, who died in 2017 at the age of 13 following complications from a heart transplant, enjoyed her time at Stelton Lanes in Piscataway and at Milford Lanes during family vacations in Delaware.

She is the inspiration behind the Marisa Tufaro Classic, a season-opening bowling tournament featuring more than 60 boys and girls high school teams from the Greater Middlesex Conference and elsewhere across the state.

The second annual event, at which competitors are welcome to donate toys for pediatric patients (details below), will benefit The Marisa Tufaro Foundation, a tax-exempt nonprofit which helps children in need throughout the greater Middlesex County area.

Established a little more than two years ago, the foundation has already made a profound impact, donating more than $100,000 and spearheading multiple community initiatives, as well as awarding college scholarship dollars to exceptional high school students who advance the nonprofit’s mission.

Marisa’s father, Greg, a sportswriter for the Home News Tribune, and mother, Cyndi, the principal at James Monroe Elementary School in Edison, founded the nonprofit to give back to a community that long provided their family with overwhelming support.

Amanda Small, the head coach at her alma mater, perennial state power Woodbridge, where she was a member of the high school’s 2007 Tournament of Champions winning team and two years earlier was the Home News Tribune’s Bowler of the Year, founded the Marisa Tufaro Classic, which will be contested this year on Nov. 30 at Majestic Lanes.

The tournament will be conducted in a best-of-five baker format using NJSIAA tournament scoring with open substitution.

Awards for boys and girls will be presented to the team champions and runners-up in each division, as well as to the three bowlers with the highest individual game and the three bowlers who roll the highest series in each division. For the second straight year, Ron Mazzola of Prestige Imaging of Old Bridge is donating the awards.

The North Brunswick boys and Woodbridge girls won titles at last year’s tournament.

Amanda Small showing off her Bowler of the Year form in high school

“Amanda wanted to offer another option for a holiday tournament to kick off the year, and she came up with the idea to host one in Woodbridge Township to benefit The Marisa Tufaro Foundation,” said Woodbridge athletics director Joe Ward who, along with Glenn Lottmann, the high school’s principal, approved the concept.

“We were 100 percent on board when she brought the idea to us. Amanda is hard-working and dedicated to the sport of bowling. She’s always looking to assist the school and the community in any way she can, and I think this is a great example of that.”

Marisa, who would have been a junior this year at Edison High School, was born with hypoplastic left-heart syndrome, a complex cardiac defect which required six open-heart surgeries. She developed two life-threatening conditions that necessitated a heart transplant. The transplant was supposed to extend her life, but tragically cut it short when a postoperative complication developed into a rare form of blood cancer to which Marisa succumbed. Despite being hospitalized for more than two years and maintaining hundreds of doctor’s appointments, Marisa, who was an honor roll student in elementary and middle school, lived a vibrant life that inspired.

The parent of an Edison bowler who was one of Marisa’s friends approached Small last year about simultaneously using the Marisa Tufaro Classic as a toy drive, an idea Small and the Woodbridge administration fully embraced.

In honor of the tournament’s namesake, new and unwrapped toys from a specific wish list (details below) will be collected at the event and donated this year to Bristol-Myers Squibb Children’s Hospital in New Brunswick.

Marisa was under the loving care for her entire life of Joseph Gaffney, MD, Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Division Chief, Pediatric Cardiology at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital.

The Port Reading Fire Department is also using its first annual Christmas Tree Lighting Celebration on Dec. 3 at 6 p.m. to collect toys for our nonprofit to donate to the children’s hospital (the event includes a visit with Santa Claus, carols performed by the Woodbridge High School choir, holiday crafts, hot chocolate, candy canes and more).

Last year, Small and Ward joined our foundation’s leadership to deliver hundred of toys for pediatric patients at Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital of New York Presbyterian Columbia University Medical Center, where Marisa spent 161 of her final days including her last holiday season.

Diagnosed with cancer in December 2016, Marisa was weaned from a ventilator days before Christmas. With high-dose steroids alleviating the swelling in her brain, Marisa miraculously regained her cognitive function and fine motor skills in time to celebrate the holiday with her parents, who could not have received a greater gift. Through the generosity of strangers, Marisa was able to unwrap many wonderful donated presents in Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital’s pediatric cardiac intensive care unit.

Parents of hospitalized children, some of whom are overwhelmed with medical bills and other related costs, may not be able to afford presents or are so consumed with caring for their ill child that shopping, even online, is not a possibility or a priority.

Greg and Cyndi Tufaro were deeply moved upon learning the annual bowling tournament would also serve as a toy drive for a children’s hospital in Marisa’s honor.

Amanda (left) and Marisa using some body language

The donations will be available for distribution at the hospital, not only during the holiday season, but throughout the year, to meet the needs of pediatric patients, all of whom can benefit at any time from a diversion to help cope with the stress and pain that can accompany treatments, medical procedures and extended admissions.

Marisa’s father previously served as a Greater Middlesex Conference bowling beat writer, authoring weekly notebooks that included standings and statistics, covering every invitational and conference tournament in which league members participated and writing regular features throughout the season.

“I wanted to start a new tournament and when it came time to naming it, it was a no-brainer for me,” Small said. “I knew exactly what I wanted to do and name it after (Greg’s) daughter. When I was in high school, waking up on Saturday mornings (during bowling season), I couldn’t wait to read (the Home News Tribune’s weekly notebook) and all the coverage (during the season). This is a great way to give back.”

Woodbridge High School has been among The Marisa Tufaro Foundation’s biggest and most loyal supporters.

Marisa Tufaro with her mother, Cyndi

The high school fully funds in Marisa’s memory the Woodbridge High School Marisa Tufaro Memorial Scholarship and has donated its facilities and volunteered its staff to host the Greater Middlesex Conference All-Star girls and boys basketball games in 2017 and 2018 with all proceeds from the doubleheader benefiting the foundation. Earlier this year, Woodbridge hosted the second annual Tecmo Bowl for Tufaro, a retro football video game tournament which raised money for the nonprofit, and for the second straight year recently donated the entire gate from its football team’s home opener to our foundation.

Charity-Temitope Daramola and Jordan Cinelli, both 2018 Woodbridge graduates, were recipients of The Marisa Tufaro Foundation Greater Middlesex Conference Student-Athlete Scholarship and the Marisa Tufaro Memorial Community Service Scholarship, respectively. Earlier this year, George Wenson, a 2019 Woodbridge graduate, received our nonprofit’s community service scholarship.

The high school bowling community, as a whole, has buoyed The Marisa Tufaro Foundation, donating to the nonprofit through the annual Central Jersey Winter Classic, a tournament of which Ralph Fetch and Lori Gerstl are co-directors.

Only items from the list below can be accepted as donations. All must be new and unwrapped. Thank you for understanding. Your generosity is greatly appreciated.

  • Infant toys (toys that make noise, light up)
  • Infant mobiles, crib mirrors, crib music players
  • Rattles, pacifiers, teething rings
  • Toddler playsets, i.e. Little People
  • Dolls — Barbie, Monster High, princesses and baby dolls
  • Music CDs (teen, children, infants, relaxation, lullaby)
  • DVDs for children and teens (new releases, English and Spanish)
  • Play-Doh/Model Magic and tools
  • Arts and craft supplies, coloring books, crayons and markers
  • Lego, Mega Bloks, K’NEX playsets
  • Matchbox, Hot Wheels cars and playsets
  • Uno cards, playing cards and other card games
  • Books, including board books for babies, hardcover, paperback, crosswords, Sudoku
  • Action figures (non-violent)
  • Beauty and hygiene items for teens (lotion, nail polish, deodorant, travel size toiletries)
  • Pajamas — infant through teen
  • Beanie hats, slipper socks and other clothing items/accessories for teens
  • Blank T-shirts and fabric paint
  • Ear bud headphones
  • Lined and unlined journals for kids and teens and gel or ballpoint pens
  • Puzzles (25 to 100 pieces)
  • Electronic learning toys, hand-held video games
  • Bubbles
  • Video games and wireless controllers for Xbox 360
  • Portable DVD players, boom boxes, CD players
  • Batteries (AA, AAA, C, D)
  • Gift cards: Visa, American Express, Amazon, iTunes, Game Stop, Toys “R” Us, Target, sporting goods stores