Marisa’s Makers, a club at Edison’s Herbert Hoover Middle School, established in memory of Marisa Tufaro, a former student who passed away last year, has been busy in recent months working on multiple projects.
As its project of the year, club members decided to create Gratitude Jars to encourage recipients to focus on the simple gifts they receive daily. The jars include some prewritten “joys” for which we should all be grateful, as well as a purple gift bag containing purple heart-shaped cutouts and a purple pen to allow recipients to make note of the moments of their lives for which they are most thankful. Purple was Marisa’s favorite color. It is the club’s hope that the purple hearts will help recipients remember what truly matters each day.
Members of Herbert Hoover’s student council recently delivered the Gratitude Jars to residents of Heritage at Clara Barton, a health care facility located blocks from the middle school, and where Marisa’s grandmother once received care.
Last week, the Marisa’s Makers club completed another project, creating table centerpieces that will be used for a major event The Marisa Tufaro Foundation is sponsoring next month at a Central Jersey children’s hospital. Details of the event, along with pictures of those beautiful table centerpieces, will be provided on our foundation website at a later date.
Marisa’s former teacher, Shannon Marasco, founded and moderates “Marisa’s Makers,” which currently has approximately a dozen members, most of whom are sixth-grade students at Herbert Hoover.
The club was developed around a theme of connecting crafting to the community at large as a way of doing for others. The club’s mantra is “connecting to the community one craft at a time.” The club honors Marisa’s passion for crafting and her desire to make others happy.
In December, club members, using ornaments provided by a school administrator and her family, decorated a weeping cherry tree that Herbert Hoover’s students and staff planted last year in the school courtyard in Marisa’s honor and memory.
“This beautiful weeping cherry tree that will bloom pink in the spring has been planted in memory of your daughter,” reads a certificate of appreciation that principal Brian McGrath presented to Marisa’s parents during Herbert Hoover’s 2017 eighth-grade promotion ceremony. “She will forever be in our thoughts and live in our hearts.”
Our foundation, established less than 10 months ago, has already made a profound impact. Through the generosity of our supporters, we have …
- Collected thousands of toys for pediatric patients at Saint Peter’s University Children’s Hospital and Bristol-Myers Squibb Children’s Hospital.
- Funded the purchase of brand new metal bunk beds for campers at Kiddie Keep Well Camp, which serves more than 600 underserved Middlesex County children annually.
- Supported instruction and supplies for an art therapy program at Bristol-Myers Squibb Children’s Hospital, to which the foundation also provided funds for infant mobiles, toy cars staff use to transport children to the operating room for surgery and bubbles to be included in welcome bags.
- Provided money for equipment and supplies for students with disabilities who utilize the Lakeview School’s newly constructed aquatics center.
- Provided medical alert bracelets to children with autism and pediatric patients with chronic illness who receive outstanding care from Children’s Specialized Hospital, which annually serves more than 34,000 children statewide.
- Partially funded the Make-A-Wish of a Middlesex County boy who is winning a battle with high-risk neuroblastoma.
- Provided physical therapy at Special Strides Therapeutic Riding Center and Project Walk for Middlesex County children whose families do not have health insurance or whose families’ health insurer does not cover the cost of the physical therapy.
- Raised money and collected nonperishable food items to benefit Middlesex County children and their families through Hands of Hope via our foundation’s participation in the Race to Outrun Hunger.
- Provided meals and goods for families staying at the Ronald McDonald House of Central Jersey.
- Assisted families whose children are in medical crisis, providing financial support through the payment of medical and/or personal expenses to help lessen the burden of parents who have lost wages while spending time at the hospital.
- Partnered with James Monroe Elementary School to fill “Weekend Snack Bags” for pediatric patients and their families.
- Conducted a coat drive for Middlesex County children.
- Provided gift cards for pediatric patients and their families.
- Provided scholarships for Middlesex County students.