Among the student performers invited to take part in a charity event celebrating the state university and pharmacy school’s diversity, Saketh Sitaram had a direct connection to this year’s beneficiary.
The Rutgers University Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy Chapter of the Student National Pharmaceutical Association (SNPhA) conducts the annual fundraiser, which was held this year at Trayes Hall inside the Douglass College Student Center on Friday night.
The wonderful event raised more than $1,000 for The Marisa Tufaro Foundation, which has donated more than a quarter of a million dollars since its inception in July 2017 to fulfill its mission of assisting pediatric patients and underserved children throughout the greater Middlesex County area.
A sophomore at the state university, Sitaram and the nonprofit’s namesake were classmates at Herbert Hoover Middle School and would have graduated together from Edison High School.
Marisa Tufaro survived six open-heart surgeries and a heart transplant before succumbing to a rare form of cancer in 2017 following a valiant battle. She was just 13 years old.
Despite being hospitalized for more than two years and maintaining hundreds of doctor’s appointments, Marisa Tufaro was an honor roll student involved in myriad extracurricular activities who lived a vibrant life that inspired.
Marisa Tufaro would have thoroughly enjoyed the Celebration of Lights, which the Rutgers Chapter of SNPhA’s Cultural and Interprofessional Outreach Committee orchestrated with genuine care and attention to detail.
Committee chair Angel Thomas, co-chairs Brian Gyamfi-Mensah, Noah Novera, Adrita Dasgupta, and Rutgers Chapter of SNPhA President Lydia Rebello were among the student leaders responsible for making the evening a resounding success (please click here for a photo gallery from the event).
The Celebration of Lights featured performances from singers, dancers, musicians, and poets. Pizza, dessert, and beverages were served. Purple and white balloons, reflecting The Marisa Tufaro Foundation’s official colors, decorated the venue and flyers with information about the nonprofit adorned every table. A trivia competition with questions predicated upon the evening’s events concluded the festivities. All proceeds from ticket sales were donated to The Marisa Tufaro Foundation, which also benefited from an online fundraising campaign.
“We were invited to this performance and didn’t know if we would be able to do it because of member availability,” said Sitaram, a musician and singer with RU Dhol Effect, the only South-Asian fusion band on campus.
“But once I saw it was for The Marisa Tufaro Foundation, I told my friends we had to do it. I went to Herbert Hoover when Marisa was a student there. I remember seeing her in the hallways and she just seemed so full of life. It was really powerful to see what (the foundation has) done in her honor. That’s why I wanted to do this performance. I wanted to give a tribute.”
The Rutgers Chapter of SNPhA is one of more than a dozen student organizations within the Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy.
SNPhA is an educational service association of pharmacy students concerned about pharmacy and healthcare-related issues, and the poor minority representation in pharmacy and other health-related professions. SNPhA plans, organizes, coordinates, and executes programs geared toward improving the health, educational, and social environment of the community.
“There are a lot of clubs at the pharmacy school, so we differentiate ourselves trying to do outreach, community service, and involving ourselves in the local community,” said Thomas, a third-year pharmacy student and 2020 graduate of Old Bridge High School.
In addition to the Celebration of Lights, the Rutgers Chapter of SNPhA has conducted blood pressure and glucose monitoring at senior citizen homes, participated in charity walks and runs, and held bake sales with all funds donated to various charities.
“The Celebration of Lights aims to celebrate the diversity of the Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy and Rutgers University overall,” Thomas said. “We invite multicultural organizations to perform, we sell tickets, and collect donations. “
The student performers included members of Verbal Mayhem, the Rutgers Twese Dance Troupe, and the Rutgers Belly Dance Troupe.
The Rutgers Chapter of SNPhA is one of many for pharmacy schools nationwide. Its main mission is to serve the underserved.
“That’s out motto and that’s what we hope all our members are driven by,” said Rebello, a fifth-year pharmacy student and alumna of Hunterdon Central Regional High School in Flemington.
“All our committees are really focused on helping underrepresented communities or minority groups, in the sense of elevating healthcare literacy in our communities, as well as uplifting minority health professionals. So, on those two fronts we really want to make as much of a change as we can as pharmacy students, and hopefully bring that service-minded spirt into our future careers.”
Marisa Tufaro’s parents, Cyndi and Greg, Rutgers University alumni who founded the nonprofit in their daughter’s loving memory, spoke to the pharmacy students on Friday night about the impact they will make in their chosen profession, whether working at a retail pharmacy, in a clinical setting at a hospital, for a pharmaceutical company, or as an entrepreneur owning a pharmacy.
Marisa Tufaro required multiple medications daily since birth, and after her heart transplant was taking more than two dozen different prescriptions daily. The pharmacists at her local pharmacy were beyond accommodating in fulfilling Marisa’s needs. They compounded Marisa’s medicines and flavored them to make them palatable. They were an integral part of Marisa’s healthcare throughout her entire life.
During frequent hospitalizations, Marisa Tufaro benefitted immensely from pharmacists, who were often part of daily rounds with her medical team. Doctors relied on the pharmacists’ input for Marisa Tufaro’s intravenous medications, especially those used to help her manage pain.
Cyndi Tufaro called the Rutgers University pharmacy students she met on Friday night, articulate, eloquent, intelligent, and caring.
“We were impressed beyond words with all of them,” Cyndi Tufaro said. “They put their hearts into making the Celebration of Lights a success. The chapter’s faculty advisors – Dean Nancy Cintron and Dr. Christine Dimaculangan – should be immensely proud of this outstanding group of leaders and role models.”
The Marisa Tufaro Foundation and its board of trustees, which includes Dr. Joseph Gaffney, Professor of Pediatrics and Division Chief, Pediatric Cardiology at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, were honored that the nonprofit was selected as the beneficiary of this year’s event.
“We are eternally grateful to all involved, including the outstanding student performers,” Cyndi Tufaro said. “We wish them and the entire Rutgers Chapter of SNPhA continued success in all their future endeavors.”