The second annual Bellamy and Sons Paving Marisa Rose Bowl, featuring Middlesex County’s top recently graduated scholastic football players and cheerleaders, will be held June 29 at Woodbridge High School’s Nicholas A. Priscoe Stadium.
All proceeds from the intra-county affair will benefit The Marisa Tufaro Foundation, a nonprofit that assists pediatric patients and other children in need throughout the greater Middlesex County area.
Tickets for the Marisa Rose Bowl can be purchased for $10 at the gate on game day. Kickoff is 7 p.m.
Formerly known as the Snapple Bowl and Autoland Classic, the contest is New Jersey’s most successful charity all-star football game, having generated $736,000 for its beneficiaries since 1994.
The Marisa Tufaro Foundation will donate a share of proceeds from this year’s game to PSE&G Children’s Specialized Hospital of New Brunswick and the Edison-based Lakeview School, a program of the New Jersey Institute for Disabilities. Both were the charity all-star game’s initial beneficiaries.
Rebranded last summer as the Marisa Rose Bowl, the event made a triumphant return to the gridiron after the pandemic had derailed the game for the two previous years.
Since its inception less than six years ago, The Marisa Tufaro Foundation has made a profound impact, donating more than a quarter of a million dollars to fulfill its mission.
The nonprofit has also donated thousands of toys, nonperishable food items, winter jackets, baby supplies and other items upon which it has placed no monetary value.
In addition, The Marisa Tufaro Foundation has awarded $29,500 in academic scholarships to 42 high school graduates, several of whom were football stars or cheerleaders at Middlesex County high schools.
The Marisa Tufaro Foundation is committed to being a source of comfort to pediatric patients, a financial resource for their families, and a provider of funds and opportunities for underserved children.
A lifelong Edison resident, Marisa Rose 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 Rose was an honor roll student involved in myriad extracurricular activities who lived a vibrant life that inspired.
Marisa Rose Bowl founder and game director Marcus Borden, a member of the New Jersey Scholastic Coaches Association Hall of Fame and the New Jersey Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame, credited Joe Bellamy, owner of Bellamy and Sons Paving in Piscataway, with infusing new life into the all-star game as its sponsor.
“He knows all about our event and what we’ve done,” said Borden, noting Bellamy’s sons Joey and Rocco both played in the charity all-star game. “I know that Joe and his family have been involved in youth and high school sports for a long time. Joe has a history of giving back and supporting others. It was a pleasant surprise to see he would want to help us continue what we do in our effort to make a difference in the community.”
Through Bellamy’s sponsorship, players will be clad in custom-made uniforms with their names embroidered on the back of the game jerseys. The uniform’s purple and white scheme reflects The Marisa Tufaro Foundation’s official colors. Team Marisa will don purple jerseys with white pants. Team Rose will sport white jerseys with purple pants.
Both sets of jerseys and pants are adorned with wings reflecting Marisa Rose’s presence as an angel.