Jewish Community Center supports Marisa Tufaro Foundation toy drive

The Jewish Community Center (JCC) of Middlesex County partnered with The Marisa Tufaro Foundation to collect new and unwrapped toys for pediatric patients at Hackensack Meridian JFK University Medical Center and children in need who Hands of Hope for the Community serves.

Toys donated to the medical center will meet the needs of pediatric inpatients and visitors to the hospital’s Pediatric Emergency Department, who can benefit during the holiday season and year-round from a diversion to help cope with the anxiety and pain that can accompany treatments, medical procedures, and extended admissions.

Toys donated to Hands of Hope for the Community will be distributed to Middlesex County children in need on Dec. 16 at Saint James Episcopal Church in Edison. Until the pandemic struck, the event was an annual holiday tradition of the nonprofit, which is elated to revive its toy giveaway through the generosity of others.

“We can’t thank JCC Director of Special Projects and Initiatives Lindsay Norman enough for organizing this drive,” said Cyndi Tufaro, executive director of The Marisa Tufaro Foundation.

“The work that the JCC does for the Middlesex County community is incredible. The JCC’s support of people from childhood to adulthood knows no bounds. We are fortunate beyond words to enjoy an outstanding partnership with the JCC, which has done so much to assist our foundation.”

Norman (nee Napchen) is an alumna of James Monroe Elementary, where Cyndi is currently principal and where Marisa Tufaro also attended school. In an extraordinary reunion, Lindsay reconnected after two decades with former James Monroe classmate (now husband) Josh Norman, who proposed to her on the school grounds.

Born with a complex cardiac defect, the foundation’s namesake, Marisa Tufaro, survived six open-heart surgeries and a heart transplant before succumbing to a rare form of cancer in 2017 at the age of 13.

Despite being hospitalized for more than two years and maintaining hundreds of doctors’ appointments, Marisa Tufaro was an honor roll student involved in myriad extracurricular activities who lived a vibrant life that inspired.

Since its inception in 2017, The Marisa Tufaro Foundation has donated more than $300,000 to fulfill its mission of assisting pediatric patients and children in need throughout the greater Middlesex County area.

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 Middlesex County high school seniors and 13 scholarships to elementary and middle school students to attend a weeklong summer art camp at Rutgers University’s Zimmerli Art Museum.

Upon receiving a tour of the JCC in 2021, the foundation’s leadership was immediately struck with the services the center provides for Central Jersey residents of all ages, especially children.

The visit resulted in The Marisa Tufaro Foundation donating to the JCC to support the outstanding programs it provides for infants through teens.

The JCC subsequently recognized the foundation’s leadership, making a presentation to Cyndi Tufaro and Senator Patrick Diegnan, who serves on the nonprofit’s board of trustees. Cyndi was gifted a beautiful handmade quilt with patchwork of art children from the center’s Bright Beginning’s Preschool created.

“The gift is so meaningful,” said Cyndi Tufaro, noting her daughter, Marisa, loved art and would have greatly appreciated the kindness and creativity that went into making the quilt. “Words can’t express our gratitude to the JCC and its students for finding such a unique way to express their own thanks. Our foundation was honored to donate to such an outstanding center, one that does such wonderful work for countless people.”

The following year, the Bright Beginnings Preschool at the JCC conducted a heartfelt fundraiser for The Marisa Tufaro Foundation.

During the month of February, students and their families purchased plastic hearts filled with Valentine’s Day candy for $1, with every penny from those sales directly benefiting The Marisa Tufaro Foundation.

Early Childhood Education Director Janet Slover and JCC Chief Executive Officer Adam Glinn presented the foundation’s leadership with a most generous donation from the successful fundraiser.

“It was abundantly clear that Janet and her staff invested a lot of love and care into the fundraiser,” Cyndi Tufaro said. “The fundraiser had added meaning because it was fittingly launched on World Congenital Heart Defect Awareness Day and took place during American Heart Month.”

For nearly four decades, the JCC has served the community, providing cutting edge programs for adults, children, individuals with special needs, families, seniors, and those in need.

The JCC offers aquatics, health and wellness, physical education, fitness, preschool and youth activities, extensive special needs programs, senior services, and a wide array of adult programs.

The JCC has an active membership of more than 12,000 state residents and approximately 1,000 people benefit daily from JCC programs. More than 2,000 seniors and approximately 400 early childhood and special needs students benefit from the services and programs the center provides.

The JCC continues to grow, adapt, and meet the changing needs and interests of its members and the greater community, providing opportunities for enrichment, social stimulation, health and wellness, education, culture, and the arts.

Expanded programs are offered for those seeking a warm, nurturing, and safe environment for all who enter the JCC’s doors.