Isabella DiMino and her brother Danny, elementary school students who learned the value of community service from their parents, set a lemonade stand up in front of the family’s home each summer as an annual fundraiser for a local charity.
The Marisa Tufaro Foundation was the beneficiary of this year’s event on July 30, which happened to be the birthday of the nonprofit’s namesake.
Born with a complex cardiac defect, Marisa Tufaro survived six open-heart surgeries and a heart transplant before succumbing in 2017 to a rare form of cancer following a valiant battle. She was just 13 years old.
The DiMino family’s lemonade stand raised an incredible $600 for The Marisa Tufaro Foundation, which assists pediatric patients and other children in need throughout the greater Middlesex County area.
Three large helium balloons – one fittingly heart-shaped, another bearing the words “Happy Birthday,” and a third being a smiley face ideogram – adorned the inviting lemonade stand which was covered with a pink tablecloth.
Brochures with information detailing The Marisa Tufaro Foundation’s mission were distributed to visitors, who learned from a sign in front of the stand that they could receive a refreshing cup of lemonade or iced tea for a $1 donation.
Jessica DiMino, a special education teacher at Old Bridge High School, and her husband Dan, the high school’s athletics director, promoted their children’s lemonade stand with posts on social media and placards in the family’s neighborhood. They also accepted online donations through Venmo.
Community service is nothing new for Isabella and Danny. As students at McDivitt Elementary School in Old Bridge, the DiMino children have participated in myriad fundraising events.
Since its inception less than six years ago, The Marisa Tufaro Foundation has made a profound impact, donating more than $300,000 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.
“The DiMino family has been among our nonprofit’s biggest supporters,” said Cyndi Tufaro, executive director of The Marisa Tufaro Foundation. “They epitomize the giving spirit of the entire Old Bridge school community. We are eternally grateful for all they have done to honor Marisa’s memory and ensure her legacy can be one of helping children in need.”
Dan has played a particularly integral role in an annual wrestling meet between Old Bridge and South Plainfield high schools known as the Marisa Tufaro Memorial Dual, which has raised nearly $25,000 for the nonprofit.
He also helped spearhead The Marisa Tufaro Foundation’s first ever public event, a “Holiday Knight” Toy Drive during the Old Bridge football team’s 2017 season-opener against South Brunswick. The wildly successful event resulted in the collection of thousands of toys for donation to pediatric patients at Bristol-Myers Squibb Children’s Hospital and Saint Peter’s University Hospital, both in New Brunswick.
A dedicated special education teacher, Jessica’s benevolence extends to the classroom, where she has made a profound impact on students, and beyond.
Jessica’s idea for Old Bridge Public Schools to partner with ShopRite came to fruition in the form of a classroom she transformed into a small sub-store at the township high school. The fully functioning convenience store is open four days a week and employs special education students.
Her ShopRite program teaches real-life skills including communication and money management, enabling Jessica’s students to grow educationally and socially.
“It’s easy to see how Isabella and Danny have such a caring and generous nature,” Cyndi Tufaro said, noting the children are a reflection of their parents.
In the DiMino home, the lemon doesn’t fall far from the tree.