Kendra Candido was honored as a recipient of the second annual Marisa Tufaro Memorial Edison High School Scholarship during the school’s Senior Awards ceremony on Thursday night.
Marisa, who would have been a sophomore this year at Edison High School, died two years ago after complications from a heart transplant developed into a rare form of cancer, to which she succumbed following a valiant fight.
The memorial scholarship in Marisa’s name is funded through a donation James Monroe Elementary School made at the time of her passing to The Marisa Tufaro Foundation.
Established less than two years ago in loving memory of Marisa, our tax-exempt nonprofit has already donated more than $75,000 to help children in need throughout the greater Middlesex County area.
Along with her scholarship, Marisa’s parents, Cyndi and Greg, presented Kendra, who will attend Cornell University, with a commemorative plaque and a bouquet of flowers during the awards ceremony.
Those eligible for the scholarship were required to be seniors who were college bound or had applied or been accepted to a vocational or trade school. Candidates were required to be well-rounded and exceptional students who shared Marisa’s interests or took part in at least one of the extracurricular activities in which she was involved.
Kendra compiled a 5.4 cumulative grade-point average while maintaining a rigorous extracurricular schedule.
A member of the Acapella Choir, she is Student Council Vice President, President of the Model United Nations, a member of the National Honor Society, French National Honor Society and English National Honor Society.
Kendra participates in the high school’s Heroes and Cool Kids and Sources of Strength programs. Captain of the varsity soccer team, she also played lacrosse for four years.
Multiple honors, including a Model United Nations award, have been bestowed upon Kendra.
Earlier this year, she was nominated for the prestigious Presidential Scholar Award, which recognizes the nation’s most distinguished graduating seniors for academic, leadership and service accomplishments, and includes components for arts and career and technical education.
Marisa was born with a complex cardiac defect that required six open-heart surgeries. Despite keeping hundreds of doctor’s appointments and being hospitalized for more than two years, she lived a vibrant life that inspired.
The role outstanding educators from Edison Township played in Marisa’s complete development can never be overstated.
Marisa was an honor roll student at Herbert Hoover Middle School and James Monroe Elementary School, where she served as student council vice president and was involved in numerous extracurricular activities.
At James Monroe Elementary School, Marisa also participated in annual spring musicals, wrote for the school newspaper, sang in the school chorus, played percussion in the school orchestra and was a member of various clubs.
Marisa served on the Youth Advisory Council at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, took classes at European School of Dance in Fords, attended summer camps at Middlesex County College, received vocal lessons at School of Rock in East Brunswick, developed a love for horses at Special Strides Therapeutic Riding Center in Monroe and performed in two musicals, “Dear Edwina” (Abigail) and “The Wizard of Oz” (chorus), at the Forum Theater in Metuchen.
The Marisa Tufaro Foundation is eternally grateful for the support it has received from Edison High School. The football team has joined our nonprofit each of the last two years for a 5K walk. The swimming program participated five months ago in a county-wide swim-a-thon that was our foundation’s single biggest fundraiser. Members of the girls basketball, baseball and wrestling teams have also participated in multiple fundraising events for our nonprofit. Administrators, faculty, staff, students and their parents have donated to the foundation.
“Our kids come together because we know Marisa is with us,” Edison High School Principal Charles Ross said. “She’s still a part of our community and we take care of our own.”
The foundation is honored to be able to give back to Edison High School through its annual scholarship.
We wish Kendra and all of her classmates continued success in their future endeavors.
Following are hot links to stories detailing the many ways our foundation has assisted pediatric patients and other children in need since its inception on July 30, 2017.
- Partnered with the Middlesex County Association of School Administrators to offer financial relief to parents of children in medical crisis who lost wages while caring for their child at the hospital, who lack health insurance or whose provider won’t cover certain medical expenses.
- Partnered with Woodbridge High School and the Central Jersey bowling community to deliver hundreds of toys to pediatric patients at Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital, where Marisa underwent a successful heart transplant.
- Donated to Bristol-Myers Squibb Children’s Hospital’s newly established extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) program, a specialized cardiac and respiratory support system that saved Marisa’s life at another medical facility following her heart transplant.
- Made a donation in honor of Piscataway’s Conackamack Middle School, which honored Marisa during its 27th annual Turkey Trot, to the township’s FISH Hospitality Program, which provides shelter, meals, clothing and other services to homeless families in Middlesex County.
- Paid forward the generosity Bishop Ahr High School has bestowed upon our foundation with a donation to the school-community’s 21st annual Ahr Star spaghetti dinner, whose beneficiaries included a 9-year-old boy from Middlesex County with multiple disabilities.
- Funded the purchase of uniforms (shirts and shorts) for campers at Kiddie Keep Well Camp, which serves more than 600 underserved Middlesex County children annually.
- Partnered with Old Bridge and South Brunswick high schools to collect thousands of toys for pediatric patients at Saint Peter’s University Children’s Hospital and Bristol-Myers Squibb Children’s Hospital.
- Partnered with the Kittim N. Sherrod Foundation to provide a youth football and cheerleading organization with a bilingual state-of-the art automated external defibrillator, as well as AED and cardiopulmonary resuscitation training for adult members of the organization.
- Supported instruction and supplies for an art therapy program at Bristol-Myers Squibb Children’s Hospital, to which our foundation also provided funds for infant mobiles and toy cars staff use to transport children to the operating room for surgery.
- Provided money for equipment and supplies for students with disabilities who utilize the Lakeview School’s newly constructed aquatics center.
- Conducted a boardwalk-themed Family Fun Night at Children’s Specialized Hospital, where the sights, sounds and smells of the Jersey Shore were brought to patients and their families through carnival games, food, prizes, music and more.
- Partnered with Teamwork Unlimited Foundation to provide 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 to vacation with his family at Walt Disney World.
- Funded the purchase of brand new metal bunk beds and for campers at Kiddie Keep Well Camp, which serves more than 600 underserved Middlesex County children annually.
- 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.
- Partnered with Edison High School and the Chamberlain College of Nursing for two consecutive years to raise money and collect 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 new iPads and gaming system accessories (Xbox and PS4 games, controllers, chargers) for adolescent patients at Bristol-Myers Squibb Children’s Hospital.
- Partially funded the Make-A-Wish of a Middlesex County girl who was born with a complex cardiac defect to vacation with her family at Walt Disney World (press release pending).
- Provided summer art camp scholarships to Rutgers University’s Zimmerli Art Museum for Middlesex County elementary and middle school students.
- Rewarded high school students for their community service to children with scholarships.
- Provided meals and goods for families staying at the Ronald McDonald House of Central Jersey.
- Provided scholarships to Greater Middlesex Conference student-athletes whose academic performance and extracurricular involvement reflects Marisa’s educational success and whose charitable endeavors align with our foundation’s mission.
- Partnered with Middlesex High School to conduct a coat drive for Middlesex County children.
- Provided gift cards for pediatric patients and their families.