Since its inception six years ago today, The Marisa Tufaro Foundation has donated more than $300,000 to assist pediatric patients and other children in need throughout the greater Middlesex County area.

The announcement comes on what would have been the birthday of the nonprofit’s namesake, who survived six open-heart surgeries and a heart transplant before succumbing in 2017 at the age of 13 to a rare form of cancer following a valiant battle.

The Marisa Tufaro Foundation, which makes community service an integral part of its mission, has also spearheaded multiple initiatives, resulting in the collection of thousands of toys, nonperishable food items, winter coats, baby supplies and other items for donation upon which the nonprofit has placed no monetary value.

The foundation has awarded 42 college academic scholarships totaling $29,500 in Marisa’s name to high school seniors and an additional 20 scholarships for elementary and middle school students to attend a weeklong summer art camp at Rutgers University’s Zimmerli Art Museum.

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

Through the remarkable benevolence of individuals who have donated or participated in fundraising events, The Marisa Tufaro Foundation has made a profound impact, enabling Marisa’s parents, Cyndi and Greg, to pay forward the kindness of others.

The nonprofit has benefited from dozens of fundraisers, ranging in size from tiny lemonade stands on suburban streets to Greater Middlesex Conference-wide all-star games and tournaments in which student-athletes from the entire league have participated.

The Marisa Tufaro Foundation, which is committed to being a source of comfort to hospitalized children and their families, as well as providing assistance to underserved children, has partnered with other local nonprofits who share its mission.

The foundation has assisted multiple families whose children are in medical crisis, providing financial support through the payment of medical and personal expenses to help lessen the burden of parents who have lost wages while spending time at the hospital.

Marisa received outstanding care from the staff and physicians at Bristol-Myers Squibb Children’s Hospital at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick, Saint Peter’s University Hospital in New Brunswick, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, New York-Presbyterian Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital, Boston Children’s Hospital and from some of the outpatient services Children’s Specialized Hospital provides.

The Marisa Tufaro Foundation, which is exempt from federal income tax and recognized as a public charity under Internal Revenue Code Section 501(c)(3), has been blessed to give back to each of those medical centers.

The nonprofit, which has been featured in numerous publications, including the Boston Globe and USA TODAY, is a fitting way to keep alive Marisa’s indomitable spirit and allow her legacy to be one of helping others.

In announcing a partnership between The Marisa Tufaro Foundation and the Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School’s Department of Pediatrics, Rutgers Today featured the nonprofit.

Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital featured the foundation in an edition of its Healthy Together magazine, while Children’s Specialized Hospital profiled the nonprofit in one of its annual reports.

News 12 New Jersey’s Della Crews showcased The Marisa Tufaro Foundation on one of her weekly Spotlight New Jersey broadcasts.

The foundation has conducted several high-profile events including a boardwalk-themed Family Fun Night for pediatric patients and their families at a children’s hospital, a Day at the Ballpark for Special Olympics athletes and their families which Teamwork Unlimited Foundation co-sponsored, and a Holiday Knight Toy Drive at an Old Bridge High School football game.

The Marisa Tufaro Foundation’s eight-member board of trustees includes Senator Patrick Diegnan, Greater Middlesex Conference Executive Director Frank Noppenberger, and Dr. Joseph Gaffney, Professor of Pediatrics and Division Chief, Pediatric Cardiology at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital.

As a small nonprofit, The Marisa Tufaro Foundation distinguishes itself from others, publishing complete stories about fundraising events and full profiles of scholarship recipients on its website. The foundation has published more than 300 stories, all of which are shared on the nonprofit’s Twitter and Facebook pages.

Marisa’s parents are grateful beyond words for every penny donated and every second of time volunteered to the nonprofit bearing their daughter’s name.

Blessed with incredible support, Cyndi, a longtime Edison Township Public Schools educator, and Greg, a former journalist with the Home News Tribune and MyCentralJersey.com who now serves as Senator Diegnan’s chief of staff, will never find the right way to express their appreciation. They can only hope the foundation’s actions speak louder than words.

Following are some of the ways The Marisa Tufaro Foundation has fulfilled its mission.

  • Provided funding to expand the music therapy program and purchase musical equipment for pediatric patients at The Children’s Hospital at Saint Peter’s University Hospital in New Brunswick.
  • Provided tuition assistance for children enrolled in Middlesex College’s on-campus Early Learning Center, which provides year-round pre-school activities for children of Middlesex College students, staff, and community residents.
  • To help alleviate the anxiety that can accompany an emergency department visit or hospital stay, donated a portable gaming station to The Bristol-Myers Squibb Children’s Hospital.
  • Partnered with the Colonia High School football team to tackle a Super Bowl-themed community service project that benefited pediatric patients and their families at PSE&G Children’s Specialized Hospital in New Brunswick.
  • Donated to Women Aware’s PALS Program, which offers counseling for children ages 3 through 12 and supportive services including individual and group creative arts therapy counseling sessions to families who have been victimized by domestic violence and abuse.
  • 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.
  • Conducted a boardwalk-themed Family Fun Night for three years at PSE&G 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 the Saint Joseph High School football program and campus ministry to pack and donate more than 200 “Weekend Snack Bags” for pediatric patients’ families at PSE&G Children’s Specialized Hospital in New Brunswick.
  • Partnered with Woodbridge High School, the Central Jersey bowling community and the Port Reading Fire Department and EMS to deliver more than 1,000 toys to patients at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital’s Bristol-Myers Squibb Children’s Hospital during the holiday season.
  • As a way of giving back to the Rutgers University baseball program, whose roster features several players that have supported The Marisa Tufaro Foundation, the nonprofit matched the Scarlet Knights’ fundraising efforts with a donation to Bristol-Myers Squibb Children’s Hospital’s Child Life Program.
  • Funded the purchase of brand-new metal bunk beds for campers at Kiddie Keep Well Camp, which serves more than 600 underresourced Middlesex County children annually.
  • 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.
  • 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 for the Community via The Marisa Tufaro Foundation’s participation in the Race to Outrun Hunger.
  • Made a donation in recognition of Piscataway’s Conackamack Middle School, which honored Marisa during its annual Turkey Trot, to the township’s FISH Hospitality Program, which provides shelter, meals, clothing and other services to homeless families in Middlesex County.
  • Provided James Monroe Elementary School students with food items to fill a hundred “Weekend Snack Bags” for pediatric patients and their families.
  • Donated more than $2,500 worth of ShopRite, Target and Walmart gift cards to dozens of Middlesex County families in need, helping parents purchase food, necessities and presents for their children during the holiday season.
  • In honor of the players and coaches who participated in the Soccer for a Cause Charity Festival, The Marisa Tufaro Foundation made a $1,000 donation to REPLENISH, a regional food bank serving Middlesex County residents including an estimated 30,000 children.
  • Partnered with Middlesex High School to conduct a coat drive for Middlesex County children.