The Rivercrest Blue Wave and Piscataway High School swim teams are collecting new and unopened toys for The Marisa Tufaro Foundation to present to pediatric patients and their siblings during the nonprofit’s third annual boardwalk-themed Family Fun Night at PSE&G Children’s Specialized Hospital in New Brunswick.
VIEW: A photo gallery from The Marisa Tufaro Foundation’s first annual Family Fun night
TOYS DISPLAYED DURING THE MARISA TUFARO FOUNDATION’S FIRST ANNUAL BOARDWALK-THEMED FAMILY FUN NIGHT
Piscataway assistant swim coach Noelle Hartje is collecting toys for donation throughout the month of March in room F129 at the high school. Toys will also be collected outside the high school’s performing arts center on March 10 during Piscataway’s winter sports awards ceremony. Individuals wishing to make other arrangements for toy donations may do so by emailing the Piscataway High School Booster Club at phs.sports.booster.club@gmail.com. A list of suggested items for donation can be found beneath the conclusion of this article.
As a member of the Greater Middlesex Conference, the Piscataway High School swim team has participated each of the last two years in an extraordinary league-wide event, known as Marisa’s Minnows, which has been among The Marisa Tufaro Foundation’s biggest fundraisers.
Several Piscataway High School swimmers are also members of the Rivercrest Blue Wave, which competes in the New Jersey Swimming and Diving Conference against other swim club teams from Central New Jersey with swimmers between the ages of 5 and 18 years old. Multiple swimmers from both programs have gone on to compete in college.
MARISA TUFARO LOVED THE SHORE
The Marisa Tufaro Foundation’s namesake, who died at the age of 13 just over three years ago, frequented and loved the boardwalk.
Her sojourns to Ocean City, Cape May and Point Pleasant Beach serve as the inspiration for The Marisa Tufaro Foundation’s “Family Fun Night,” which the nonprofit will host this summer at PSE&G Children’s Specialized Hospital in New Brunswick.
The sights, sounds and smells of the boardwalk and Jersey Shore will be brought to life for the hospital’s patients and their families, who will have an opportunity to participate in carnival games and dine on summer food favorites.
The event will also feature a disc jockey, a live musical performance, dinner, giveaways, decorations, a therapy dog and the distribution of toys and prizes to the pediatric patients and their siblings.
More than two dozen volunteers from The Marisa Tufaro Foundation, whose mission is to help children in need throughout the greater Middlesex County area, will work with the hospital’s recreation therapy and child life staff to bring the event to life.
Marisa, who was hospitalized at different periods throughout her life for a total of more than two years, benefited from similar events, which helped break the monotony of a lengthy hospital stay and took her mind off her worries or discomfort.
A FAMILY ENJOYS THE MARISA TUFARO FOUNDATION’S FIRST ANNUAL BOARDWALK-THEMED EVENT
“Thanks to the generosity of community partners like The Marisa Tufaro Foundation, our children and families have the opportunity to take a break from their normal routine,” Sara Mapes, Director of Sponsorships and Engagement at Children’s Specialized Hospital Foundation, said following last year’s event. “Family Fun Night is a fun, interactive program that supports our vision here at Children’s Specialized – a world where all children can reach their full potential.”
Marisa received outstanding care as an outpatient from Children’s Specialized Hospital twice in her life. She benefited most recently from physical therapy at Children’s Specialized Hospital’s New Brunswick location following her July 2016 heart transplant.
The boardwalk-themed event is designed to give back to Children’s Specialized Hospital and to commemorate what would have been Marisa’s 17th birthday, which is July 30.
WOW! Entertainment, a Somerset-based entertainment production company, will provide carnival-style games such as skee ball, whack-a-mole, basketball, ring toss and a claw machine, all of which Marisa also enjoyed during family vacations to Delaware’s Rehoboth Beach.
Frank Eckert, the Home News Tribune’s 2018 Girls Basketball Coach of the Year from Edison High School who teaches physical education at Edison’s Lindeneau Elementary School, will volunteer his services and expertise, providing music as the event’s disc jockey.
Marisa’s parents, Cyndi, principal at James Monroe Elementary School in Edison, and Greg, a sports writer for MyCentralJersey.com and the Home News Tribune, founded The Marisa Tufaro Foundation in their daughter’s loving memory.
A PATIENT FROM PSE&G CHILDREN’S SPECIALIZED HOSPITAL PLAYS A GAME AT THE BOARDWALK-THEMED FAMILY FUN NIGHT
Since its inception on July 30, 2017, the nonprofit has already made a profound impact, donating more than $130,000 to assist pediatric patients and other children in need throughout the greater Middlesex County area.
The 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.
Marisa, who would have been a junior this year at Edison High School, was born with a complex cardiac defect that required six open-heart surgeries. Despite being hospitalized for more than two years and maintaining hundreds of doctor’s appointments, she lived a vibrant life that inspired. After her sixth surgery, Marisa developed two life-threatening conditions that necessitated a heart transplant. A postoperative complication developed into a rare form of cancer that riddled her brain and body. Marisa succumbed to her illness following a valiant battle on Jan. 30, 2017.
Following are some recommended donations for the Rivercrest Blue Wave and Piscataway High School swim teams’ toy drive:
- Infant toys (toys that make noise, light up)
- Infant mobiles, crib mirrors, crib music players
- Rattles, pacifiers, teething rings
- Toddler playsets, i.e. Little People
- Dolls — Barbie, Monster High, princesses and baby dolls
- Music CDs (teen, children, infants, relaxation, lullaby)
- DVDs for children and teens (new releases, English and Spanish)
- Play-Doh/Model Magic and tools
- Arts and craft supplies, coloring books, crayons and markers
- Lego, Mega Bloks, K’NEX playsets
- Matchbox, Hot Wheels cars and playsets
- Uno cards, playing cards and other card games
- Books, including board books for babies, hardcover, paperback, crosswords, Sudoku
- Action figures (non-violent)
- Beauty and hygiene items for teens (lotion, nail polish, deodorant, travel size toiletries)
- Pajamas — infant through teen
- Beanie hats, slipper socks and other clothing items/accessories for teens
- Ear buds and/or headphones for teens
- Lined and unlined journals for kids and teens and gel or ballpoint pens
- Puzzles (25 to 100 pieces)
- Electronic learning toys, hand-held video games
- Video games and wireless controllers for Xbox 360
- Portable DVD players, CD players
- Gift cards ($10 denomination only): Visa, American Express, Amazon