Thomas Stewart, a recently graduated Piscataway High School senior, has been named a Marisa Tufaro Foundation Greater Middlesex Conference Student-Athlete Scholarship recipient.
In addition to exceling in the classroom, the varsity baseball player, who will continue his studies at The College of New Jersey, was a role model in the community through his volunteerism.
Most notably, Stewart assisted children and others in need as a member of Piscataway High School’s Key Club, as a mentor with Piscataway Township’s Buddy Ball program, and through his involvement with Robert Wood Johnson Barnabas Health’s Safety Ambassador Program.
“He’s a hard-worker and one of those kids, whenever I’ve seen him, that has always got a smile on his face and is enjoying life,” Piscataway High School Athletics Director Rob Harmer said.
One of Stewart’s baseball coaches at Piscataway High School said the right-hander projected as one of the pitching rotation’s top hurlers for the 2020 campaign, which the coronavirus pandemic cancelled.
“He put in so much work, it’s just a shame to see what happened this year,” the coach said of Stewart missing his senior season. “Whether it was starting (on the mound) or coming in in big spots, he is someone that could come up and throw strikes and keep the ball down.”
One of Stewart’s honors class teachers described him as a quiet and humble leader who has “consistently proved himself as a thoughtful and focused student.”
Owner of a 3.4 grade-point average who scored 1230 on the college boards, Stewart also assisted with the Piscataway High School Booster Club and Piscataway Soccer Club. His duties included setup, cleanup and concession sales during club-sponsored events.
A multi-sport athlete who also wrestled last season, Stewart demonstrated an ability to balance extracurricular involvement with his studies. He plans to major in Data Science at college.
“He is capable of pursuing subjects of high academic rigor and possesses a strong proclivity for remaining positively grounded,” one teacher said of Stewart. “He demonstrates the depth of analysis and academic inquisitiveness we expect from our future leaders.”
As a volunteer with Piscataway Buddy Ball, Stewart helped provide opportunities for children with special needs to engage in physical education activities in a fun and safe environment.
Participants benefit from the assistance of volunteers, several of who are students, such as Stewart, from Piscataway High School.
Buddy Ball participants get exercise while improving their skills and socializing with their peers. The program also enables participants to develop social skills and create friendships.
As a member of Robert Wood Johnson Barnabas Health’s Safety Ambassador Program, Stewart learned about injury prevention and related safety strategies, passing that knowledge to Piscataway Township Schools’ first- and second-graders, largely during a 30-minute presentation.
The presentation, which was the result of teamwork and organization, was designed to increase safe behaviors and decrease traumatic injuries.
As a member of the high school’s Key Club, Stewart engaged in the development and planning of multiple community-service projects.
Key Club is the largest and oldest student-led youth service-leadership organization with more than 5,000 high schools participating. The club aims to make a difference in the lives of children and others in need.
The Piscataway High School Key Club serves the community at local libraries and school events.
“I have no doubt,” one of Stewart’s teachers said, “that Thomas will excel and be a positive force as he continues on his educational journey.”
ABOUT THE MARISA TUFARO FOUNDATION
The tax-exempt nonprofit was established in loving memory of Marisa, who passed away at the age of 13 three years ago.
Since its inception on July 30, 2017, The Marisa Tufaro Foundation 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.
The Marisa Tufaro Foundation has awarded 23 scholarships to graduating seniors from Middlesex County high schools, and has awarded 13 scholarships for elementary and middle school students to attend a weeklong summer art camp at Rutgers University’s Zimmerli Art Museum.
Marisa was born with a complex cardiac defect which required six open-heart surgeries. She developed two life-threatening conditions that necessitated a heart transplant. The transplant was supposed to extend her life, but tragically cut it short when a postoperative complication developed into a rare form of blood cancer to which Marisa succumbed following a valiant battle.
Despite being hospitalized for more than two years and maintaining hundreds of doctor’s appointments, Marisa lived a vibrant life that inspired.
Following are some of the ways The Marisa Tufaro Foundation has helped pediatric patients and other children in need (please click on the hotlinks to read about any of the initiatives).
- As a way of giving back to the Greater Middlesex Conference, which has been among our nonprofit’s biggest supporters, The Marisa Tufaro Foundation jump-started the league’s fundraising effort to feed county families during the coronavirus pandemic with a $2,500 donation to the Middlesex County Food Organization and Outreach Distribution Services.
- Provided funding for a part-time healthcare social worker to assist families of pediatric patients under the care of Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School’s Department of Pediatrics’ Division of Pediatric Cardiology.
- 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 this holiday season.
- 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 this holiday season.
- Sponsored more than 80 South Brunswick High School student-athletes, who donated their time and youthful energy to participate in a charity kickball tournament benefiting an inspirational boy living with an incurable and terminal disease.
- Established a fund at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, from which Marisa received outstanding care for her entire life, to provide financial support to families of pediatric patients from Middlesex County in medical crisis by helping to pay medical, personal or incidental expenses.
- 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 a second consecutive year 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 Teamwork Unlimited Foundation to treat Special Olympics athletes from the Raritan Bay Area YMCA to a Somerset Patriots game experience.
- 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.
- Supported instruction and supplies for an art therapy program at Bristol-Myers Squibb Children’s Hospital for a third consecutive year.
- 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.
- 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.
- Provided six summer art camp scholarships to Rutgers University’s Zimmerli Art Museum for Middlesex County elementary and middle school students.
- Provided college scholarship dollars to 10 high school students whose classroom performance and extracurricular involvement reflected Marisa’s educational success and whose charitable endeavors aligned with our foundation’s mission.
- Sponsored a Middlesex County elementary school’s field trip to Special Strides Therapeutic Riding Center in Monroe, where students from self-contained autistic classes were afforded the opportunity to interact with horses and baby goats.
- As a way of giving back to the Rutgers University baseball program, whose roster features several players that have supported our nonprofit, our foundation matched the Scarlet Knights’ fundraising efforts with a donation to Bristol-Myers Squibb Children’s Hospital’s child life program.
- Assisted multiple families whose children are in medical crisis, providing financial support through the payment of medical and/or personal expenses. Respecting their privacy, the foundation never divulges the names of those individuals or the dollar amount of assistance it provides.
- Paid forward the generosity Saint Thomas Aquinas 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.
- Partnered with the Edison and J.P. Stevens high school girls basketball teams to collect baby care items to donate to the Edison-based Ozanam Family Shelter.
- 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 insurance provider won’t cover certain medical expenses.
- Funded the purchase of brand-new metal bunk beds 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Partnered with Woodbridge High School and the Central Jersey bowling community to deliver hundreds of toys to patients at Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital, where Marisa underwent a successful heart transplant.
- Provided 7 summer art camp scholarships to Rutgers University’s Zimmerli Art Museum for Middlesex County elementary and middle school students.
- Provided college scholarship dollars to 7 high school students whose classroom performance and extracurricular involvement reflected Marisa’s educational success and whose charitable endeavors aligned with our foundation’s mission.
- 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.
- Provided James Monroe Elementary School students with food items to fill a hundred “Weekend Snack Bags” for pediatric patients’ families.
- Provided meals and goods for families staying at the Ronald McDonald House of Central Jersey.
- Partnered with Middlesex High School to conduct a coat drive for Middlesex County children.
- Provided gift cards for pediatric patients and their families.