The defending state champion Saint Joseph High School bowling team is partnering with a local nonprofit to help alleviate hunger during the holiday season.
In the sport’s vernacular, bowling three consecutive strikes is known as a turkey. The word, however, has a different meaning in the context of the partnership between The Marisa Tufaro Foundation and Saint Joseph, which are collaborating to put food on the table for families in need this Thanksgiving.
Using a pro-am format, Saint Joseph Partners in Mission (faculty and staff) will pair with members of the bowling program in the Turkey Bowl, a charity tournament to be held at Bowlero North Brunswick on Nov. 3 at 3 p.m.
Leading up to the event, Saint Joseph will conduct a fundraiser for The Marisa Tufaro Foundation, which will complement those efforts by pledging at least $1 for every single pin the competitors knock down (the projected pinfall is 3,500).
All money raised will be used to purchase grocery store gift cards, which The Marisa Tufaro Foundation will donate to Hands of Hope for the Community to distribute to Middlesex County families in need on Nov. 18 during the organization’s annual frozen turkey and boxed food giveaway.
“I can’t thank the Saint Joseph faculty, staff, and bowling team enough,” said Hands of Hope for the Community President Charles Tomaro, whose all-volunteer nonprofit is committed to providing an efficient and centralized system for distributing food to combat hunger.
“It’s wonderful to hear these kids are working with The Marisa Tufaro Foundation to do all of this. It’s a beautiful thing and great to see.”
According to the latest data from Feeding America, more than 60,000 Middlesex County residents, including 12,000 children, are food insecure. On the heels of the pandemic, escalating fuel costs and rising inflation rates have exacerbated the issue.
The Turkey Bowl marks a triumphant return for Saint Joseph to Bowlero North Brunswick, where the Falcons last season claimed the program’s first ever state group title and won the unofficial Tournament of Champions crown.
Saint Joseph finished the 2022-23 campaign with an unblemished 20-0 record that included winning the Central Jersey Group I, Greater Middlesex Conference, Central Jersey Winter Classic, and Joe Romer Memorial tournaments.
Saint Joseph’s three-game average pinfall of 3,309 was an astonishing 222 pins better than New Jersey’s second highest averaging team.
The Falcons return all but one bowler and for the second consecutive year two talented freshmen will bolster their lineup. They are Joey and Jeffrey Lamoreaux, the twin sons of highly respected private coach Debbie Stein, who has worked with and personally trained several former state champions and helped groom some of Saint Joseph’s past and present bowlers.
Last season, current sophomores Will Cunningham and Kai Strothers finished first and second in the entire state among regular-season average leaders. Both are incumbent first-team All-State selections.
Strothers is the reigning state champion, having defeated teammate Devon Kiessling, who was named second-team All-State, in the NJSIAA Individual Tournament stepladder final. Incredibly, the two were the last bowlers competing from a field of more than 2,900 peers who participated in the sport statewide last season.
Seniors EJ Chin and Alexander Kozak also return to a program that never lost a game, match or tournament after placing third in last year’s season-opening Westfield Blue Devil Classic.
“You could tell they were not happy about it,” Saint Joseph coach Rusty Thomsen said of the third-place finish. “They were so upset they were determined not to lose again.”
In Thomsen, the Falcons have an extraordinary coach and a ringer who is favored to knock down the most pins in the Turkey Bowl, generating significant money for charity.
As a member of the Professional Bowling Association who placed 17th in the U.S. Open Championships a decade ago, Thomsen won four regional tournaments. During college, he helped St. John’s University twice garner a No. 1 national ranking. The former Greater Middlesex Conference individual champion from Sayreville High School is also currently Felician University’s head women’s bowling coach. Thomsen has bowled 135 perfect 300 games over his career.
What impresses Thomsen most about his talented Saint Joseph bowlers is not their gifts as exceptional student-athletes, but the kindness in their hearts.
“When you meet these kids, it’s hard not to root for them,” Thomsen said. “They are genuinely really nice kids. I think that’s the best part about this team. I tell their parents all the time, you all raised them correctly. They are a reflection of their parents.”
Of their participation in the Turkey Bowl, Thomsen said, “I’m not surprised at all they are doing this. It’s typical of them. They’re a bunch of great kids who like to help people.”
The benevolent bowling team is a microcosm of the entire Saint Joseph school-community, which has been among The Marisa Tufaro Foundation’s biggest supporters and which donates to countless other charitable causes.
Born with a complex cardiac defect, Marisa Tufaro survived six open-heart surgeries and a heart transplant before succumbing to a rare form of cancer in 2017 following a valiant battle. She was just 13 years old.
An Edison Township Public Schools honor roll student involved in myriad extracurricular activities, Marisa lived a vibrant life that inspired.
The foundation established in her loving memory is a fitting way for Marisa’s parents, Cyndi and Greg, who is a Saint Joseph alumnus, to keep alive their daughter’s indomitable spirit and allow her legacy to be one of helping others.
Since its inception six years ago, The Marisa Tufaro Foundation, which assists pediatric patients and children in need throughout the greater Middlesex County area, has donated more than $300,000 to fulfill its mission.
In addition, the foundation has also spearheaded multiple community initiatives resulting in the collection of thousands of toys, nonperishable food items, winter coats, baby supplies and other items for donation upon which it has placed no monetary value.
The foundation has also awarded $29,500 in college academic scholarships to 42 Middlesex County high school graduates including Saint Joseph alumni.
Sports programs from the high school, including its basketball, ice hockey, swimming, football, golf, and baseball teams, have joined the Saint Joseph Campus Ministry and student council to make significant contributions to The Marisa Tufaro Foundation.
“Saint Joseph High School is delighted to once again be partnering with The Marisa Tufaro Foundation in support of Hands of Hope for the Community,” said John G. Nolan Jr., the high school’s president.
“Service to others plays a significant role in the life of every student who attends Saint Joe’s. I am proud of our young men as they give so generously of their time, talents and treasure each time a worthy cause is presented to them. That’s the Saint Joe’s way.”