Since Marisa’s untimely passing, the South Brunswick High School baseball program, like countless other athletics teams across the Greater Middlesex Conference, has supported the nonprofit bearing her name.
South Brunswick’s Diamond Club recently made a generous donation for the third straight year to The Marisa Tufaro Foundation, whose mission is to help children in need throughout the greater Middlesex County area.
Through the generosity of South Brunswick and others, who have donated or participated in fundraising events, The Marisa Tufaro Foundation, which was established less than 20 months ago, already has made a profound impact, donating more than $65,000 to assist pediatric patients and others (details can be found below).
Fourth-year South Brunswick head baseball coach CJ Hendricks commenced an annual tradition of helping others in 2016 when his program supported baby Shane O’Donnell, the son of former Middlesex High School head baseball coach Mike O’Donnell, who was engaged in a life-threatening battle with high-risk nueroblastoma.
In addition to wearing “Shane Strong” shirts during warmups before a game against Middlesex at TD Bank Ballpark in Somerset, South Brunswick made a donation to the GoFundMe page created to raise money for the O’Donnell family.
Just as South Brunswick players stood in solidarity with counterparts from Middlesex, they did the same earlier this week when Old Bridge, during an emotional pregame ceremony, retired the jersey number of former star Zach Attianese, who tragically died along with his loving father Jude in a six-vehicle car crash last Father’s Day weekend. In addition to once again wearing specially designed shirts, this time in honor of Zach, South Brunswick will be contributing to a scholarship fund the Old Bridge school-community has established in Zach’s loving memory.
South Brunswick players annually assist the township’s youth baseball program on Opening Day and participate in free clinics for youngsters. Independently, players in the baseball program engage in other community service projects.
Hendricks spearheaded a disaster relief effort in 2017, collecting supplies for survivors of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico, where his father lived for more than a dozen years and where his maternal grandparents were born and raised.
The Marisa Tufaro Foundation has assisted children affiliated with Bristol-Myers Squibb Children’s Hospital, Saint Peter’s University Children’s Hospital, Kiddie Keep Well Camp, the Lakeview School, Special Strides Therapeutic Riding Center, Hands of Hope Food Pantry, FISH Hospitality Program, the Ronald McDonald House of Central Jersey, Project Walk, PSE&G Children’s Specialized Hospital and elsewhere.
The nonprofit annually awards college scholarships to exceptional high school students who exemplify Marisa’s indomitable spirit with the Marisa Tufaro Foundation GMC Scholar-Athlete Scholarship and the Marisa Tufaro Memorial Community Service Scholarship. Seniors may apply before April 30.
The foundation also has spearheaded multiple community initiatives, resulting in the collection of thousands of toys, winter coats, baby supplies, nonperishable food and other items for donation.
Marisa, who would have been a sophomore 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 Stage IV cancer to which she succumbed following a valiant battle on Jan. 30, 2017. She was just 13 years old.
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.