As the recipient of a Greater Middlesex Conference Kindness Counts Award, South River High School’s Brendan Lell received $500 from The Peter Fund and The Marisa Tufaro Foundation to donate in his name to the charity of his choice that assists Middlesex County children in need.

For exhibiting compassion, generosity, inclusiveness, and other qualities of benevolence, Lell was one of four student-athletes from the conference selected as a Kindness Counts Award recipient.

Each of the four honorees received a commemorative plaque during the Greater Middlesex Conference’s 24th Annual Dan Hayston Memorial Sportsmanship Awards Luncheon at The Pines Manor in Edison.

Over the past three years, a total of 13 Greater Middlesex Conference Kindness Counts Awards have been presented, enabling the recipients to donate a total of $6,500 to charities benefiting local children in need.

Lell has selected The Children’s Hospital at Saint Peter’s University Hospital in New Brunswick as the beneficiary of his donation.

A four-year starter and captain of the varsity baseball team, Lell is a member and president of the National Honor Society.

“Brendan is one of the most empathetic, inclusive, and kind students I have taught in my time at South River High School,” said Khalid Uddin, an English teacher and National Honor Society faculty advisor at South River.

“He gets along with all of his peers and teachers and goes beyond just being respectful.

“One of our initiatives with the National Honor Society is spending time with elementary school students after school twice a month. During that time, Brendan is always embodying a leadership role, while also being personable and caring. He plays games with 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders and welcomes them all. He allows them all to have fun, keeps them all behaved and focused, and ensures they are in a comfortable and respectful environment. He checks on all the students to make sure they are okay and that their needs are being met, and that they are having fun.

“Additionally, Brendan has involved himself in numerous community activities, including our Adopt-a-Family drive, in which he shopped for families in need, wrapped presents, and even went to local businesses for donations. He is also involved in many other community service projects, including Operation Christmas Child, Socktober, Be a SouperHero Drive, Easter Basket Drive, Animal Shelter Drive, and Nursing Home Outreach, among others. Brendan deeply cares for his community and makes it better through various means and activities.”

South River head baseball coach Mike Lepore Jr. said, “Brendan consistently demonstrates extraordinary character through integrity, humility and a commitment to doing what’s right.”

Lepore said Lell was named team captain “for his dedication to the program and his leadership skills that he developed over the past three years.”

“Whether supporting a teammate or mentoring an underclassman who lacks confidence, Brendan makes time to understand and offers meaningful help.

“What I find most impressive about Brendan is the way he celebrates his teammates successes, giving credit to others when it’s due, and stepping in without hesitation when a teammate is struggling.

“He is a ‘team player’ through and through, consistently trying to do what’s best for the team.”

The Kindness Counts Award was established in loving memory of high school student-athlete Peter Bonn-Elchoness, who died suddenly and without warning in his sleep from a rare disease that causes damage to the heart.

The 17-year-old from Niwot, Colorado was renowned throughout his school-community as a magnetic presence and gifted student-athlete who always looked out for others.

Shortly after his passing on Nov. 12, 2022, Peter’s family learned even more about his generosity of spirit through condolence letters they received from his classmates. Among other acts, Peter stood up to bullies, supported kids in crisis, and rooted for teammates and competitors. His parents, Dave Elchoness and Eve Bonn, were told Peter saved lives.

To honor their son’s memory, Dave, an Edison High School alumnus (Class of ’89), and Eve founded The Peter Fund, whose mission is to support efforts to increase compassion, generosity, kindness, and sportsmanship, especially among young people.

The nonprofit created the Kindness Counts Award and an accompanying online nomination process to recognize extraordinary teens who demonstrate those qualities.

The first set of awards were presented in May 2023 to Peter’s senior classmates at Niwot High School in Colorado.

Peter’s parents, who are working to expand the program nationally, have now included much of Boulder County, Col., and partnered in 2024 with The Marisa Tufaro Foundation in New Jersey to establish an annual Greater Middlesex Conference Kindness Counts Award, which honors student-athletes from the league.

Nominees from the Greater Middlesex Conference’s 36 member schools whose sportsmanlike conduct transcends the playing field to high school campuses and beyond – filtering into classrooms, hallways, communities, and even at home – were considered for the 2026 Greater Middlesex Conference Kindness Counts Award.

“It’s never been more apparent that we need more kindness, understanding and treating each other with respect as we do right now,” Greater Middlesex Conference Executive Director Frank Noppenberger said. “The Kindness Counts Award is a wonderful way of promoting and rewarding extraordinary acts of kindness, citizenship, volunteerism, inclusivity, empathy, charity, and sportsmanship.”

Student-athletes, many of whom are looked up to as leaders, are often held to a higher standard. The manner in which they conduct themselves reflects upon the name that appears on the back and front of their jerseys. Student-athletes, such as Peter, who as an accomplished fencer qualified for the Junior Olympics, can make a difference outside the competitive arena.

“Simply put, Peter is no longer here but the world desperately needs more of what he did during his lifetime,” said Dave Elchoness, noting that despite Peter’s untimely passing, his legacy of honorable deeds continues.

“To be able to honor Peter’s memory by presenting this award to student-athletes in Middlesex County, a place where I no longer live but for which I will always feel a deep fondness, is profoundly meaningful.”

The Peter Fund offers support and encourages teen-centered programs that enhance understanding, compassion, generosity of spirit, and simple kindness. The nonprofit’s focus is on efforts relating to basic respect, anti-bullying, mental health, teamwork, and sportsmanship.

Dave Elchoness is a friend and former Edison High School classmate of Cyndi Tufaro, who along with her husband Greg founded The Marisa Tufaro Foundation in memory of their inspirational daughter to assist pediatric patients and children in need throughout the greater Middlesex County area.

Born with a severe cardiac defect, Marisa survived six open-heart surgeries and a heart transplant before succumbing in 2017 to a rare form of cancer. She was just 13 years old.

Despite being hospitalized for more than two years and maintaining hundreds of doctors’ appointments, Marisa was an Edison Township Public Schools honor roll student who lived an inspirational life.

With incredible support from Greater Middlesex Conference schools, the foundation bearing Marisa’s name has donated nearly $450,000 to fulfill its mission.

The nonprofit has also spearheaded drives that have generated thousands of toys, nonperishable food items, winter jackets, children’s books, baby supplies, school supplies, and other items for donation upon which it has placed no monetary value.

In addition, The Marisa Tufaro Foundation has awarded $36,500 in scholarships to 50 exceptional Middlesex County high school seniors and sent 31 elementary and middle school students to a weeklong summer art camp at Rutgers University’s Zimmerli Art Museum.

“Out of an unfathomable tragedy, the Bonn-Elchoness family has found an ineffably meaningful way to keep alive Peter’s indomitable spirit,” Cyndi Tufaro said. “The Marisa Tufaro Foundation is honored to partner with The Peter Fund and the Greater Middlesex Conference on this important initiative.

“We welcome the opportunity to celebrate student-athletes who never met Peter but mirror his benevolent nature.”