A Sweetheart Dinner Dance honoring the loving memory of Marisa Tufaro and benefiting the nonprofit bearing her name was held at the South Amboy Knights of Columbus on Feb. 21.

The South Amboy Columbiettes, a women’s auxiliary council affiliated with the South Amboy Knights of Columbus Council 426, conducted the creative fundraiser at which attendees “danced their hearts out for a cause.”

The event featured live music from four-part harmony group Zuko, Philips, Cohn & Starr, who donated their talent and time to play cover songs from the ’70s and ’80s.

PLEASE CLICK HERE TO VIEW A PHOTO GALLERY FROM THE EVENT

The banquet hall was beautifully decorated with a Valentine’s Day theme as the dinner dance fittingly took place during National Heart Month and exactly one week after National Congenital Heart Defect Awareness Day.

Dinner included salad, pasta, meatballs, eggplant rollatini, garlic bread, beverages and a wide assortment of desserts including an ice cream bar.

A tricky tray with 18 donated gift baskets and a 50-50 raffle were also part of the fundraiser.

The Sweetheart Dinner Dance was yet another example of the excellent work the South Amboy Columbiettes and Knights of Columbus perform in the community.

“We can’t thank the South Amboy Columbiettes and Knights of Columbus enough for hosting this wonderful event,” said Cyndi Tufaro, The Marisa Tufaro Foundation’s executive director. “Marisa loved music, loved to dance, and loved to sing. She would have enjoyed being a part of this wonderful night.”

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.

Despite being hospitalized for more than two years and maintaining hundreds of doctors appointments, Marisa was an Edison Township Public Schools honor roll student involved in myriad extracurricular activities who lived a vibrant life that inspired.

Her parents, Greg and Cyndi, established The Marisa Tufaro Foundation in their daughter’s loving memory.

Since its inception seven and a half years ago, The Marisa Tufaro Foundation has donated more than $375,000 to fulfill its mission of assisting pediatric patients and underserved children throughout the greater Middlesex County area.

The foundation has also spearheaded multiple initiatives resulting in the collection of thousands of toys, nonperishable food items, winter coats, baby supplies, school supplies, and other items for donation upon which it has placed no monetary value.

In addition, the foundation has awarded 46 scholarships totaling $33,000 in Marisa’s name to high school seniors and sent 27 elementary and middle school students to a weeklong summer art camp at Rutgers University’s Zimmerli Museum.