Tufaro Foundation gives back to Middlesex College

As a way of giving back to Middlesex College, which profoundly impacted the lives of The Marisa Tufaro Foundation’s namesake and her parents, the nonprofit has donated to the school’s Child Care Student Fund.

The gift will provide tuition assistance for children enrolled in the college’s on-campus Middlesex College Early Learning Center, which provides year-round pre-school activities for children of Middlesex College students, staff, and community residents.

Nearly half of Middlesex College students receive need-based financial aid, more than a quarter of its full-time students come from households with incomes below $30,000, and many of its students work part or full time.

Some of those students are parents with children enrolled in the Middlesex College Early Learning Center who can benefit, along with others who use the center, from the financial support The Marisa Tufaro Foundation and other donors provide.

Dedicated to providing a safe and nurturing environment with a developmentally appropriate atmosphere for learning, the Middlesex College Early Learning Center staff cooperates and communicates with families to keep children happy, healthy, and safe. Children are encouraged to work and play together within a classroom community that fosters a positive early childhood experience.

The Tufaro family is honored to support Middlesex College, where Marisa Tufaro “attended” school and benefitted from the college’s summer youth enrichment programs. The college is also where Marisa’s parents first met as classmates three decades ago.

As a fifth grader at James Monroe Elementary School, Marisa and approximately 500 other students were relocated in March 2014 to Middlesex College after a six-alarm fire destroyed their Edison school.

The college provided James Monroe students and faculty for the remainder of the academic year with the use of two campus buildings, which were slated at the time for demolition.

The college facilities staff worked tirelessly around the clock to refurbish the buildings, ensuring they were aesthetically pleasing and in perfect working condition when students and faculty arrived.

James Monroe students took classes in those buildings, attended gym in the Physical Education Center, enjoyed recess on the college grounds, and conducted their year-end promotion ceremony in the Performing Arts Center.

Marisa was already more than familiar with the college campus. As a regular at Camp Middlesex, she enjoyed some of the weeks-long summer youth enrichment programs the college offers for children 7 to 15 years of age.

Marisa, who would have graduated last year from Edison High School, 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.

Established in Marisa’s loving memory less than five years ago, The Marisa Tufaro Foundation has donated nearly a quarter of a million dollars to assist pediatric patients and other children in need.

The nonprofit has also donated thousands of toys, nonperishable food items, winter jackets, baby supplies and other items upon which it has placed no monetary value.

The foundation has awarded $21,500 in academic scholarships to 31 high school graduates, several of who attended or are currently taking classes at Middlesex College.

Marisa’s parents, Cyndi and Greg, who have been happily married for 26 years, first met in 1991 during a Middlesex College winter session class.

A longtime Edison Township Public Schools educator, Cyndi is now the principal at James Monroe Elementary School.

A former journalist with USA TODAY NETWORK New Jersey, Greg currently serves as chief of staff to Senator Patrick J. Diegnan Jr., whose legislative district encompasses seven Middlesex County towns.

“As a former member of the faculty at the college, I’m prejudiced, but I can personally attest that Middlesex College knows its mission and fulfills its mission as well as any institute of higher education in our state,” said Diegnan, who taught business law and accounting at Middlesex College for a decade.

The mission of the college is to provide access to a quality, affordable education for a diverse population, to support student success for lifelong learning, and to strengthen the economic, social, and cultural life of the community.

Middlesex College enrolled more than 10,000 students for the fall 2020 semester, 44% of whom attended the school full time.

The college’s student-to-faculty ratio is 22-to-1 and its scenic 200-acre Edison campus houses 36 buildings. The school offers 87 associate degree and certificate programs.

Approximately 18% of Middlesex County high school graduates enroll at the college, which boasts more than 60,000 alumni.

As a student at Middlesex College, Greg worked part-time and earned nearly 60 credits, all of which transferred to Rutgers University, from which he and Cyndi both graduated.

Greg proudly serves on the Middlesex College Community Advisory Committee, where he is privileged to receive an inside look at campus ongoings and learn about the school’s trajectory. Through that role and having spent the last three decades as a journalist, Greg has been able to keep abreast of and occasionally report on Middlesex College’s progress.

“I’ve revisited the college almost annually, and each time I’m on campus, I’m impressed beyond words with how much Middlesex has expanded and improved,” Greg said. “For students such as myself, who worked while going to school, Middlesex College was the perfect fit both academically and financially. In talking with students through the years, I know they share that sentiment.”

Middlesex College is conducting an Open House April 3 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., during which prospective students can learn about academic offerings, campus life, student support services, and much more.

Registering for the Open House is the first step toward earning a degree, jumpstarting a career, or exploring different fields of study.

Greg developed his writing and reporting skills at Middlesex College, where he was a regular contributor to Quo Vadis, the school newspaper. Greg credits professors Jane Lasky (Journalism), the late Richard Strugala (English), and the late Jim Morgan (Performing Arts) with providing a foundation that enabled him to enjoy a 30-year career in journalism.

“Our family can’t ever put a price tag on the experiences and opportunities Middlesex College provided,” Greg said. “Middlesex College has been an invaluable resource to us and tens of thousands of other state residents.”

“We are forever indebted to the school for the doors it opened and the lifelong memories it created.”