All proceeds from the fourth annual Woodbridge 5K Walk/Run Turkey Trot will benefit The Marisa Tufaro Foundation.
Since its inception seven years ago, the foundation has donated more than $350,000 to fulfill its mission of assisting pediatric patients and other children in need throughout the greater Middlesex County area.
The Woodbridge 5K Walk/Run Turkey Trot will take place Nov. 30 at Alvin P. Williams Memorial Park in the township’s Sewaren section on a course running parallel to the scenic waterfront and well-groomed neighborhoods.
Online registration is required (sign up here). The entry fee is $25. All preregistered 5K participants will receive a free commemorative T-shirt. The 5K starts at 10 a.m. with bib pickup beginning at 8:30 a.m.
Race sponsors include the Mayor’s Wellness Campaign, Wegmans, The Club at Woodbridge, and The Woodbridge Community Center.
Awards will be presented to the top three overall male and female runners, and to the top three male and female performers in nine age groups ranging from 14-and-under to 80-and over.
All participants will receive a complementary wristband from The Marisa Tufaro Foundation, which is eternally grateful for the outstanding support it has received from the entire Woodbridge community.
Woodbridge has hosted charity all-star football and basketball games and a charity bowling tournament benefiting the nonprofit. Countless student-athletes and coaches from the township’s three high schools have participated in fundraising events and drives for the foundation. Proceeds from Woodbridge’s 27th annual Crossroads of New Jersey 5K held earlier this year on Labor Day weekend also benefited the foundation.
The Marisa Tufaro Foundation, which makes community service an integral part of its mission, has 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.
The foundation has awarded 42 college academic scholarships totaling $33,000 to high school seniors – 13 of whom are graduates of Woodbridge Township high schools – and sent 27 elementary and middle school students to a weeklong summer art camp at Rutgers University’s Zimmerli Museum.
The Marisa Tufaro Foundation received the YMCA of MEWSA’s 2023 Barnes Community Champion Award and the Edison Chamber of Commerce named the nonprofit its 2024 Organization of the Year. Earlier this year, Hands of Hope for the Community recognized The Marisa Tufaro Foundation for its “dedicated efforts in fostering positive change within the community” as the honoree of its annual fundraiser.
Born with a complex cardiac defect, Marisa Tufaro survived six open-heart surgeries and a heart transplant before succumbing in 2017 at the age of 13 to a rare form of cancer following a valiant battle.
Despite being hospitalized for more than two years and maintaining hundreds of doctors’ appointments, Marisa Tufaro was an Edison Township Public Schools honor roll student involved in myriad extracurricular activities. She lived a vibrant life that inspired.
“We’ve been blessed beyond words with amazing support from so many people, including the Woodbridge community,” said Marisa’s mother, Cyndi Tufaro, who is the foundation’s executive director.
“We don’t take a second donated or a penny raised for granted. The kindness and generosity of Woodbridge residents has been extraordinary. We can’t thank township officials and race organizers enough for adopting The Marisa Tufaro Foundation as their beneficiary.
“We hope the benevolence of the entire Woodbridge community is exponentially returned.”
For more information about the Woodbridge 5K Walk/Run and Turkey Trot, please contact the Woodbridge Department of Recreation at 732-596-4048.