Three dozen members of the Woodbridge High School cheerleading program will partake in The Marisa Tufaro Foundation’s Tournament of Roses Parade Charity Walk and Food Drive.
The event, which takes place July 18 at Saint Joseph High School in Metuchen, serves as a community service project for more than a hundred recently graduated Middlesex County high school players and cheerleaders participating in the Bellamy and Sons Paving Marisa Rose Bowl.
All proceeds from the intra-county all-star game, formerly known as the Snapple Bowl and Autoland Classic, will benefit The Marisa Tufaro Foundation. The contest has raised $715,000 for charity since its inception in 1994.
With 11 players and cheerleaders, Woodbridge will be well represented in the Marisa Rose Bowl.
Game participants include Colleen Kester, Marissa Mata, Margaret McNee, Alisa Perez, Isaiah Allen, Matt Stanton, Michael Calvert, Amir Wallace, Jayson Bradley, Dylan Bradley, and Bwosley Charles Estain.
In addition, head football coach Joe LaSala, whose program has been a tremendous supporter of The Marisa Tufaro Foundation, will be coaching in the charity game, along with assistants Anthony Nyers, Rob Paladino and Tracy Fudge.
The Woodbridge football and cheerleading programs have enjoyed great success in recent years.
LaSala’s gridiron squad has compiled a 25-5 record over the past four seasons and garnered statewide recognition along the way with a Top 10 New Jersey ranking.
Woodbridge’s cheerleading squad won five Greater Middlesex Conference titles during a six-year stretch from 2015 through 2020. The program also claimed New Jersey state titles in 2015, 2020 and 2021 and won a National Cheerleaders Association National Championship in 2016.
“We’ve been very successful on a county, state and national level,” Woodbridge High School Athletics Director Joe Ward said. “We have a very strong cheerleading program.”
Woodbridge cheerleaders also have a tradition of spreading school spirit beyond the confines of their campus.
“Our cheerleading program has always been about being committed to working hard and doing the right thing and being involved and giving back to the community,” Ward said.
“That’s been the case for the past seven or eight years and this is another example of that continuing.”
Jersey Mike’s Subs of Woodbridge is sponsoring the cheerleading program’s participation in the charity walk and food drive.
Registration includes a commemorative Tournament of Roses Parade T-shirt, Marisa Tufaro Foundation wristband, and beverages. All participants will be asked to wear their commemorative T-shirts during the walk as a show of solidarity.
“Jersey Mike’s came to Woodbridge and we got involved with them during their grand opening and developed a nice relationship with them,” Ward said of the sub shop, located at 899 B St. Georges Avenue.
“We’re proud to have them in our community and proud that they are sponsoring our student-athletes in this event.”
STORY CONTINUES BENEATH FLYER
The charity walk is a two-mile stroll along the grounds of Saint Joseph’s scenic 70-acre campus to heighten awareness about food insecurity.
The accompanying food drive is a collection of donations for REPLENISH, a regional food bank serving Middlesex County residents, including an estimated 30,000 children, and the Middlesex College Community Resource Hub & Food Pantry.
“Our administration and our coaches rally around great causes and the football game and this walk are another example of a great cause that we are excited and honored to be a part of,” Ward said. “We are very proud of our cheerleading program coming through and having a great turnout.”
The entire Woodbridge school-community is among the biggest supporters of The Marisa Tufaro Foundation, which assists pediatric patients and underserved children throughout the greater Middlesex County area.
Since its inception less than five years ago, the nonprofit has donated a quarter of a million dollars to fulfill its mission.
The Marisa Tufaro Foundation 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 nonprofit has awarded $26,500 in academic scholarships to 38 high school graduates, and an additional 13 scholarships for middle school and elementary school students to attend a weeklong summer art camp at Rutgers University’s Zimmerli Art Museum.
A Woodbridge graduate has earned a Marisa Tufaro Memorial Community Service Scholarship each of the past five years including alumna Jordan Cinelli (’18), who currently serves as an assistant at her alma mater under head cheerleading coach Tori DePinto.
Marisa Rose Tufaro, 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.
Despite being hospitalized for more than two years and maintaining hundreds of doctor’s appointments, she lived a vibrant life that inspired.
The Marisa Tufaro Foundation is eternally grateful for the support it has received from Woodbridge High School, which has hosted the Greater Middlesex Conference All-Star basketball doubleheader, the Tecmo Bowl for Tufaro, a Pictures with Santa event, and sponsored the Marisa Tufaro Classic bowling tournament as fundraisers.
In addition, the school community has donated money raised from a dress down day and the entire gate from its football team’s 2018 and 2019 home openers to the nonprofit.
Countless student-athletes from multiple sports have participated in other fundraising events that benefited The Marisa Tufaro Foundation.
As if the school-community has not done enough, it continues to open its collective hearts every year with an annual Marisa Tufaro Memorial Woodbridge High School Scholarship.