Foundation Donates $500K, Ends Mission Honoring Teen Marisa

A small New Jersey charity built on love has completed what many large nonprofits never achieve: it set out to make a profound difference, did exactly that, and closed its doors knowing the mission was complete.

The Marisa Tufaro Foundation announced it has donated its final contribution after giving away $500,000 to help pediatric patients and children in need across Middlesex County. Parents Cyndi and Greg Tufaro created the foundation in 2017, six months after losing their daughter Marisa to cancer at age 13.

Marisa's story could have been defined by struggle. Born with a complex heart defect, she endured six open heart surgeries and a heart transplant before cancer took her life. But instead of giving up, she made honor roll, joined school activities, and inspired everyone who met her during her two years of hospitalization and hundreds of doctor visits.

Her parents channeled their grief into action. On what would have been Marisa's 14th birthday, they launched the foundation in her memory.

Over seven years, the impact grew beyond anyone's expectations. The foundation awarded $41,500 in scholarships to 57 high school seniors and sent 34 younger students to weeklong art camps. It collected thousands of toys, coats, books, and baby supplies for families in need. It hosted boardwalk-themed fun nights at children's hospitals and took Special Olympics athletes to baseball games.

The community responded with extraordinary generosity. Fundraisers ranged from kids running lemonade stands to league-wide all-star tournaments. Every donation helped hospitalized children and struggling families receive direct financial support and essential supplies.

The Ripple Effect

The foundation gave back to every hospital that cared for Marisa, including Bristol-Myers Squibb Children's Hospital, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, and Boston Children's Hospital. Each gift honored the doctors and nurses who fought for her life while helping the next generation of young patients.

The work earned prestigious recognition, including Edison Chamber of Commerce's 2024 Organization of the Year Award. Major media outlets from USA TODAY to the Boston Globe shared Marisa's story, multiplying the foundation's reach and inspiring similar efforts elsewhere.

"While no parent can ever fill the void left by the loss of a child, the extraordinary love and support the community poured into the foundation brought us immeasurable comfort," Cyndi and Greg Tufaro said. The relationships they built and the lives they touched together became gifts that transcended their original mission.

Now, having accomplished everything they set out to do, the Tufaros are closing this chapter knowing Marisa's indomitable spirit lives on in the thousands of children her foundation helped.