Old Bridge hosts Holiday Knight Toy Drive for pediatric patients

Old Bridge High School is partnering with The Marisa Tufaro Foundation to transform Lombardi Field into a Winter Wonderland for a Holiday Knight Toy Drive.

The event will take place during the football team’s Sept. 13 home game against Piscataway, at which spectators are invited to drop off a brand new and unwrapped toy (a list of recommended items can be found below) or gift card as they enter the stadium.

The items will be donated to Hackensack Meridian JFK University Medical Center in Edison for distribution during the holiday season and beyond. The donated toys and gift cards will meet the needs of pediatric inpatients and visitors to the hospital’s pediatric emergency department, who can benefit any time of year from a diversion during treatments, medical procedures and extended admissions.

They will also benefit children at the Hackensack Meridian Neuroscience Institute at JFK University Medical Center, children at Hackensack Meridian JFK Johnson Rehabilitation Institute, and underserved children in the greater Middlesex County area.

"We are so grateful to Old Bridge High School and The Marisa Tufaro Foundation for organizing this toy drive," said Amie Thornton, president, chief hospital executive, Hackensack Meridian JFK University Medical Center.

"These toys will bring a wonderful dose of holiday joy to our young patients and their families during the holiday season and beyond."

About the foundation

Since its inception seven years ago, The Marisa Tufaro 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 nonprofit has also donated thousands of toys, nonperishable food items, winter jackets, baby supplies, school supplies, and other items upon which it has placed no monetary value.

In addition, The Marisa Tufaro Foundation has awarded $33,000 in academic scholarships to exceptional Middlesex County high school seniors and sent 27 elementary and middle school students to attend a weeklong summer art camp at Rutgers University’s Zimmerli Art Museum.

“We are grateful to the Old Bridge and Piscataway school communities for partnering with our nonprofit to support a community hospital in the heart of Middlesex County that assisted more than 23,000 patients in its pediatric emergency department last year alone,” said Cyndi and Greg Tufaro, executive directors of The Marisa Tufaro Foundation, who established the nonprofit to keep alive their daughter’s indomitable spirit and allow her legacy to be one of helping others.

Holiday Knight

One of New Jersey’s largest high schools, Old Bridge is renowned for its outstanding school spirit and benevolent support of charitable endeavors.

The high school’s football team, nicknamed the Knights, holds a different “Theme Knight” for each of its home contests.

For the Sept. 13 toy drive, volunteers from the high school, including students and staff, will adorn the stadium’s entrance, press box, bleachers, and concession stand with holiday decorations. The school will distribute to the first 500 Old Bridge students in attendance white-trimmed purple Santa hats bearing the high school’s logo (purple is the official color of both Old Bridge High School and The Marisa Tufaro Foundation).

A snowmaking machine will create a festive atmosphere for spectators entering the stadium as holiday music plays in the background. All in attendance will receive a complementary Marisa Tufaro Foundation “helping children in need” wristband.

“Holiday Knight,” which was first held in 2017, came to fruition because Old Bridge head football coach Matt Donaghue and predecessor Anthony Lanzafama wanted the gridiron program to honor Marisa Tufaro and assist the foundation established in her name. Marisa was the daughter of former Home News Tribune sportswriter Greg Tufaro, who wrote extensively about Old Bridge athletics during his three decades as a reporter and who the school community has embraced as part of its family.

Lanzafama’s son, Joseph, a rising senior and Old Bridge’s Student Senate School President, expressed a desire to bring back the toy drive. He is working with peers, including student government leaders, faculty and staff to help orchestrate and promote the event.

“The organization, communication, leadership, creativity, passion and willingness Old Bridge is exhibiting to make the Holiday Knight Toy Drive a success is exemplary,” said Greater Middlesex Conference Executive Director Frank Noppenberger, who is a member of The Marisa Tufaro Foundation’s Board of Trustees.

“All involved are to be commended for committing to this massive undertaking, which celebrates Marisa’s life by bringing happiness to kids in the hospital and in need.”

A life that inspired

Born with a complex cardiac defect, Marisa Tufaro survived six open-heart surgeries and a heart transplant before succumbing in 2017 to a rare form of cancer. She was just 13 years old.

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.

Marisa Tufaro celebrated her last Christmas in the hospital. Through the generosity of strangers who donated toys, Marisa was able to unwrap many wonderful presents and experience one final holiday with her parents in a pediatric cardiac intensive care unit.

Parents of hospitalized children, some of whom are overwhelmed with medical bills and other related costs, may not be able to afford presents or are so consumed with caring for their ill child that shopping, even online, is not a possibility or a priority.

Pediatric services

Old Bridge’s Holiday Knight Toy Drive will bring joy to JFK University Medical Center pediatric patients, not just during the holiday season, but all year round.

The hospital’s Pediatric Emergency Department features 15 private beds and a spacious and efficient Patient Arrival Center. Patients have fast access to a team of specialists trained in emergency medicine who provide streamlined care.

A 15-bed inpatient pediatric unit and four-bed pediatric intensive care unit serves the needs of children requiring admission to the hospital for care.

JFK University Medical Center’s new subspecialty practice provides specialized care in the areas of genetics, rheumatology, hematology, nephrology, endocrinology, pulmonology, and adolescent medicine. The team works in close coordination with the hospital’s pediatric hospitalists, emergency physicians and area pediatricians.

JFK Johnson Rehabilitation Institute offers one of the largest teams of neurological specialists in the tristate area. Fellowship-trained clinicians using state-of-the-art technology at the Hackensack Meridian Neuroscience Institute at JFK University Medical Center diagnose and treat brain, spine, and nervous system disorders in children and adults, providing the highest quality of care.

The pediatric rehabilitation team at the JFK Johnson Rehabilitation Institute has been serving children from birth to adolescence for nearly five decades. As one of the largest outpatient facilities of its kind for children in the area, the team focuses on facilitating a child’s functional skills in all developmental areas including movement, cognition, communication, social-emotional health, and adaptive behavior.

They also offer outpatient therapy services for children including Early Intervention and You and Me Autism programs.

Wish list

The Marisa Tufaro Foundation is partnering with Old Bridge High School to collect toys for pediatric patients and other children in need. Please consider bringing a brand new, unwrapped toy or gift card from the recommended list below to donate at Old Bridge’s Sept. 13 home football game against Piscataway. All donations will be distributed to pediatric patients and other children in need throughout the greater Middlesex County area. Your generosity is appreciated beyond words.

Recommended items for donation

• Infant toys (toys that make noise, light up)
• Infant mobiles, crib mirrors, crib music players
• Baby rattles
• Toddler playsets (such as Little People)
• Barbie, princesses, baby dolls
• Play-Doh/Model Magic and tools
• Arts and craft supplies, coloring books, crayons, and markers
• Lego, Mega Bloks, K’NEX playsets
• Matchbox, Hot Wheels cars and playsets
• Uno cards, playing cards, other card games
• Children’s books (hardcover or paperback)
• Board books for babies
• Plastic animals and dinosaurs
• Books for young teens and teens
• Board games
• Action figures (non-violent)
• Kitchen play items
• Sticker books
• Puzzles (25 to 100 pieces)
• Electronic learning toys
• Hand-held video games
• Sports equipment (basketballs, footballs, soccer balls)
• Educational games
• Bubbles
• Gift cards: Visa, American Express, Amazon, iTunes, Target

This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: Old Bridge hosts Holiday Knight Toy Drive for pediatric patients