Greg Tufaro – Central Jersey Sports Radio

The total mount of money raised by the various iterations of what now is the Bellamy & Son Paving Marisa Rose Bowl was at $736,000 and counting heading into Thursday night’s 2023 edition, and that number is sure to climb.

Scroll down for information on how to make a donation to support the Marisa Tufaro Foundation.

The effort is no small task. Even the day after, when coaches were taking a breather, and the football players and cheerleaders could focus 100% on leaving for college, game organizer Marcus Borden – who began the event in 1994 as the Snapple Bowl – could be found washing game-worn uniform pants, and dropping off other equipment at various locations throughout Middlesex County.

The efforts of Greg Tufaro and his wife Cyndi – who founded the Marisa Tufaro Foundation in 2017 after the passing of their daughter, Marisa, from a rare form of cancer after enduring several open-heart surgeries and a transplant – have been unmatchable in that time, including their involvement in the game, and all the other charitable endeavors they undertake.

Throw in the massive sponsorship support of Joe Bellamy, the owner of Bellamy & Son Paving – also a founding and continuous sponsor of Central Jersey Sports Radio since its inception in 2000 – and you have all the makings of a successful game like the one played Thursday night at Nicholas Priscoe Stadium in Woodbridge, in which Team Rose beat Team Marisa 37-15, behind the arm and legs of North Brunswick’s Frankie Garbolino – the game’s MVP – who threw two touchdown passes and ran for two more.

But it’s the kids who win. It’s the pediatric patients and families who benefit year-round from the Marisa Tufaro Foundation. It’s the kids at the Lakeview School in Edison, and the PSE&G Children’s Specialized Hospital in New Brunswick who will benefit from Thursday’s gate, and all the game’s sponsors. They’re the ones who win.

Click below to hear sideline reporter Korbid Thompson talk to game founder and organizer Marcus Borden, Joe Bellamy of Bellamy & Son Paving, and Greg Tufaro of the Marisa Tufaro Foundation at halftime of the 2023 Bellamy & Son Paving Marisa Rose Bowl:

Click the image below to make a donation to the Marisa Tufaro Foundation:

There’s no Greater Middlesex Conference Tournament this year. No big semifinal weekend at Middlesex County College, no Championship Doubleheader at a place that should for all intents and purposes be at the RAC. (But that’s a conversation for another time.)

And the head of the GMC Basketball Coaches Association has a good idea what you could do with the two, three, four or five dollars you might have plunked down for your admission to any of those venues.

Donate it to the Marisa Tufaro Foundation.

From 2017 to 2019, the Association raised $8,000 for the Foundation – which does a wide range of terrific charitable work throughout New Jersey – via its annual senior all-start doublehader.

But COVID forced its cancellation last year – its status this year is uncertain – and the Marisa Tufaro Foundation still has good deeds to do.

Click here to donate to the Marisa Tufaro Foundation. Any size donation is welcome!

So, Jose Rodriguez – the former Carteret standout, St. Joe’s assistant and current Colonia head coach, who’s now president of the Coaches Assocation – says why not save the few bucks and help out a great local charity.

Its named in honor of Marisa Tufaro, the daughter of MyCentralJersey.com local sportswriter Greg Tufaro. Marisa tragically passed away at the age of 13 in 2017. Born with a heart defect, she received a transplant, but then was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer, which ultimately took her life.

Click below to listen to Jose Rodriguez’ suggestion for how you can help donate to the Marisa Tufaro Foundation:

Donations in the amount of a normal game admission can be made online at The Marisa Tufaro Foundation’s website or checks can be made payable to The Marisa Tufaro Foundation and mailed to P.O. Box 10625, New Brunswick, NJ 08906