High School Bowling Tournament and Toy Drive To Help Kids in Hospital Coming This December

Next month at Majestic Lanes in Woodbridge, New Jersey, 40 high school bowling teams will compete in the Marisa Tufaro Classic. The Dec. 6 event mixes strikes and spares with a mission to brighten the days of kids stuck in hospital beds.

Each team will roll three games. Boys' and girls' champions will win based on total pin count. Crown Trophy of Flemington will award the top three spots in both divisions.

The proceeds will support The Marisa Tufaro Foundation. Collected toys will cheer up young patients at Hackensack Meridian JFK University Medical Center, while some will go to Hands of Hope's community work.

"Amanda wanted to offer another option for a holiday tournament to kick off the year, and she came up with the idea to host one in Woodbridge Township to benefit The Marisa Tufaro Foundation," said Joe Ward, Woodbridge Athletics Director, according to My Central Jersey.

The event honors 13-year-old Marisa Tufaro, who died in 2017. Despite facing six open-heart surgeries and countless medical visits, she kept bowling and maintained honor roll status. Her spirit shone through the physical limits her heart condition imposed.

The foundation has donated over $400,000 since 2017. They've also provided scholarships and collected thousands of toys, supplies, and food items.

"We've been blessed beyond words with amazing support from so many people, including the Woodbridge Township school community," said Cyndi Tufaro, Marisa's mother and foundation executive director.

Amanda Small, a Woodbridge High School grad and former Home News Tribune Bowler of the Year, started this tradition in 2018. 

These gifts do more than fill stockings — they help kids cope with tough medical treatments and extended hospital stays. For families stretched thin by medical costs or time constraints, these donations make holiday wishes come true.