Contractor works to help sick kids

<p>A contractor with a GoFundMe account has a set of skills he uses helping sick children and their families.&nbsp;</p>

News 12 Staff

May 29, 2017, 9:49 PM

Updated 2,692 days ago

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A contractor with a GoFundMe account has a set of skills he uses helping sick children and their families.
Jimmy Pannullo and his father run a general contracting business, but when he's off the clock, he's still on the job.
"I just wanted to give back," he says. "I love working with children. I have a soft spot for kids." 
In each of the last five years, he say he's chosen a family to help. He sets up a fundraiser to help cover the cost of materials, then donates his own time and money. Currently, he's building a playroom in the Westbury home of the Monteforte family.
Victoria Monteforte, 5, has a rare autoimmune disease called ITP. It leaves her with constant bruising or bleeding.
"Her body is attacking her own platelets," says her mom, Lisa Monteforte. "So she's not able to keep her platelet count high. And they're at a dangerous or severe level, which could cause harm to her."
Because of her chronic condition, Victoria is very limited in what she can do.  Her mom says she hopes the playroom will make a big difference in her life.
"She can't play sports, even normal activities like playing outside on the driveway," Monteforte says. "Being in the house is sometimes the safest."
Pannullo says he wants to eventually create a charity that would be able to help even more kids each year.
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