Hillsborough Cousins Connect Patients Virtually With Love Ones

HILLSBOROUGH, NJ —Hillsborough kids and their cousins, who call themselves the "Cousin Crew", are helping to connect patients in hospitals and nursing homes with their loved ones by donating tablets amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Hillsborough siblings Jules and Joey DiNuzzo were on a family Zoom call when their cousins, Colin and Grace Volpe, said their aunt, who was a nurse, was sharing her own iPhone with patients so they could see their families. Their aunt was looking for donations of used tablets so that she, and other nurses, didn't have to use their personal phones.

"That gave us the idea to collect money to buy tablets to donate to hospitals and nursing homes," said Jules and Joey DiNuzzo.

The Cousin Crew set up the iSeeYou Foundation and a GoFundMe page to start collecting donations to purchase the tablets in April.

"While most of us are dealing with cabin fever, cooped up in the house for so long with our families and struggling to get along, there are many people in hospital rooms, alone and longing for any type of contact with their families. Whether they have COVID-19 or they are just plain old sick, they are alone and we wanted to help," said Jules and Joey DiNuzzo.

Since starting their foundation the cousins have already sent more than 80 tablets to 13 hospitals and nursing homes in New Jersey and New York including: RWJ University Hospital Somerset, The Arbor at Laurel Circle in Bridgewater, and Morristown Medical Center.

"We are so happy to be able to help the community. We couldn't imagine any of our family members being alone at this time so it makes us feel good to know we're able to help other families reconnect with their loved ones," said Jules and Joey DiNuzzo.

"As their mom, I'm so proud of them and their cousins for generating this thoughtful idea and spreading the word amongst our community and friends to raise awareness and increase support. We've always stressed the importance of being fortunate enough to give back to our community, so there's nothing more rewarding as a parent than seeing your children and their cousins live those values," said Mandy DiNuzzo.

For more information on the iSeeYou Foundation or to donate visit gofundme.com/f/project-iseeyou or watch their video below:

• Read more: NJ Coronavirus Updates: Here's What You Need To Know

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