Tragedy Inspires Non-Profit To Help Plano Family

(CBS) -- A non-profit born of tragedy is helping a Plano family dealing with their own tragedy, reports WBBM's Mike Krauser.

Tom Zimmermann and his wife Kim started a non-profit called "Tommy's Gift" after the death of their infant son. Zimmermann says on their journey they found a desire to help others. He is in the building trade, so helping people with home projects was a natural.

Through their church, the Zimmermanns got to know Knispel family of Plano.

"The family story is a tragic one," said Zimmermann.

Last summer, their teenage son Jared was killed when the car he was working on fell off the jacks. At the time, the family was in the middle of a major home renovation.

"It is hard enough to wake up every morning after something like that to then look and say 'We have to do this work around the house,'" said Zimmermann.

Tommy's Gift is planning an extreme home makeover inside and out and they need money, skilled and unskilled labor and building materials. Work starts Memorial Day weekend. Anyone interested in helping can go to TommysGift.org.