Emergency Fund for the Ou Family; House Fire
Donation protected
Dear family, friends, and compassionate strangers,
My name is Sunny and I am raising funds on behalf of my family for the loss of our home in Atlantic City, NJ. During the afternoon of June 21st, my father was home when he heard a loud explosion from outside. Within a few minutes, a fire quickly spread and engulfed the neighboring four residences and then our home. Fortunately, my father escaped from the fire unharmed. Normally, he would have been resting or sleeping until his next shift, but we’re extremely lucky that he wasn’t.
We’re extremely grateful that everyone affected managed to escape from their homes. The firefighters said that this was the worse fire they'd fought in decades. Unfortunately, due to the extent of the damages, the building inspectors have ruled that the homes are not structurally sound and will be demolished.
My mother and father, Sally and Yu Gen, are two of the hardest-working people I know. Since immigrating from China, they have made countless sacrifices and have worked endlessly to support me and my two sisters. They used all of their savings and purchased this house right before the 2008 housing market crash. It is extremely heartbreaking to see all of the years of labor being reduced to rubble in the coming months.
The aftermath of the fire has placed great financial strain on our family. We did not have homeowners insurance on the property. Additionally, my father hasn’t been able to retrieve any items from our home. We lost a lot in the fire, including clothing, appliances, important documents, and other items that hold immense value to us.
We would appreciate any financial support at this time. All funds raised will be put towards finding my father a more permanent living arrangement as he works in Atlantic City, and to cover any basic necessities and bills during this difficult time.
We greatly appreciate any donations that come our way, thank you all for your time and generosity.
Update 06/23/23: Thank you so so much to everyone who has contributed to our emergency fund. My family is stunned at the amount of support coming our way. We are eternally indebted to our community and grateful to everyone who has shown love and compassion to us during this difficult time. Including our mutual aid fund, we have reached just shy of $15k! In order to accommodate for more donations, I have adjusted the goal on GoFundMe from $5k to $25k.
Again, thank you so much to everyone who has shown support to us. I’ll be providing more updates as time progresses.
News Articles:
https://www.cbsnews.com/philadelphia/news/atlantic-city-fire-possible-arson-intentional-belfield-avenue-10-rescued-3-hospitalized/
Co-organizers (2)
Sunny Ou
Organizer
Brooklyn, NY
Sydney Ng
Co-organizer