Sad news for American Idol season 9 runner-up, Crystal Bowersox. According to 13ABC, the singer found out on Thursday (Jan 11) that her childhood home in Ottawa, Ohio burned to the ground.
Thankfully, her mother wasn’t home at the time of the fire, but the entire house and everything inside is gone. Bowersox tells 13abc that her mother lost a lot of personal belongings, like pictures, that can’t be replaced.
Even though the house she grew up in is gone, Crystal tells the station that she’s “beyond grateful” her mother is alive and well.
Crystal is reaching out to the community and her fans for help.
“People might assume that because I was on TV that I can magically take care of this,” Bowersox said from her Nashville home. “But I’m an independent artist and I have enough for my son and I and that’s it. I want to help take care of my mom and I don’t know what else to do, so this is it.”
There is some good news. The GoFundMe fundraiser Crystal started on behalf of her mother has almost reached its $10,000 goal. If you would like to help, Click Here. Crystal posted an emotional message along with the appeal:
This was my childhood home. What was once a rustic, well-lived in farmhouse given to my mother by her father, is now nothing but a pile of unsalvageable debris. This home was where I first learned to play the guitar. This home is where I wrote my first poems and songs and learned to sing and play the piano. This is the place I first acquired my love of the land and of nature, to fish and canoe in the nearby creek, where I learned to drive my mom’s old pickup in the fields. This is the place where I first learned to mind my manners, and then was taught when it’s important to not mind them at all.
This home, that no longer exists except within the depth of the memories in my mind and within our family home videos, was an integral part of what has shaped me into the woman I am today.
My mother, thank God, was not there at the time of the fire, but she has lost absolutely everything. My heart aches for her, and for the loss of the irreplaceable family heirlooms and photos. Above all, she is ok, and the rest is just stuff. It will be a hard road ahead for her, but I know that by the grace of God and the generosity and kindness of the strong community and strangers alike, everything will be alright.
I am setting up this account to hopefully help her rebuild her new life. At the moment, she needs the basics – clothes, toiletries, medications, etc. In the coming weeks, she will, of course, need to find new housing. She is working on the details of her homeowner’s insurance policy to see what will become of that, if anything. I will be posting updates as information becomes available.
While I am financially stable, I am by no means a millionaire. My son and I have what we need, and not much more. I cannot afford to rebuild this for her by selling CD’s and T’shirts, as much as I wish that I could right now. Please consider donating any amount that you feel comfortable with.
God bless you and thank you for helping my mother during this difficult time.
-Crystal Bowersox
Our thoughts and good wishes go out to Crystal and her family
