Earlier this week, Colorado State forward Emmanuel Omogbo lost both of his parents and two nieces in a deadly fire at his Chillum, Md. home. If you haven’t read it yet, you should check out this interview that ESPN did with Omogbo about the tragic incident.
Omogbo is obviously still coming to terms with what happened, but while doing so, he’s also receiving a ton of support, both from his school and from strangers that have been touched by his story. Shortly after the news of the fire broke, CSU set up a GoFundMe in the hopes of raising $10,000 to help Omogbo cover costs associated with his family. They shattered that mark, though, and over the last few days, the total amount of money raised has risen higher and higher. And today, people all over the nation have donated more than $85,000 (and counting!) to Omogbo’s cause.
Here is the message CSU included in the GoFundMe they set up:
CSU student-athlete Emmanuel Omogbo suffered the tragic loss of his parents and 2-year-old niece and nephew the morning of January 19th in a house fire in Maryland.
“This is absolutely heartbreaking for Emmanuel, his family and for all of us that know him,” Colorado State University coach Larry Eustachy said in a statement issued by the school. “There are no words to describe how it felt to hear this terrible news earlier today. They were a beautiful family that I enjoyed getting to know. The entire Colorado State men’s basketball team, athletic program and university will be there to support and help Emmanuel in any way we can through this incredibly tough time in his life.”
If you would like to support Emmanuel during this time, please consider making a donation. Funds collected will be used for funeral, medical, temporary housing, or related expenses. Funds raised in excess of the support needed for those expenses will be donated to a charitable cause, per NCAA bylaws.
This GoFundMe Campaign was created by Colorado State University Department of Athletics, and donations submitted through this page are compliant per NCAA bylaws.
If you’re interested in making a donation, go here. This is such a sad story, but fortunately, there is a lot of good coming out of it right now.
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[via The News & Observer]
