GoFundMe Page Raises Over $25,000 for Homeless Los Angeles Musician
Written by SOURCE on October 1, 2019
According to the Los Angles Times, California has more homeless people than any state in the country. More often than not, people in this situation are subjected to homelessness because of unforeseen circumstances. This led the public to rally behind one musician in L.A. to help her get back on her feet.
Last week, the Los Angeles Police Department sent out a tweet featuring a woman singing opera in a train station. “4 million people call LA home. 4 million stories. 4 million voices…sometimes you just have to stop and listen to one, to hear something beautiful,” the tweet reads.
Her rendition of Giacomo Puccini’s “O Mio Babbino Caro” was so angelic that the tweet went viral. That prompted viewers to go on a quest to find her identity.
Yahoo News confirmed that the woman in the video was 52-year-old Emily Zamourka. She reportedly moved to America from Russia 28 years ago. She’s a trained pianist and violinist who taught lessons before suffering a serious health condition. Zamourka worked several jobs to make ends meet. But once her instruments were stolen, medical bills started to pile up, forcing her into homelessness.
“I am sleeping actually on the cardboard right now, in the parking lot,” she told the local ABC affiliate. “I am sleeping where I can sleep…I have people that feel sorry for me, but I don’t want to be a burden to anybody.”
After hearing Zamourka’s story, a person identified as David Tweet organized a GoFundMe page where he collected donations for the woman. Per the description, “Emily could be anyone of us she didn’t become homeless because of her vises, she has none, she was the victim of a crime and an assault that stole her livelihood but not her heart and mind.”
Currently, the page has amassed $26,000 from 690 donors in two days. The organizer his hoping to generate $75,000 to help Zamourka return to her life and music.
“I will be so grateful to anyone who is trying to help me to get off the streets, and to have my own place, to have my instrument,” she said.
