GoFundMe campaigns support families of plane crash victims

A GoFundMe campaign has been established to help the extended Zhou family cope with the loss of competitive figure skater Edward Zhou, age 16, and his parents Kaiyan Mao and Yu “Joe” Zhou of Annandale.

The three family members were returning from an ice-skating program in Wichita, Kan., on American Airlines flight 5342 when it collided with a military helicopter at Reagan National Airport on Jan. 29. There were no survivors.

“The immediate Zhou family was lost in an instant and the extended family, including Eddie’s aging grandparents, are now inconsolable. They are grappling with the unthinkable loss of their grandson, beloved daughter, and son-in-law,” says Brian McMurry a neighbor and friend of the family, who launched the GoFundMe page.

Eddie was a student at Woodson High School, where “he had a gift for learning Spanish and a reputation at school as a respectful and beloved classmate and friend,” McMurry says.

Eddie was his son’s training partner in 2017 when the boys were both 9 years old and just getting started in competitive figure skating.

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“I spent countless hours with Kaiyan and Joe watching our boys skate together from rink side,” McMurry recalls. “Eddie’s gifts were easy to see and, in the years that followed, Eddie kept working and training, growing and refining his skills. I’m certain that he was on the cusp of achieving his dream of joining the U.S. National Team and skating in the Olympics.”

The GoFundMe campaign will support the extended Zhou family with essential expenses. The family hopes to establish a memorial scholarship in Eddie’s honor. “Every donation we receive will offer comfort and relief to the Zhou family,” McMurry says.

Another GoFundMe campaign has been set up to assist Emily Haynos, the only surviving member of her family. Her brother, competitive ice skater Cory Haynos, age 16, and her parents, Stephanie and Roger, were also on the fateful Jan. 29 flight from Wichita.

Emily, age 19, is a college sophomore studying nursing. The fundraising campaign will enable her to finish school and cover other immediate and unforeseen living expenses.

The GoFundMe campaign was launched by Olga Garrity of Annandale who coached Emily in ice skating for many years and was also one of Cory’s first coaches. Both Emily and Cory were active in the Virginia Ice Theatre.