Mother Establishes Charity to Honor Son’s Memory

A year after the passing of her 17-year-old son, Crystal Owen is initiating a charitable organization in his honor, aiming to perpetuate his remembrance. Harvey, a resident of Shrewsbury, was a devoted guitarist who tragically passed away in a vehicle collision near Garreg, Gwynedd, along with three companions. This charitable initiative, named Shine On With Harvey Owen, draws its inspiration from his musical enthusiasm and plans to collect donations for other organizations supporting music and arts for underprivileged youth. Mrs Owen stated, “Harvey’s always been creative. He loved art, he loved poetry, he loved all that sort of thing.” Although Harvey commenced guitar lessons at a younger age, his true affection for the instrument developed in the year preceding his death. She added, “He was just forever trying to improve, and it just gave him so much confidence, so I just want to be able to help others.” Mrs Owen further explained, “Harvey always helped others and always had a soft spot for anybody he ever felt was struggling, so I thought this would sum him up perfectly in terms of helping his memory live on.” Subsequent to the incident, a JustGiving fundraising page was established for the affected families. This platform provided the Owen family with over £10,000, which will be used to initiate the charity. She mentioned, “We’re going to keep building funds this year, finally get round to doing some charity events in December.” She continued, “Next year we’re looking at putting the money out there, so that young people can start to access it.” “We’re still in the process of officially setting it up, the bookkeeper is working on that, but it should be in the next couple of weeks,” she stated. Mrs Owen, whose professional background includes youth services, expressed her understanding of the crucial importance of financial support for music and arts. She elaborated, “We used many local charities like the Hive in our youth work sessions and they are absolutely crucial for young people to be able to bring them out of themselves and give them confidence. “Especially for young people that can’t necessarily afford it, to be able to give them that opportunity of free lessons it can literally be life changing.” Every aspect of the charity, including its name “Shine On,” draws inspiration from her son. She remarked that her son was “such a lovely young man, and we just felt like his memory will live on and it will shine on.” Ultimately, Mrs Owen intends to establish a “Shine On” award, to be presented by organizations to young individuals demonstrating exceptional talent. “It would just be lovely to see things going forward like music projects and young people getting their lessons and improving on instruments,” she commented, “knowing that Harvey’s legacy is helping that to happen.” For updates from BBC Shropshire, follow on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X, and Instagram. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC bears no responsibility for material found on external websites. Information regarding our policy on external links is available.