Chris Stapleton and his wife, Morgane, have donated to the family whose 7-month-old twins died in the floods that affected parts of Middle Tennessee last weekend, contributing $10,000 to a GoFundMe page that was set up to help the family. Matthew Rigney and his partner, Danielle Hall, lost their twins, Ryan and Raleigh, in the floods after the babies were swept out of their father’s arms.
The GoFundMe has raised over $107,000 as of Friday, Aug. 27, and one of the top donations is from Morgane Stapleton for the amount of $10,000. The GoFundMe was started by Hall’s cousin Charity Hooks, who wrote that funds raised will be used to cover funeral expenses for the twins and housing for the family, who lost their home in the floods.
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Rigney and Hall told WSMV that they heard their transformer blowing just before 6 a.m. on Saturday, and after they woke up, water started making its way into their home in Waverly, Tennessee. Hall left to look for help but was swept up and clung onto a tree, where she remained for six hours. Rigney was trapped with his four children in one of the home’s bedrooms, including the twins and his five and one-year-old daughters.
“I had her [Maleah] on my neck. I had my one-year-old right here on my hip, and I had my twins like this, kind of grasping onto my one-year-old,” he recalled. “And when the water hit and the room filled up, that’s when I lost them. I lost all of them.” He continued, “[Maleah] swam up like a big girl, and I grab her. I see Brayla across the room, and she’s flapping her arms. I couldn’t find the twins nowhere… It was the worst experience I’ve ever had.”
A neighbor climbed onto the roof and helped Rigney pull his two daugthers to safety, and the twins’ bodies were later recovered by authorities. “That was the best news we got when we found out they were found together,” Rigney said. “They never left each other’s side.”
On Aug. 23, Hooks shared an update on the GoFundMe page, writing that “the donations we have received just makes us cry with joy.” “It is very overwhelming how many people are willing to donate to help. We are so grateful for everyone, and everyone has been so supportive, and Danielle has called you all angels,” she wrote. “After the burial we will be looking at a vehicle for this family, then a residence for them to be at until their town gets back in order. Your donations have been such a blessing to this family. thank you from the bottom of our hearts.”
