At this point, I’m running out of good things to say about Chris Stapleton.
He’s been on the ground in his home state of Kentucky for a few days now, pitching in to help wherever he can to help local law enforcement, and even stopping by the local Walmart to buy supplies for the flood victims.
Late last week and earlier this week, eastern Kentucky was hammered with rain, resulting in catastrophic flooding that’s left at more than 30 people dead, and hundreds more that have not been found. The damage has been completely devastating.
He’s truly a class act in every sense of the term, stepping up to help the people in his home state when they need it the most:
And during that trip to Walmart, Chris met a sweet little girl named Etta and absolutely made her day.
Etta’s mom, Courtney Crider, shared a post on TikTok of the meeting, and told WKYT that Etta has autism, and there are times when the only thing that will calm her down when she’s overstimulated is listening to Chris’ music.
She took Etta to meet Chris when she realized he was at the Prestonsburg Walmart while she was there buying diapers, and at first, little Etta was just excited about his beard:
“So at first, Etta was really all about his beard and his face, because she is a sensory seeker.
But, after I told her that it was him, again, it was like it clicked and she got superstar struck. She was giddy and laughing.”
Of course, Courtney was melted by the interaction, and says it meant the world to her and her daughter to get to meet one of their favorite artists who’s so special to them:
“It was so so special.
Etta has a handful of things she really loves: her family and Chris Stapleton are both on the list.”
Damn, I need a tissue now…
You can check out the TikTok Courtney shared about the meeting, and it is seriously the sweetest thing I’ve seen in a long time.
I almost lost it when I saw the photo of Etta touching his beard:
“Our daughter with multiple special needs loves Chris Stapleton (his voice calms her).
Today he was in our local Walmart helping flood victims from Eastern KY. God put them together for a sweet visit.
Thank you Chris for helping our community and meeting sweet Etta.”
@courtney_crider12 What a happy day #foryoupage #chrisstapleton #easternkentucky #606 #flood #disabilityawareness
She added in an interview with Mountain Top News that one of the first things Etta did when she saw him was give him a kiss.
Courtney added that it didn’t phase Chris one little bit, and that he was super sweet about it, telling Etta, “Yes, baby, that’s my beard!”
I can’t get over this story, and it’s great to know that, even though Chris makes absolutely incredible music, he’s an even better person… what a testament to the power of good music and good people.
Some of Etta’s favorite Chris Stapleton songs are “Fire Away,” “Parachute,” “Traveller,” and “Starting Over,” so it’s safe to say that she has great taste in country music.
Here’s a little more on the story, and it’s a really, really great one amongst all the tragedy that’s well-worth your time to check out:
And not only is Chris showing up to help his fellow Kentuckians in the flesh, his charity Outlaw State Of Kind has also pledged to donate funds to the Kentucky Red Cross, as well as the Appalachia Crisis Fund.