Granger Smith and his wife Amber are celebrating their late son River‘s life by giving back to those in need. 

On Tuesday, just over two weeks after the 3-year-old tragically died in a drowning accident at home, Granger, 39 and Amber, 37, presented a check for $218,791 to Dell Children’s Medical Center, where River received medical attention before his death. 

“This is just the beginning,” Granger said in the courtyard at the medical center, CBS Austin reported.

“Let this be a small token of the gratitude that we’ve got for you guys,” he continued, CBS Austin reported.

Amber also spoke of the impact the hospital had on their family saying, “I pray that nobody else ever has to go through what we’ve gone through, but if they do, I hope they come here because y’all were incredible.”

For the appearance, Granger and Amber wore red River tribute t-shirts.

The shirts were sold online as a part of a fundraiser Granger and his team launched to donate funds to Dell.

“This shirt has a Yee Yee Excavator on it (Riv’s favorite thing to do was watch excavators scoop up dirt) and is red – Riv’s favorite color,” the description reads.

Just last week, Granger and Amber revealed over $100,000 had been raised.

In addition to the donation, Granger and Amber explained in a YouTube video last week that they “made the decision to say our last goodbyes and donate his organs so that other children will be given a second chance at life.”

The presentation of the check comes after Granger stepped on the Country LakeShake stage in Chicago on Sunday.

During a weekend that included performances from the likes of country powerhouses such as Miranda Lambert, Keith Urban and Luke Bryan, it was Granger’s set that fans were equally anticipating throughout the run of the three-day festival.

Showcasing a forearm with the new tattoo “River,” Granger hit the stage smiling, tearing into “Blue Collar Dollars” while hitting his heart and mouthing the words, “Thank you,” during every lyrical break.

Granger’s rep confirmed to PEOPLE on June 6 that River’s tragic death was due to a drowning accident at home. That same day, the country singer shared the “unthinkable” news on Twitter and Instagram, revealing “despite doctor’s best efforts, he was unable to be revived.”

River was laid to rest on June 11.

Before Granger hit the stage on Sunday, Amber shared a loving message to River on Instagram after their family visited a museum in Chicago.

“Getting back on the road and back into daily life without River has not been easy in the slightest,” she said.

“Every single thing reminds me of him, and all I can think about is how he would love exploring and seeing all that we are seeing. I see his name everywhere, I see little red-headed toddlers everywhere. I miss his silly personality and his bright light,” Amber continued. “I see his face in our other kiddos. I have this pit in my stomach constantly because I’m trying to make life as normal as possible for our other 2 incredible kiddos, London and Lincoln, while hurting so bad inside.”

During the emotional YouTube video shared last week, Granger shared his final moment with River, explaining that on that day, he was outside doing gymnastics with his 7-year-old daughter London as his sons River and Lincoln Monarch, 5, were playing water gun fight.

In that very moment, Granger said he thought to himself, “Soak up this moment because it’s not going to last.”

Within “30 seconds to 3 minutes,” Granger and Amber found themselves “inside of our pool gate doing CPR on our son.”

River would be rushed to hospital but doctors were not able to revive him and he died two days later.

As Granger and Amber continue to come to terms with River’s sudden death, they are doing their best to find the “good” in the situation.

Granger explained he believes “God gave River to us for three years and that was his mission.”

“I don’t think God takes anyone too soon. I believe he was put on this earth for that exact amount of time,” he said.

Source: Read Full Article