Kendra Duggar’s parents are making headlines after launching a GoFundMe page.
“My family is facing a difficult and urgent situation. We are in need to cover displacement expenses,” Duggar’s father, Paul Caldwell, stated in the crowdfunding initiative. “We will not be using these funds for [our] legal expenses.”
On Monday, April 6, Caldwell first expressed gratitude for various individuals who contributed to the GoFundMe.
“Thank you so much everyone,” he wrote in an update. “The response has been overwhelming. We truly appreciate your generosity and prayers and thoughts.”
While the page was briefly taken down, Caldwell’s GoFundMe page reappeared on Tuesday, April 7, with another update from the organizer.
“My name [is] Paul Caldwell [and I] am overseeing the transfer of the funds to our family’s account,” he shared. “I am the father of the family receiving the money. The displacement fees will be for moving expenses, housing costs such as rent until we can find a place to stay more permanently.”
As of press time, more than $16,000 had been raised, with the family hoping to reach their goal of $24,000.
The GoFundMe page comes weeks after both Kendra and her husband, Joseph Duggar, were arrested for separate crimes.
Us Weekly confirmed on March 18 that Joseph was arrested in Arkansas amid accusations of abuse from a 14-year-old girl who was 9 years old at the time.
He has pleaded not guilty to all charges, including lewd and lascivious behavior involving molestation of a victim less than 12 years old and lewd and lascivious behavior conducted by a person 18 years or older.
Joseph was released from a Florida jail on March 31 after posting $600,000 bail. Kendra reportedly put her family’s home up for rent and sold personal items to secure funds to pay for Joseph’s bond.
In addition to the molestation case, Joseph and Kendra were both charged with four counts of endangering the welfare of a minor and four counts of false imprisonment. These charges are unrelated to the molestation allegations.
While Joseph and his parents, Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar, spent many years in the spotlight with their TLC reality show 19 Kids and Counting, Kendra was raised by parents Paul and Christina Caldwell in Virginia before they relocated to Fayetteville, Arkansas, in 2008.
Similar to her husband’s family, Kendra’s upbringing was rooted in faith, with Paul serving as a pastor at Lighthouse Baptist Church, where the Duggars attended.
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673). If you or someone you know is experiencing child abuse, call or text Child Help Hotline at 1-800-422-4453.
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