LA CONNER, Wash – It’s been almost two years since four University of Idaho students were killed in their off-campus home.
The deaths of Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin have touched people worldwide. The accused suspect, Bryan Kohberger, is currently in an Ada County Jail awaiting a trial set for June of 2024.
In memory of Ethan Chapin, his parents, Jim and Stacy Chapin, started Ethan’s Smile Foundation to raise money for scholarships.
“The success of the foundation I did not expect to be honest with you. We have raised a tremendous amount of money. It’s pretty incredible to be honest and that’s one of the reasons why we decided to do it again,” said Stacy Chapin.
The foundation aims to provide students with opportunities similar to those given to Ethan.
“It’s literally set up just to help kids out and give them the same opportunity that we gave our kids,” Chapin added.
This year, 33 students benefited from these scholarships.
“It feels good. It feels good to be able to help other kids,” Chapin said.
In total, the foundation awarded $50,000 to students heading to college, all in Ethan’s memory.
“Some kid, ten years from now, is going to be able to say ‘I went to college on an Ethan’s Smile Scholarship,’ and that’s a pretty incredible story,” Chapin stated.
The funds were raised through a meaningful initiative.
“The tulips were set up by a young man named Reece Garner, who happened to have worked with Ethan out in the tulip field,” Chapin explained.
After the murders, Garner proposed a special tribute.
“We need to plant tulips in Ethan’s memory. And then they just became a symbol I think for people to have to grow in the springtime in honor of Ethan and it’s really become something that’s incredible,” Chapin recalled.
These tulips have been planted by people from all over, including Governor Brad Little in the Capitol’s garden and even Stacy Chapin’s neighbor. “So I stopped her one day, and I was like ‘are those Ethan’s Smile Tulips?’ And she was like ‘yeah, oh my gosh, we’ve supported this foundation,’ and I eventually had to tell her that I was Ethan’s mom and that we liked walking by her flower garden every day because it was full of his tulips,” Chapin shared.
Stacy Chapin feels immense gratitude for the support received.
“I feel gratitude and appreciation for every single person who supports our foundation. It’s been nothing but incredible for our family,” Chapin said.
For more information on how to support ‘Ethan’s Smile’ and purchase tulips, visit this link.
