The mother of Ethan Chapin, a University of Idaho student who was murdered last year, has created a new foundation in her son’s memory that intends to help her local community.
Chapin, 20, was stabbed to death in the early morning hours of Nov. 13 in a home near the University of Idaho campus alongside three other students — including his girlfriend, 20-year-old Xana Kerndodle, and her roommates, 21-year-old Madison Mogen and 21-year-old Kaylee Goncalves.
In a video on Facebook, Chapin's mother, Stacy Wells Chapin, said the loss of her son is "definitely challenging" but that she found a way to turn the love and support her family has received into an opportunity to help others.
She and her husband, Jim Chapin, partnered with Tulip Valley Farms in Mt. Vernon, Washington to sell bulbs, tulips, and t-shirts and to form Ethan's Smile, a foundation that will help her local community as well as the University of Idaho. The school is located in Moscow, Idaho.
"What a better way to honor Ethan than to create a foundation that allows other kiddos to follow their dreams," she captioned the video.
And, it has "grown exponentially," she said, as the family has "literally heard from people around the world."
"Bulb selling became fresh-cut tulips. It became a t-shirt and as a result of this, Jim and I have created a foundation with a goal of offering scholarships here and there in Skagit Valley. We will take a portion of the proceeds of everything sold here to put forth toward our new foundation called Ethan’s Smile," she said in the video posted Tuesday afternoon.
In the video, she also thanked people for their continued love and support for her family.
Tulip Valley Farms is selling Ethan Smile’s tulips — yellow and white — and other items including stickers, t-shirts, sweaters, hoodies, and a calendar. Proceeds from purchases go toward a scholarship and the University of Idaho, she said. "It’s amazing how many lives this could touch," she enthusiastically added.
"It is a wonderful way to honor Ethan. He was an amazing kid," Stacy shared. "Let’s all be honest, life without him is tricky."
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But, she said the family has "noticed that people heal when they are around us."
Stay also explained she and Jim volunteer their time helping at the tulip fields and said they would be glad to meet with any customers who visit the area.
"So with that, we hope that if you are here during the month of April, you’ll swing by and say hello. We’d love to see you at Tulip Valley Farms," Chapin said.
Tulip Valley CEO Andrew Miller described Ethan in a statement on the Tulip Valley Farms website as a "dear friend and former team member" and said the loss of the four University of Idaho students left the entire community "devastated and individuals searching for a way to help."
"I will remember Ethan standing in the tulip fields with a big smile, surrounded by people that know and love him," Miller said.
The CEO explained naming a tulip after Ethan directly was "actually really bureaucratic and involves a lot of international organizations" but that their solution was even more "meaningful to Ethan and his family, as well as the University of Idaho."
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Instead, the company named the yellow and white tulip bulb mix "Ethan’s Smile" as "tulips are iconic for Skagit Valley and a smile is iconic for Ethan," he explained.
He added: "What we came up with is even better, I think."
Stacy Wells Chapin has shared several posts about how the family was recovering in the aftermath of the Moscow murders and how her other two children, Maizie Chapin and Hunter Chapin, who attend the same school as their late brother Ethan, were coping.
"We were recently told to look for a victory every day – even if it is the tiniest little victory. It is admittedly challenging some days, but excellent advice," Stacy wrote in a post in Jan.
Referencing her other children, who have since returned to attend the University of Idaho, she added: "We’re grateful they have each other at school, fraternity and sorority friends, and other amazing support systems. … They are each processing this new normal in their own way, and that’s okay. Our job as parents is to be there and provide tools and resources as needed."
"Yesterday, we successfully dropped them off back at the University of Idaho. Hunter was very glad to be back at the fraternity, and Maizie was warming up to the idea, but it was so good to hear all of the girls squeal with delight upon seeing her. It did this momma’s heart good to hear it!!" Stacy said in another post.
She added: "Maizie and Hunter are rockstars, and we couldn’t be more proud of them."
A notice on the Tulip Valley Farms website says all profits from the Ethan’s Smile mix will go to Ethan Chapin's family and the community.
Fox News' Audrey Conklin contributed to this report.
