IDAHO — It has been three years since four University of Idaho students – Ethan Chapin, Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves and Xana Kernodle – were killed inside their off-campus home in Moscow. In the years since, each family has created ways to honor their loved ones. For Ethan’s family, that work continues through the Ethan’s Smile Foundation, which aims to turn heartbreak into opportunity for students.
“Yeah, he was an amazing kid,” Ethan’s mother, Stacy Chapin, said. “I mean, he's easy to talk about and, you know, remember and bring his memory along with us.”
WATCH: How Stacy Chapin is preserving Ethan Chapin’s legacy through the Ethan’s Smile Foundation
Chapin said honoring her son meant building something lasting – something that reflects who Ethan was. Within a year of the tragedy, the family established Ethan’s Smile, a nonprofit that provides scholarships for students in their hometown of Skagit County, Washington.
Chapin family walks into the Ada County Courthouse for a plea hearing on July 2, 2025
“You know, we were driving in the car one day and Jim was like, ‘We need to scholarship kids in Skagit County,’” she said. “It was important for us to provide an education to our kids if they wanted it, at least so that they could stand on their own two feet one day is kind of what we always say. And it just became a real obvious thing to do, to turn around and do the same thing for other kids in Ethan's name.”
To date, the Ethan’s Smile Foundation has awarded $105,000 in scholarships to 83 students – many headed to college, trade programs, or even beauty and real estate schools. Each year on Nov. 13, instead of mourning privately, the Chapin family hosts a black-tie fundraiser called “Hoops, Hops and High Tops,” raising tens of thousands of dollars to support the mission.
“This scholarship auction has become an incredible thing,” Chapin said. “And also a great place to put our time and energy this week... we all look forward to it. It's really fun.”
The family also sells tulip bulbs, yellow and white blooms shipped across the country, a community effort that Chapin says symbolizes choosing to move forward.
“I had somebody just text me the other day that was like, ‘You’re doing great things,’” she said. “And I'm like, but I don't have an option. Maisie and Hunter deserve the same mom and dad that they've had also. And that motivates us, that motivates everything we do. You know, I cannot let this thing ruin my family. I mean, it took one – it can't take any more.”
The Chapin family now raises more than $50,000 a year through their events and merchandise, and Chapin said each scholarship is a reminder that Ethan’s joy, and his smile, live on in others.
“You actually have a choice when faced with the worst-case scenario or any scenario in your life,” she said. “You could crawl in and just call it a day, but that wouldn't get us anywhere. Or we just decided to take what we've been dealt and move forward.”
Other victims’ families have also built legacies in their honor: the Kaylee’s Kindness Foundation, the Xana Kernodle Scholarship and the Live Like Maddie Foundation– each turning grief into support for others.
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The Chapin family says they plan to continue offering Ethan’s Smile scholarships for years to come, helping students across Skagit Valley and beyond “stand on their own two feet.”
To contribute, visit their website.
