Honoring the King Road victims, how vandals find ways to heal 

Community members and students have banded together to honor the four students lost in November by raising funds for a variety of scholarships and memorials. 

Many of the fundraisers aim to give hope to future students at the University of Idaho and to the four students’ communities.  

Ethan’s Smile and Forever Sisters 

Ethan’s Smile is a partnership between Ethan Chapin’s family and Andrew Miller, the owner of Tulip Valley Farms, in Mt. Vernon, Washington. They sell tulip bulb mixes to raise funds for a scholarship. 

The Ethan’s Smile Foundation offers a scholarship to a student from Conway, Washington, to attend UI for four years.  

Chapin used to work at Tulip Valley Farms. 

“As a strong kid with a big heart, Ethan was the kind of guy who would do the hardest jobs and never complain. Usually, with a smile on his face,” Miller wrote.  

Tulip Valley Farms will also sell the Forever Sisters tulip bulb mix to honor Xana Kernodle, Madison Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves. 

The funds from the sales of the mix will help plant a Forever Sisters Garden at UI.  

The Ethan Smiles bulb mix is being sold for $25 for 25 bulbs in UI’s school colors. Online purchasing can be found here.  

The Forever Sisters mix are being sold for $25 for a set of 25 bulbs. Those can be found here. 

Hoop for the Valley 

Founder and creator of PNW Rain, Tyler Amaya, established Hoop for the Valley in honor of Ethan Chapin.  

Amaya was Chapin’s basketball coach since he was in the fouth grade. With the support of Chapin’s family, Amaya’s goal is to share Chapin’s love for basketball, especially with disadvantaged kids. 

According to the website, Chapin’s family provided funds to help start Hoop for the Valley. 

The program’s goal is to foster a sense of community and provide opportunities for children at no cost. 

Donation options can be found here.  

Scholarships 

The four students’ families and organizations have created scholarship funds in their memory.  

• Sigma Chi set up a scholarship in memory of Ethan Chapin, as he was a member of the fraternity. Though they have reached their goal of $125,000, Sigma Chi is still accepting donations. 

The scholarship will go to a member of the Gamma Eta chapter of the house.  

• Xana Kernodle’s family created a scholarship endowment and have promised to match up to $10,000. Donations can be made here. 
• Vandal Supporting Vandals fund is an endowed scholarship that was created by alumni Gene Taft, Bob Urso and Gail Urso. The fund raises money that will be split evenly into four portions for the four students’ scholarship endowments.  

A list of scholarships and where to donate can be found here.  

Vandal Strong Bracelets 

In February, Vandal Solutions sold Vandal Strong Bracelets, with the names of the four students who passed away. 

This project felt especially significant to the group because Xana Kernodle was previously a member of Vandal Solutions. 

Although the buying period has ended, the Vandal Healing Garden and Memorial received more than $22,000 from this student-led project, according to Dean of Students Blaine Eckles. 

Vandal Healing Garden and Memorial 

The Vandal Healing Garden and Memorial will honor Xana Kernodle, Ethan Chapin, Madison Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves, along with other vandals who have passed away over the year. 

“We’ve lost several students, not just the four in November, and that’s where the idea for the healing garden and memorial came out,” Eckles said.   

UI shared a call for inspiration to receive feedback or ideas from students for the garden. A committee has also been formed to oversee the design of the project with student members. 

Students from the landscape design program in the College of Art and Architecture will lead the charge, according to Eckles.   

“We’re really trying to create a space where this is a community-based project, and we’re really bringing the community together to submit design ideas that will in and of themselves be healing for them, as well as for others,” Eckles said.   

There have been multiple sources for funding for the garden. Recently there was a benefit concert hosted by students from the Lionel Hampton School of Music. 

The Vandal Giving Day in April gave over $54,274 to the garden. 

Individuals can donate to the garden fund here.  

Daniel V. Ramirez can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @DVR_Tweets