COEUR D'ALENE, Idaho — A local boutique in Coeur d'Alene is stepping in to help continue Maddie Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves' legacies.
Those were two of the four University of Idaho students killed a year and a half ago.
A mom and daughter from North Idaho started the foundation Made with Kindness, a scholarship fund in honor of Kaylee and Maddie.
They're hosting a gala this weekend, and that's where Marmalade Boutique in downtown Coeur d'Alene comes in.
They're styling the foundation's founders and Kaylee and Maddie's moms for the event.
Kaitlyn Widmyer is a pro at picking the perfect gown.
It's typically a tough job, but particularly hard this week.
"It's been tears all week," Widmyer said.
That's because Kaitlyn is picking dresses for Kaylee Goncalves and Maddie Mogen's moms.
"They're here to spread the legacy of Madison Mogen and Kaylee Gonsalves, to raise some scholarships and really just start that force of healing for this community from the Idaho four tragedy," Wildmyer said. "... I knew Maddie pretty well. She was so focused, and she was so amazing at just everything that she did."
Kaitlyn became a mentor for Maddie while she worked in Coeur d'Alene.
"No one ever told me what to, you know, to ask for what I'm worth, and it's that learning curve, becoming a professional woman," Widmyer said. "I gave her a call, and I said, 'Girl, you're an incredible worker.' You're an incredible employee. We value you so much."
That message apparently stuck with Maddie.
"At her funeral, we had heard a story from Kaylee Gonsalves' sisters talking about how Maddie was so inspiring because she taught them how to negotiate for a salary," Widmyer said.
Now, Kaitlyn wants that legacy to spread even further.
"I remember sitting there, and I remember these girls, [their] legacies have to be echoed," Widmyer said.
Which is exactly the plan for this weekend. The Made with Kindness Foundation Gala is sold out.
"[They're] using this as a force of good and starting to bring some positive impact to the community where these girls were born is going to really start, you know, remembering their legacy for the kindness and the empowerment that they lived with," Widmyer said.
That kindness doesn't even have to be big.
It can even come in the form of the perfect gown.
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