Radiant. Incredibly funny. A huge heart. Generous to a fault. When Alicia Chapman’s family speaks of her, adjectives tumble out, and tears fall.

Her sudden death on Dec. 20 devastated her friends, colleagues and family, including husband Blake Chapman, stepchildren Blakedaniel and Erin, and twin daughters Bella and Alaina, 10.

“She lights up the room – everyone gravitates to her,” said Chapman’s sister, Deanna Davis, a Spokane author, speaker and CEO of Applied Insight.

Davis struggles with referring to her sister in the past tense. Chapman fell ill the day after her 46th birthday.

“Her liver failed, and her other organs shut down,” Davis said. “She was flown to the University of Washington to be placed on the liver transplant list, but she died the following day.”

Though consumed with grief, her family immediately began discussing Chapman’s legacy.

“Philanthropy, volunteerism, community-building was at the fabric of who she was,” Davis said. “We learned that from our mom (Connie Holum), a nurse at Sacred Heart for 35 years.

“She was well-known for her generosity and compassion even as a single mom of four girls. She instilled in all of us that we were members of a community, not just individuals, and that we had a role to play in supporting the greater good.”

The Alicia Chapman Memorial Fund was quickly established. Davis said Chapman’s employer, Pacific Resources Benefits Consultants, embraced the memorial fund, providing ideas, volunteer support and significant matching funds. The company also established an annual award in her honor, and peers will nominate the recipient.

“The criteria are those who embody the qualities that made Alicia so special – energy, optimism, compassion. This year’s award was given to Blake, Bella, Alaina and I, along with a cash contribution to the fund and matching funds from the CEO,” Davis said.

Chapman’s daughters and their dad make all decisions about which charitable causes they wish to support. On April 1, they announced the first recipient – Crosswalk Teen Shelter. Crosswalk is the only licensed emergency shelter serving runaway and homeless youth in Eastern Washington.

The twins requested that the $2,500 donation be used to help feed the hungry youth that fill the shelter. They’re confident this is an organization their mom would want to support.

“She was always caring and wanting to help others – she went out of her way to help people,” Bella said. “Every day before I left for school, she said, ‘Learn lots and be kind.’ I miss that.”

Her sister agreed. “Whenever she entered a room, people would smile and would be so happy,” Alaina said. “I really miss her being around. She was so kind.”

The girls spoke of the many charitable projects they helped their mom with, whether it was donating their iPads to their elementary school or spearheading a pajama drive for foster youth. Chapman instilled in them the importance of giving back.

Their dad is proud his girls are continuing their mother’s legacy. “We’re dealing with her loss every minute of every day,” Blake Chapman said. “We ask ourselves what she would do.”

And he knows his wife would be happy they’ve chosen to give to Crosswalk. “This is the way she raised the girls,” he said. “She would be so pleased.”

The help couldn’t have come at a more opportune time. “Our need for food escalated overnight because of COVID,” said Fawn Schott, regional Volunteers of America CEO. Crosswalk serves breakfast, lunch and dinner 365 days a year and is one of several programs operated by VOA.

“So many of our meals were provided by volunteers who came in and prepared them – and then they couldn’t come in,” Schott said. “Our staff was pressed into preparing food, but they were needed on the front lines.

“They’re working 12- to 14-hour shifts. Our overtime budget for the month of April skyrocketed. It’s unprecedented, like nothing we’ve ever experienced.”

She said Beth McRae, owner of Berserk Bar, organized help from local restaurants, which took some of the food prep load from her staff, but the need continues to grow. The stay-home order has impacted vulnerable youth.

“Unstable homes, financial stress – we’re seeing young people we’ve never seen before in our shelter,” Schott said. And those kids are hungry. Schott grew emotional when she spoke of the gift from Chapman’s family.

“When young people give back to other young people, it means the world to our staff,” she said. “It shows the kids who show up here every day that they are loved. It energizes our exhausted staff. It’s a bright spot of hope.”

This first donation ensures Alicia Chapman’s legacy of generosity is continuing.

“She would want us to do something to help during this COVID crisis,” Alaina said. “She’d want people to help and be there for others.”