That Luke Evans, you know?
Kid’s a bruiser, hitting all his marks and digging into every meal with gusto. Kid’s a charmer, too, with a winning smile that guarantees ownership of every room he’s in.
Luke’s dad, Zach Evans, automatically smiles, too, whenever he talks about his 5-month-old son.
“He’s a good baby, I can tell you that,” he’ll say.
“He rolls over and holds his head up. He smiles and laughs all the time. He’s as sweet as his mom ever was.”
When he says, “Ever was,” the proud dad’s smile flickers for the briefest of seconds.
That’s because Adrianna Chico Evans, his wife and Luke’s mom, isn’t here on Earth to experience the joy.
She died of complications from COVID-19 last October, three weeks after Luke was delivered by emergency Caesarian section.
“Adrianna fought and fought,” her husband said.
“She didn’t give up — she gave out. She never stopped believing. That’s why we’re doing this.”
“This” is the Adrianna Chico Evans Family Fund at St. Francis Central Catholic School, where his wife taught third grade, fulfilling her lifelong dream to be an educator.
The fund rewards teacher excellence, and the inaugural award will be given May 25 in a special ceremony at the school.
St. Francis parents and teachers are busily submitting nominations right now, and while that first award will go to an educator there, Adrianna’s dad, Bob Chico, has big goals.
“We want to eventually branch out,” he said.
“We want to do all Catholic schools in West Virginia. We want to do every school in West Virginia. And we want to go outside of West Virginia to surrounding states. We want everybody to learn and benefit from my daughter’s legacy.”
Adrianna, forever
The inaugural offering is a $2,500 cash award, which the winner may use as he or she pleases, Principal Artie Moore said.
“Hey, take your family on vacation,” the principal said. “And know that your name will be on a plaque that’s going to be on our wall forever. You’re going to be associated with Adrianna’s name and legacy, forever.”
Those initial dollars came from a GoFundMe account set up by friends after word got out that Adrianna was critically ill — with a newborn who also needed medical attention, and prayers, in abundance.
Zach Evans, though, didn’t want to take anyone’s money. He was adamant about that. Still, people were persistent in their generosity.
So, he and his father-in-law started talking. And the family fund was born. Visit https://stfrancismorgantown.com for more insights.
Donations to the fund may be made to: The United Federal Credit Union, 3 Sunset Beach Road, Morgantown, WV 26508-9909; to the attention of ACE Fund, Vicky Metts, CEO.
“Every contribution stays directly in that fund,” Chico said.
Adrianna’s heart, meanwhile, is intertwined with the official logo for the fund. Her mom, Linda Chico, designed it.
“Every visual element has something to do with our daughter as a teacher,” Bob Chico said.
Terri Oyenik, a graphic artist at Signs Plus on Green Bag Road and a friend of the family, also helped with the final rendering.
There’s the Tree of Knowledge, with branches reaching out and roots dug deep in the mission. Of course, an apple is going to be in there, he said, along with Adrianna’s very words: “You believed in me … so I can believe in them.”
Adrianna adorned her mortarboard with that personal credo for the WVU graduation ceremony where she got her education degree.
“She meant every word of that,” Moore, her boss at St. Francis said. “She truly believed in our kids.”
Light and love
Kate Covich nodded and smiled in agreement.
Covich is a St. Francis parent and a St. Francis substitute teacher, who still thinks about her friend daily, especially when she’s logging time in her former classroom.
“I can still see Adrianna in the hallway,” she said.
“She was a presence. She was light and love, and whoo-boy, you’re gonna make me cry.”
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