Blue clouds hung above the heads of attendees, hanging above the tables of the room. 

On the tables sat perfectly constructed cheesecakes, bread baskets, and plates of salad. 

Projectors played videos of the boy who inspired it all. 

Guests moved between tables holding signed football jerseys and basketballs, hoping to get them auctioned off. 

Even with a room full of solemnity and tears present, the evening felt like a celebration, one full of life and a mission. 

The Live Like Knox Foundation held their inaugural dinner on April 11 at the Renaissance Hotel, where they recognized 21 graduating seniors with scholarships for values of courage, kindness and service.

“The foundation dinner itself was kind of our big coming out party to explain what our foundation is all about,” said Kimberly Dydalewicz, co-founder and Knox’s mother. “However, we wanted to use it as a way to do something special for these kiddos that were nominated for just being good kids that have the same characteristics that our little boy embodied in his little life.”

The foundation received over 60 applications from teachers, art, athletic and band directors who nominated their students. The board of the foundation went through the applications by keeping a point system on a scale of one to ten. Ten being for a student who is involved in the community, has a servant’s heart and embodies good character. This helped the board determine which students should receive the available scholarships. 

“We all went through [the applications] separately and confidentially,” Dydalewicz said. “When we were all done, we just totaled up the numbers and the top 21 applicants that had the highest numbers were the recipients.”

Afterwards, the Dydalewicz family believed it was important for them to notify the award winner and their family members personally on a phone call, while notifying their school administration of the student’s award and what it symbolized. The family also sent each awardee a congratulatory packet that contained a letter with Live Like Knox merchandise. 

One of those students was Audra Shioya, ‘25.

“It must’ve been the week of spring break,” Shioya said. “Just out of the blue my mom got a call like, ‘This is Kim Dydalewicz, Knox’s mom. We have some good news for you.’ And they said ‘Congrats! You got the scholarship!’ Honestly, it was shocking.”

Shioya was nominated for the scholarship by one of her volunteer coordinators from a volunteer group she had been in since sixth grade.

“She knew me really well and I told her it’s just a letter of recommendation she had to fill out,” Shioya said. 

The foundation chose Shioya as a recipient due to her involvement with Lion’s Heart, a teen volunteer platform, in the community. 

“Her letter really stuck out,” Dydalewicz said. “Her book drive that she put together and the words written about her just showed us how sweet of a person she is and that her involvement with the community and helping others was really special.”

Another scholarship recipient was Liam Gunningham, ‘25, who received the Spirit of Courage and Kindness Scholarship, as the foundation was moved by the letters received after the fatal stabbing of Austin Metcalf, a Memorial High student, where Gunningham was the first person who tried to help during the situation. The letters expressed his kindness, love for what he does, and his willingness to jump in and help others.

“My counselor brought me in and said that if I wanted to go I could, but wasn’t obligated to,” Gunningham said. “They contacted my mom too and we just said that we would go, but I didn’t know what to expect really. I didn’t know what the dollar amount was at all or what I was getting into in the first place.”

The 21 recipients each received a $7,500 scholarship for their moral characteristics. One by one, they were called to the stage to receive their check.

“Going up on that stage is almost like imposter syndrome,” Shioya said. “It’s like you’re standing there and you’re listening to all these people and they have incredible accomplishments. There’s kind of like this feeling of like ‘I shouldn’t be here.’ almost, but I was.”

Shioya remembers being nervous when standing in the line before going up to the stage. 

“Honestly, once they called my name I blacked out,” Shioya said. “Like I vaguely remember getting the little crystal trophy and big check.”

For Gunningham, receiving the check and trophy was a different experience. 

“I guess once I got on stage, I wasn’t necessarily thinking about what I did, but what I couldn’t do that day,” Gunningham said. “But it was still a healing experience because to see that people were there to support what I did and not how the kid didn’t live. I was very grateful for what they gave to me.”

The dinner also included two keynote speakers, Katie Woods, who is the author of “A Simple Seed” gratitude journal, and Herman “Herm” Edwards, who is a former NFL and college head coach, and a current ESPN football analyst. 

The foundation’s board decided to invite Woods because Dydalewicz and Knox worked on her gratitude journal a few weeks before Knox passed. 

“Her book, Knox’s legacy, and our foundation’s mission go hand in hand,” Dydalewicz said. “It was very much perfect to be able to have her come in and start our foundation dinner.”

At the dinner, Woods spoke about how she believed it was a need to empower children to start their day off with different ideas and thoughts on being a better friend, teammate, and student, while also practicing kindness and giving back to their community. 

Shioya expressed that Wood’s message resonated with her. 

“Her giving a speech about how she was running the Boston Marathon, and it was like the worst weather of the year and the guy next to her just looked over and said, ‘It’s always sunny above the clouds,’ made me think about myself,” Shioya said. “Studying for IB, which is a lot of work, a lot of stress, managing commitments and everything, but I guess I have to think that it’s always sunny above the clouds, like it’s always going to get better, and I think that’s a really powerful message to take away.”

Near the end of the dinner, Edwards was invited to speak because the foundation’s board believed his involvement with youth groups throughout his area and his motto that “it doesn’t matter what you do on the field, but how you live life off the field ” goes along with the foundation’s mission. 

“Herm Edwards said, ‘To be recognized for being a kid, a good kid, is the way we’re supposed to live our lives.’ ” Dydalewicz said. “Such is so unheard of. And he, in fact, is supporting the foundation, so our hope is that we can continue to carry his message and kindness in Knox’s sweet little name.”

From the speakers, Gunningham learned that how he views situations is all about perspective.

“It’s not about looking at a situation and being like, ‘Damn, that sucks,’” Gunningham said. “Like ‘he didn’t make it,’ or damn, ‘somebody is now in prison, ruining the rest of their life.’ It was more about, well, I can go to school the next day and breathe air. I can go and experience life and get opportunities for people. That kind of helped me go through what I was going through mentally. To see other people go through sad situations as well, with Knox, whenever he passed away because of the ATV accident, it definitely helped me realize that I wasn’t alone.”

Next year, the foundation hopes to recognize 40 scholarship recipients and raise $300,000 for their scholarship funding. 

“Gosh, I think they’re making such a good change in the world,” Shioya said. “When I applied for the scholarship, I never heard of anything

like the Knox Foundation or anything, and just getting to know [Knox’s] story at the gala where they played the memoriam, was so

impactful. I hope that they get to continue making this positive difference through the gala and the scholarships going forward. A big thank you to Knox for sponsoring my education.”

In addition, the foundation has gotten involved with Johnathan’s place, an emergency shelter for abused and homeless children, where they’ve hosted Christmas, Valentine’s, and Easter parties. 

“We are definitely turning our tragedy into just a beautiful, beautiful foundation,” Dydalewicz said. “Every day we shed tears. Every day we wish that we could have our little boy back with us, but unfortunately, that’s not the hand that’s been dealt to us. We have to live for Knox and carry on his legacy, carry on his name. And that’s going to be our goal until it’s our time to leave this Earth.”