‘Do Better, Be Better, Love Better’ that is the motto the Olsen family has been living by since the loss of their three and a half month old Annie in October.
Annie was the youngest of six in the family, and her mother Bekah Olsen says that she had to figure out how she was going to deal with the loss.
“I decided either I’m going to get really bitter and angry or I’m going to make this a good thing, a positive thing.”
Olsen says Annie’s passing brought people together and the family started to see the impact of Annie working through them.
“We call it The Annie Effect,” says Olsen, “to do better, to be better, and to love better with each other, with our families, and in our community.”
In honour of what would’ve been Annie’s first birthday, the family decided host a party for her and what they would’ve bought for her, they would buy for other little babies in need, for families in the community or immigrants coming into Canada where there is the need for diapers, formula and clothing.
Family and friends held a birthday on Tuesday, June 20th and dropped off the donations, which came in two truck loads, to Lethbridge Family Services on Thursday.
Michelle Gallucci, Director of Advancement and Communications with Lethbridge Family Services says that she was told the story of the Olsen family from one of the Angel Tree volunteers, after meeting it was decided that this would become a yearly thing, with donations being in relation to whatever age Annie would be that year.
“Her [Olsen] hope is to give birthday gifts in memory or Annie for the age that Annie is every year, so they were hoping to get a bunch of gifts for a 1-year-old and we’ll give that to our Angel Tree families this year,” says Gallucci.
Last year, over 3,600 children were helped, which was the biggest year ever for the Angel Tree.