The Third Annual Annie Effect: Connected by Heartstrings Forever
Bekah Olsen addresses members of the media to discuss the 3rd year of The Annie Effect.
Annie Olsen.
Some people make the world more beautiful, even when they stay in our lives for a short while, because all that we love deeply becomes part of us forever.
On June 20th of this year, Annie Olsen would be turning three years old; however, on October 6, 2022, at only 3 ½ months old, Annie passed away in her sleep, leaving behind her mom, dad and five siblings.
Her brief life mission was completed, but Annie continues to inspire many people in our community today.
Bekah Olsen, Annie’s mom, believes that if we allow ourselves to love, we must also give ourselves permission to grieve. She is committed to helping others through Annie’s memory. “As we approach the third anniversary of the passing of our sweet baby Annie, we are reaching out to the community to join us in honouring her memory and the memory of children gone too soon”.
To celebrate what would have been Annie’s 3rd birthday, Bekah, her family and friends, and Lethbridge Family Services, are organizing a third annual community collection drive. We invite everyone to donate items that would have brought joy to her on her special day. These gifts, suitable for three-year-olds, will support LFS newcomer families and Angel Tree children, spreading the love and light that Annie embodied.
Gifts can be dropped off at Lethbridge Family Services on weekdays from June 7 to June 19:
1107 2A Ave North Lethbridge AB, T1H 0E6
Open from 8:30 am to 4:00 pm
Phone: 403 327-5724
Annie’s family and friends invite anyone in the community to lend their support to a Celebration for Annie on June 20th at Coulee Creek Park. Donations are optional—it’s more important that people be a part of the hope and beauty of the day.
Celebration for Annie:
Friday, June 20, 2025, 6:00 pm
Coulee Creek Park
We want Annie’s life to be remembered as one that inspires each of us to love one another just a little bit better. We call it The Annie Effect.
Annie left a lasting impact on so many people in our Lethbridge community. And while our hearts ache in her absence, we choose not to dwell in sorrow. Instead, we focus on lifting others, just as she did.
You don’t move on after a loss, but learn to move with it. You must shake hands with grief and invite her in—for she now walks with you. Pull her a chair at the table. Offer her kindness. She is not the monster you once feared. She is love. She is memory. She is connection.
Bekah and her friends in their signature Annie Effect sweaters, now in their third year of the initiative.
The Annie Effect mantra is “Do better. Be better. Love better.”
At the 2024 Celebration for Annie, an impressive 7,344 diapers, 7,036 baby wipes, and 2 carts worth of toys were gathered for LFS newcomer families and Angel Tree families.
Bekah and friends at last year's Celebration for Annie.
Lethbridge Family Services provides highly-accredited health and social services to over 9,000 individuals and families in more than 30 communities in southwestern Alberta, through the professional services of more than 380 staff, and the support of over 550 committed volunteers. LFS's vision is a connected and inclusive community where people thrive.
Media Contact:
Michelle Gallucci
Director, Advancement & Communications
Lethbridge Family Services
MGallucci@LFSfamily.ca
403-915-8028
