Fundraiser being held tonight for family of girl killed in crash - East Idaho News
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Fundraiser being held tonight for family of girl killed in crash

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AMMON — Members of the community are invited to help a local family during Spirit Night at Chick-fil-A in Ammon Monday.

Olivia Johnson, 17, of Shelley was killed in a traffic accident earlier this month on her way to work.

RELATED | 17-year-old Shelley teen dies of injuries from car crash

Olivia was driving behind a tractor on June 14 and tried to pass it. The car knicked the side of it, throwing her and the vehicle into a telephone pole. A short time later, she was pronounced dead at Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center in Idaho Falls.

“It’s been really hard. I didn’t believe it at first,” Olivia’s friend, Mady Smith, tells EastIdahoNews.com. “We’ve been close friends since we were six. I couldn’t believe she was gone.”

Mady says Olivia had many friends at Idaho Falls High School, where she participated in soccer and softball.

“She always had a smile on her face that no one could forget and was an amazing athlete,” Mady says.

Lisa Clark, the marketing director at Chick-fil-A, knew Olivia through her neice. She contacted Olivia’s parents, Jake and Traci Johnson, to see how she could help.

“That’s when I learned (Olivia) was obsessed with Chick-fil-A. I said ‘we need to do this,'” Clark says.

Clark is talking about Spirit Night. Between 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. Monday, you’re invited to stop by the restaurant where a portion of every order will go toward the Johnson family. The restaurant will also be taking donations for the family and, at the end of the night, Clark says Chick-fil-A will write a check to the Johnsons.

“We’ve already had 300 people RSVP on Facebook,” Clark says. “This community is amazing. It’s crazy how tight-knit people are and how good people are at taking care of each other.”

Spirit Night is an event created by Chick-fil-A to help people nationwide. Chick-fil-A in Ammon has been helping local families for the last 5-7 years. A Spirit Night was held in April to help the family of a teen who was killed in a motorcycle crash.

RELATED | Parents reflect on life-changing week after their son was killed in a motorcycle accident

“Olivia definitely made her mark on the world. She loved everyone and wanted people to love others the way she did,” says Mady.

You can learn more about the fundraiser by visiting their Facebook page.

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