Handing out sandwiches to those who are cold and hungry.
Baking 5,000 cookies for various causes.
Holding a door.
Each gesture – great or small – kicks off a ripple of kindness that spreads far beyond the source.
They won’t fill the void left by a sister taken too soon, but each serves as a small salve in the grieving process for Greater Victoria teen Felix Townsin.
“It’s not easy to keep going when grief feels so heavy, but every act of love we inspire feels like she is still right here with us,” Felix told Victoria News. “Lexi was pure love.
“She had the biggest heart and made everyone feel like the best version of themselves. She … just wanted to give and feel love. That was her gift to the world, and even though she’s no longer here, her love continues to inspire everything we do.”
The Royal Bay Secondary student was nine when he lost his little sister. After battling the rare genetic disorder Blau Syndrome, Lexi Townsin died at the age of six – just weeks before what would have been her seventh birthday, Dec. 16, 2019. That milestone, followed so closely by what was a joyful family favourite – Christmas – makes the month particularly challenging for the Victoria teen and his family.
“The holidays without her are excruciating,” Felix said. “I was just 9, and we didn’t know how to celebrate her birthday without her. Then we started talking about how Lexi didn’t want presents; she wanted love. That’s something we could still give.”
Last year he targeted 500 acts of love. This year, Lexi’s legacy lives on in Felix’s campaign to document A Million Acts of Love by what would have been her 12th birthday on Dec. 16.
“One million is more than just a number – it’s a movement,” Felix told Victoria News. “It shows the power of collective action, of people coming together to make the world a kinder place. We all have causes we care about, but when we work together, the impact is even greater. When we reach one million acts, it will mean that Lexi's love has touched a million lives. It’s proof that even though she’s gone, her spirit continues to make the world a better place.”
The years of “spreading Lexi love” are still filled with heavy grief and doses of inspiring acts of love.
An education assistant at John Stubbs school has painted and shared more than 1,000 rocks with uplifting messages. The Reynolds secondary robotics club has documented more than 400 acts of love by mentoring younger students.
On Dec. 14, the campaign partners with Lumara Grief Group in Vancouver to distribute socks, gloves and snacks to people in need on Vancouver’s Eastside.
“We’ll bring music to brighten the day and create moments of connection and love,” Felix said.
An act of love can be as simple as supporting the campaign tree in the Bay Centre’s Festival of Trees, where funds raised benefit the BC Children’s Hospital.
“The impact has been life-changing – not just for me, but for so many others,” Felix said. “I have transformed my pain into purpose and it has helped me survive this loss.”
A kid called Cal comes to mind. The boy struggled in school until his education assistant introduced him to A Million Acts of Love which turned into feeding his classmates through Cal and Amanda's Cookin' for Lexi.
“They ended up making 1,008 meals and treats for his school community. His education assistant said his confidence grew by 1,000 per cent, and his mom told me it transformed his life. …This campaign isn’t just about the people receiving acts of love – it’s about the incredible transformation for the givers too. Showing kindness builds community and resilience.”
The campaign is creatively designed to be as accessible as possible. To know they’ve reached one million, they need people to sign up at lexislegacy.com/a-million-acts-of-love and give their name and number. Sharing stories is optional but welcome online using #amillionactsoflove and @amillionactsoflove or by emailing spreadinglexilove@gmail.com.
Felix plans to push on with kindness into 2025, encouraging folks to join the #Love365 Challenge.
“It’s not about money or grand gestures – it’s something people of all ages and backgrounds can do. As we head into a new year, we are challenging people to sign up for 365 Acts of Love – one small, intentional act of kindness every day for a year. Imagine the difference we could make if everyone did that.”
