Fourth annual Canadian Transplant Association Green Shirt Day in honour of Humboldt Broncos defenseman Logan Boulet encourages organ donation conversations and registrations

LETHBRIDGE, Alberta, April 07, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The fourth annual Green Shirt Day is led by the Boulet family and the Canadian Transplant Association, in partnership with Canada’s Organ and Tissue Donation Community, Canadian Blood Services, The Kidney Foundation of Canada, and IA Financial Group.

The day inspired by the Logan Boulet Effect, encourages people across Canada to talk to their family about organ donation, register their wishes, and to remember those that gave the gift of life. Canadians can register online through their provincial registry at https://greenshirtday.ca/register/.

There is widespread enthusiasm from the organ donation and transplant community, schools, and workplaces to take part in Green Shirt Day. Across Canada, provinces, and cities have proclaimed April 7th Green Shirt Day and landmarks will be lighting up in green.

“Together Strong” is the 2022 Green Shirt Day slogan. It encourages Canadians to unite, share their support for organ donation, share their stories and have a conversation about their organ donation wishes. When we come together for organ donation, we are Together Strong. Find out about how you can participate at greenshirtday.ca/be-inspired

It is estimated that almost 150,000 Canadians registered as organ donors in the weeks following the Humboldt crash in 2018 that took Logan Boulet’s life and led to him being an organ and tissue donor, known as the Logan Boulet Effect. The next year, Green Shirt Day 2019 inspired another hundred thousand or more to take action. While the COVID-19 challenges of 2020/2021 required a shift of Green Shirt Day plans, there was still active interest in promoting organ and tissue donation. However, overall, registration numbers were down about 39%.

This year, with COVID-19 restrictions in effect to varying degrees across the country, it is key that Canadians get creative on Green Shirt Day to help raise awareness about organ donation and encourage even more registrations. In person events and activities may be limited, but we encourage people to unite “Together Strong” and bring their support and spirit (and green shirts) online this year.

“Let’s share our support for organ and tissue donation by showing Canada we all want to give the gift of a life,’’ suggests Toby Boulet, Logan Boulet’s father. “Post a picture or video wherever you share and let your friends and family know that you want to give the gift of life and that you are a registered donor.”

Canadians are encouraged to use the hashtags #GreenShirtDay #LoganBouletEffect #LightUpGreenCanada in their posts to expand the reach of the initiative.

Logan’s legacy reminds us how important it is for Canadians to talk with their family about their organ donation wishes. It’s suggested that every person who registers their intent to donate talks about it with four others. That means that 150,000 new registrants equal approximately 600,000 conversations about organ donation.

Get more background, key statistics, organ donation terminology, and digital assets from our media kit.

This year, we are pleased to provide toolkits to support participation from schools, businesses, teams, clubs and organizations.

• Information for school participation
• Green Shirt Day Ambassador toolkit
• Information package for businesses, teams, clubs and organizations

Organ and tissue donation community

Canada is home to an incredible organ and tissue donation community, Across the country organizations and volunteers are dedicated to increasing awareness of the importance of organ and tissue donation. As part of these efforts, BC Transplant has recently partnered with the Boulet family to produce an animated video about the Logan Boulet Effect. https://youtu.be/5LhT0h-4drI

About the Canadian Transplant Association Green Shirt Day
The Canada-wide Green Shirt Day was created to remember the victims and families of the tragic Humboldt Broncos bus crash in Saskatchewan in 2018. And, to continue Logan Boulet’s legacy by inspiring Canadians to register as organ donors and to talk to their families about their wishes.

On April 7, learning that he would not recover, Bernadine and Toby Boulet offered to donate their son, Logan Boulet’s organs. They did so because Logan had registered as an organ donor and had spoken to his parents about his wishes. His generous final act inspired almost 150,000 donor registrations across Canada shortly thereafter, which became known as the Logan Boulet Effect.

Media contacts:

Brenda Brown
President
Canadian Transplant Association
604-807-8282
bbrown@txworks.ca

Canadian Blood Services
1-877-709-7773
media@blood.ca

Wendy Kudeba, National Director of Marketing & Communications
The Kidney Foundation of Canada
289-329-0757
wendy.kudeba@kidney.ca

Michelle Hofer BFA (she/her) Manager, Communications and Community Development
The Kidney Foundation of Canada, Southern Alberta
6007 1A St SW, Calgary AB, T2H 0G5
(587) 333-4349 | 1-800-268-1177
Michelle.hofer@kidney.ca

Green Shirt Day info@greenshirtday.ca

April 7^th Green Shirt Day Activities

Light Up Green Canada (#LightUpGreenCanada)

• Major landmarks and City Halls Light up Green across Canada on April 7 in support of Green Shirt Day and in honour of the Logan Boulet Effect
• Canadians Light up their doorways Green

Provincial and City Proclamation

• Provinces and Cities across Canada have proclaimed April 7^th Green Shirt Day

Events taking place across Canada on April 7

• Free Family Skates
• City Hall-Green Shirt Day Ceremonies/Light up Green
• Gatherings at major Landmarks
• Schools
• Hospitals