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It’s one of the two colours that flow through the veins of every Elks fan, but on Thursday it will unite all.
April 7 is Green Shirt Day, an initiative in partnership with Canadian Blood Services, Canadian Transplant Association, and the Kidney Foundation of Canada that resonates through the Green and Gold family.
Green Shirt Day aims to increase awareness about the importance of organ donation, while honouring the legacy of Logan Boulet.
A defenceman with the Humboldt Broncos of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League, Boulet was among 29 passengers on the team’s bus when it crashed near Armley, Sask., on April 6, 2018, while on the way to a playoff game. Tragically, 16 of the passengers lost their lives. Boulet passed away from his injuries on April 7, 2018.
Because of Logan’s decision to register as an organ donor and share his decision with his family, he saved many lives. His story inspired over 100,000 people across the country to become registered organ donors.
#LoganBouletEffect #GreenShirtDay #HumboldtStrong pic.twitter.com/w3k6fopCW9
— Green Shirt Day (@GreenShirtDay) April 4, 2022
Boulet had long expressed intention to be an organ donor. On his 21st birthday, he signed an organ donation card. Only five weeks later, his parents Bernadine and Toby Boulet fulfilled their sons wishes, offering to donate his organs.
In what came to be known as the Logan Boulet Effect, almost 150,000 Canadians were inspired over the following weeks to register as organ donors. In 2019, the first Green Shirt Day contributed to another hundred thousand singing up.
The Canadian Football League rallied around Humboldt. In Week 3 of the 2018 season, all teams wore #HumboldtStrong ribbon decals on their helmets. On June 30, 2018, the Humboldt Strong game between the Saskatchewan Roughriders and Montreal Alouettes took place at Mosaic Stadium in Regina.
Several current Elks players suited up for the ‘Riders that day, including defensive back Duron Carter. Then a wide receiver, Carter had announced that for every touchdown he scored in the 2018 season he would make a donation to the families of the Broncos.
Mike Reilly invited families from the Humboldt Broncos to be his guests for the game. Glad we could put on a show for them! #HumboldtStrong pic.twitter.com/ykawVRCDLn
— Edmonton Elks (@GoElks) October 14, 2018
Later that season, Edmonton quarterback Mike Reilly invited families of the Broncos to be his guests at Commonwealth Stadium to watch the Green and Gold defeat the Ottawa Redblacks 34-16 on Oct. 13, 2018.
Organ donation has been front of mind with the Green and Gold family for years. In 2005, EE lineman Dan Comiskey’s daughter Lauren needed a kidney transplant survive after suffering multiple organ failure due to cord entanglement when she and twin sister Jane were born three months premature. Comiskey served as honourable chairperson of the Kidney Foundation of Canada, helping to raise funds and encouraging Albertans to sign their donor cards.
Boulet’s story is a testament to the impact one can make. His donated organs were used to save six lives.
While almost 90 per cent of Canadians say they support organ donation, only 32 per cent have registered their intent to donate. Even as donation rates improve, there remains more to be done, as approximately 250 Canadians die annually waiting for an organ transplant.
On April 7, the EE family can do its part by putting the Green and Gold in Green Shirt Day. For more information visit www.greenshirtday.ca.