April 7 is Green Shirt Day, a time to focus on the importance of organ donation. The day honours the decision of 2017-18 Bronco Logan Boulet who signed his organ donor card. His gesture benefited six individuals and sparked the nation wide movement known as the Logan Boulet Effect. The movement rides the wave of emotion and support for the Broncos, and it taps into people’s desire to give, says Logan’s father, Toby Boulet.

“The Humboldt Tragedy was massive, it’s scope was international, and people just wanted to do something,” explains Toby Boulet. “When we announced that Logan was going to be an organ donor, it just blew up - it just went everywhere. 150,000 registrations in the first six or seven weeks, as calculated by Canadian Blood Services, is amazing. Even COVID couldn’t stop it; it continues to grow through again this year. And it’s just Canadians who are trying to do something good, trying to find something positive out of a massive tragedy.”

Over the past three years, Toby, his wife Bernadine, and their daughter Mariko, have seen the good grow out of the ashes of the tragedy. He mentioned Hockey Gives Blood, associated with Dayna Brons, the Northern Lights Movement for Kids in honour of Jacob Leicht, the inspirational stories of Morgan Gobeil and Jacob Wassermann, among others. Through it all, the common thread has been the pursuit of the positive.

Green Shirt Day encourages people to engage in the simple act of having a family conversation and taking the time to register. Boulet says that is the only commitment that is needed at the time, but it is one that many Canadians, before the advent of Green Shirt Day simply did not take. In fact, a new spin on Green Shirt Day is the animation of Canadians to become living organ donors. Jim Lowes of Burlington, Ontario, was inspired by Logan Boulet’s act of generosity that he sought to become a living kidney donor for someone in need. Unable to proceed because of his weight and health, the 61-year-old Lowes began training with his son. After losing 40 pounds and righting his physical health, Lowes was able to go ahead as a living donor. Toby Boulet notes that two other living donors in Alberta, David Kinsella of Red Deer and Rhonda Dawes of Lethbridge have registered as living kidney donors.

“Stories like that just tell you to keep moving,” says Toby. “The chair of the Kidney Foundation contacted me to let us know what they are doing for Green Shirt Day. It’s moving people on to make the decisions that they were going to make any way.”

Ninety percent of Canadians claim a willingness to become organ donors, explains Toby Boulet, but only 32 percent sign up. The hope is that such stories move people to take act on their good intentions. 

The Boulet family is rightfully proud of the giving spirit that Logan displayed in his life. It’s the extension of long-held family values, explains Toby whose parents grew up during the Depression in a time when supportive communities were a matter of survival. Bernadine Boulet’s father was the first Japanese baby born in Lethbridge during the days of the Japanese Internment and her mother was a newly arrived Hungarian immigrant. In an environment that was challenging, giving and cooperation became a way of life passed down to the Boulet children, says Toby. 

Toby recalls with emotion the words of Logan’s AAA hockey coach at the funeral.

“Logan understood, watching his parents donate time and being involved, what it took to do those things and did our daughter, Mariko. He got it because he saw it.”

That generosity extended to encouraging his classmates in school, volunteering for community events, and quietly leading. Those qualities were welcomed and shone under the guidance of Broncos’ coach Darcy Haugan, whose credo was something Logan Boulet had lived for much of his life.

The Boulets’ attachment to Humboldt and their extended Broncos family remains strong, as Toby points out the logo on the Green Shirts bears the crossed sticks “Humboldt Strong” insignia. Following Logan’s lead is as easy as having that family conversation and heading to Greenshirtday.ca and finding out more about becoming an organ donor.

And most certainly, on April 7, be sure to wear some green.