April 7 marks four years to the day Toby Boulet said goodbye to his son Logan.
Logan was one of the young hockey players killed in the Humboldt Broncos bus crash.
He chose to sign his organ donor card which inspired so many others to do the same. Now, April 7 marks Green Shirt Day, a day Toby said is more than just remembering Logan.
“It’s about the Humboldt Broncos, Green Shirt Day, the Logan Boulet Effect, the promotion of it and we do that because we taught our kids to be givers in society not takers, and service is the right, you pay to live your life and so that’s what we do and that’s what we continue to do,” Toby Boulet said.
Since the conception of Green Shirt Day, organ and tissue registration has seen a huge spike in support across Canada with more people signing up every year.
“The Logan Boulet effect is massive. It’s now at about 300,000 people pegged to that, which means every person that registers and tells someone, it spurs four conversations,” Toby said.
“It really means that 1.2 million Canadians have engaged in the conversation about becoming an organ donor because of the Logan Boulet effect.”
The reach of the movement has hit the Alberta legislature.
Highwood MLA R.J Sigurdson brought forward a private member’s bill where Albertans would opt out of organ and tissue donation, rather than in. He said he was moved by the young hockey player’s actions and by those impacted in his own constituency.
“It’s something that will save lives and impact so many lives and we see a lot of people that are waiting for tissue and organ donation here in the province. I just felt that it was time for someone to step up.”
Bill 205 has gone through first reading. It’s now in the committee review process before going on to the second and third readings.
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