2024 Green Shirt Day: Logo pays tribute to star blankets sent to Humboldt after 2018 bus tragedy

“Sometimes it’s all a bit overwhelming to know how much of an impact it has made,” Bernadine Boulet, mother of Broncos player Logan Boulet, said of the transplant donation campaign

Published Feb 25, 2024 • Last updated 21 hours ago • 3 minute read

Bernadine and Toby Boulet, parents of Logan Boulet, at the Green Shirt Day Launch in in Lethbridge. Photo by Kidney Foundation of Canada /SUPPLIED

Nearly six years after the tragic Humboldt Broncos bus crash, Logan Boulet’s legacy continues to live on.

In 2017, Boulet, who played for the Humboldt Broncos junior hockey team, told his dad about his desire to become an organ donor, just like his coach and mentor Ric Suggitt, who had died that year.

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Boulet died on April 7, 2018, a day after the crash which killed 16 passengers and injured 13. His organs were donated, helping save the lives of six people who needed transplants. Nearly 150,000 Canadians registered as organ donors shortly afterwards in what became known as the Boulet Effect.

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In what became known as the Logan Boulet Effect, their son’s organ donation led to almost 150,000 donor registrations across Canada shortly afterwards.

“Sometimes it’s all a bit overwhelming to know how much of an impact it has made,” Logan’s mother Bernadine Boulet said in an interview Friday, adding people have become more comfortable with talking about organ donation.

“It has really let us know how this story of Logan has made such an impact on people and has actually changed people’s way of thinking about organ and tissue donation.”

On Feb. 21, the campaign leading up to 2024 Green Shirt Day on April 17 — which is led by the Boulet family and Canadian Transplant Association — began.

According to Canadian Blood Services, there are more than 4,000 Canadians waiting for a lifesaving transplant and each year approximately 250 people die waiting. This year’s goal is to inspire 100,000 Canadians to register as organ and tissue donors.

The latest numbers from Canadian Blood Services show there were 88 patients on organ transplants lists across Saskatchewan at the end of 2022. Of the 2,936 transplants performed across the country in 2022, 37 were in Saskatchewan.

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For people who are considering registering but are hesitant, Logan’s father Toby Boulet says “Where you’re going, you’re not taking your organs with you.”

“It’s better to leave them with somebody else to make their life better, to create some longevity in their lives,” he said in an interview.

Dr. Hali Heavy Shield at the Green Shirt Day Launch in Lethbridge. Photo by Kidney Foundation of Canada /SUPPLIED

2024 shirt inspired by gift to Boulet family

When the crash first happened, Haus of Stitches in Humboldt put out a plea to quilters across the country to make blankets and quilts for the 29 families that were impacted.

“They were overwhelmed. Thousands of quilts and blankets were sent to them,” Bernadine said.

Members of Waywayseecappo First Nation in Manitoba travelled to Humboldt to present star blankets to the 16 families that had a member pass away.

The star blanket the Boulet family received was the inspiration behind this year’s Green Shirt Day logo, which was designed by educator and artist Dr. Hali Heavy Shield, a member of the Blood Tribe in southern Alberta.

“For Blackfoot people, star blankets represent comfort, healing and generosity, reflecting the impact of Logan’s story on the global community,” Heavy Shield said in a news release.

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The centre of the shirt features a star design, which pays tribute to the morning star, symbolizing new beginnings and hope. The star’s yellow and green colours represent the Humboldt Broncos’ team colours, as well as organ donation, and its eight points represent the values of kindness, humility, honesty, respect, healing, forgiveness, wisdom and love. The shirt design also incorporates the Blackfoot translation for Green Shirt Day in the banner.

— with files from Stephen Tipper

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