Community parade to celebrate Green Shirt Day in Calgary

A community parade to celebrate Green Shirt Day was held Sunday morning in Calgary.

The two-kilometre walk kicked off at 10 a.m. in the parking lot at 200-286 Memorial Dr N.W. on the north side of the Bow River Pathway Bridge near Prince’s Island Park.

"People who have received transplants who are waiting for transplants, who are organ donors, family friends, they're all out here to just help spread the light on organ donation today," said Joyce Van Deurzen, executive director of the Kidney Foundation of Canada’s Southern Alberta and Saskatchewan Branches.

The event is a partnership between the southern Alberta branch of the The Kidney Foundation of Canada and Green Shirt Day, which was created to celebrate the impact of Logan Boulet, who died in the 2018 bus crash.

"When he was in the hospital, and his parents were told that he would not survive, they asked if he could be an organ donor, because he had shared his wishes he had talked to them, that those were his wishes to become an organ donor at the end of his life," Van Deurzen said. "And so they were able to fulfill his final wishes, and donated his organs on April 7."

That action by the Boulet family created such a wave of organ donations that it became a cultural phenomenom.

"The day after the crash, that really has become a day that we associate with the Logan Boulet Effect," Van Deurzen said. T"he Logan Boulet Effect refers to the tidal wave of Canadians that registered to be organ donors in that week after Logan's death, and after that crash, because they were so inspired by him and his generosity, that they decided, 'hey, I'm going to take an action, I'm going to register to be an organ donor as well.'

"And that has continued on," she added. "So every year, we make that call to action to people remember and thank these life-saving organ donors and talk to your family about your wishes.

"That's the most important thing -- and go ahead and register as well."

Participants were encouraged to make a sign, bring a hockey stick with a green ribbon tied to it, or decorate themselves.

Don't forget to wear your green shirt for @GreenShirtDay! Let's make a difference by spreading awareness about the impact of organ and tissue donation today. Join us in saving lives 💚 Find our action steps here: https://t.co/ezQpW9aJwI pic.twitter.com/ro8WxjaRlD

— Kidney Foundation (@kidneycanada) April 7, 2024

“It has been our privilege to work with the Boulet family as powerful and effective community advocates to promote and educate about organ donation and continue to inspire others to step up and take action towards this cause,” added Van Deurzen, in a media release.

“That is what we all need to do," she added. "Take action and talk about it, because the more people we can get committed to this cause, the more lives are going to be saved. It’s just that simple.”

Van Duerzen told CTV News there are about 4,500 people on the transplant waiting list in Canada, with 73 to 75 per cent waiting for a kidney. She said in Alberta, hundreds of people are waiting for a transplant, some of whom die waiting if that organ doesn't ome.

"So it's crucial that people think about their wishes," she added. "Think of making that gift and tell their family that that's what they would want to do."

Other events in Alberta were taking place to mark Green Shirt Day, including a ball hockey game in Cochrane and a public skate and hockey game at Logan Boulet Arena in Lethbridge.