City skaters show strong support for Green Shirt Day

By Lethbridge Herald on April 9, 2024.

Herald photo by Al Beeber A skater wearing the costume of an Orgamite character skates at the Logan Boulet Arena Sunday during the free Green Shirt Day skate hosted by Boulet's family.

Al Beeber
Lethbridge Herald

The day after they spent time honouring and reflecting upon the life of their late son and brother Logan and the lives of all others who perished or were scarred forever in one way or another after the Humboldt Broncos bus crash, the Boulet family joined throngs at the arena named in Logan’s honour Sunday on Green Shirt Day.

While Toby Boulet mingled in the stands with friends, shaking hands of greeters, his wife Bernadine and daughter Mariko stood at one table while kidney recipient Jan Clemis and others worked at another one, spreading the word of the need for people to discuss among their families idea of registering as organ donors.

Clemis, who participates in the world transplant summer and winter games as a swimmer and cross-country skier and snow shoer respectively, is an ardent supporter of Green Shirt Day. 

She and other family members suffer from a hereditary disease which prompted her to have a transplant in 2018.

And while Clemis knows she and the Boulets on Sunday were often speaking to the converted, it’s still a message that needs to get out – organ donors are needed to help keep others alive.

On Sunday, dozens of people of all ages wearing green – from elementary school children to seniors – laced up their skates at the Logan Boulet Arena in north Lethbidge for a two-hour free skate hosted by the Boulet family in memory of their son and to help continuing to spread the word about the need to have conversations about organ donations.

A person wearing a heart costume – a character in the Orgamites educational series that helps to teach young school children and their families to talk about donations – skated around the arena while a Zamboni wrapped in vinyl with 72 images depicting ice sports in the city and Logan, was parked at centre ice.

The artwork was created by Lethbridge resident Karla Mather-Cocks and its presence provided a large-as-life reminder of Logan, whose organ donations after his death a day after the Humboldt Broncos bus crash on April 6, 2018 saved the lives of six other people.

One dad said he and his son, who attends Gerald B. Probe Elementary School and knows Bernadine Boulet, wanted to support the family.

“It’s a good cause,” he said.

“We’re preaching to the choir which is OK,” said Clemis who was also talking to people who hadn’t yet registered to become donors.

Registering is simple. People can go to the Green Shirt Day website (greenshirtday.ca) where every province is listed.

“It is not hard at all,” emphasized Clemis, who will be heading to Ottawa for the Canadian summer transplant games this year. Bernadine and Toby will be the guest speakers there, said Clemis who has enormous respect for the Boulets’ ongoing commitment to the transplant community.