submitted by Jill Sturdy, Municipality of North Grenville
In the lead up to Green Shirt Day on April 7, 2023, North Grenville’s Council are encouraging everyone to register to be an organ donor.
“Members of Council have all made the quick and simple step to register our intent to become an organ donor and help save lives,” said Mayor Nancy Peckford.
In Canada, almost 90% of Canadians say they support organ donation, but only 32% have registered their intent to donate. Though donation rates have improved over the last decade, there are still approximately 250 Canadians who die annually waiting for an organ transplant.
By donating your organs and tissue after you die, you can save up to 8 lives and improve up to 75 more.
It is also possible to consider being a living donor. You can donate one kidney and up to 80% of your liver and still live a normal life. Local resident Tracy Crawford made the courageous decision to become a living donor several years ago and has presented to Council previously regarding her experience.
You can learn more about becoming a living donor and a blood donor here: www.blood.ca.
Register to be a Donor – www.BeADonor.ca
Registering to be a donor is quick and simple. Have your Ontario Health Card number ready along with your date of birth to register your donation decision.
By formally registering to be a donor, either online at www.BeADonor.ca or in person at any Service Ontario location (including 10 Campus Drive, Kemptville), you ensure your decision is recorded and can be made available to your loved ones at the right time. You only need to register once. Your consent to donate organs and tissue is stored in a Ministry of Health database.
About Green Shirt Day
Green Shirt Day was created to honour, remember, and recognize the victims and families of the 2018 Humboldt Broncos Hockey Team bus crash in rural Saskatchewan, where sixteen people were killed.
Green Shirt Day honours Defenseman Logan Boulet, one of the people who died. Logan was a registered organ donor, and as a result, his parents were able to donate his organs that went on to save six lives.
In a phenomenon that has come to be known as the Logan Boulet Effect, over 150,000 Canadians registered as organ donors in the weeks following the Humboldt crash in 2018. Thanks to the Logan Boulet Effect, over 325,000 people in Canada have since signed their organ card.
Green is also the official colour of organ and tissue donation, symbolizing the hope organ donors provide to patients in need.
“Council would like to recognize local grade 11 student Ethan Bos, who has been promoting Green Shirt Day in North Grenville and the importance of becoming an organ donor,” highlighted Mayor Nancy Peckford.
Not only did his efforts result in Council declaring Green Shirt Day in North Grenville in perpetuity, but Ethan’s determination also helped secure Bill-112, an Act to proclaim Green Shirt Day in Ontario, which received all-party support in April 2022.
On April 7, 2022, Council will wear green in honour of the Humboldt Tragedy and encourage everyone to register to become organ donors.
For more information on Green Shirt Day visit www.GreenShirtDay.ca.
Visit www.BeADonor.ca to learn more and to register to be an organ and tissue donor.
