Green Shirt Day is …

LIGHT UP GREEN

Landmarks

Getting a local landmark lit green in honour of Green Shirt Day is a great way to get the conversation started on the importance of registering as an organ donor. Lighting up green:

1. Helps your city/town/village/county to show support for the cause
2. Creates a newsworthy, local story for your local news outlets
3. Can provide a place to meet others in your local community on the day of the lighting

Here’s how to get started:

Step 1 – Identify Your Landmarks

Landmarks can be both private and public.

Public Landmarks – To identify public landmarks that can be lit check your local government website. Many City Halls can be lit up different colours to recognize specific causes. In the search bar of the site, try “Illuminate City Hall”. If there is more than one public landmark available to be lit, it will normally be included as part of the search response. If your web search is unsuccessful, check the “Contact Us” section of the website for the number to call to get this information.

Private Landmarks – Many locations across Canada have a variety of privately owned landmarks that you can request be lit up. The best way to identify these in your area is to do a web search using the phrase “Illuminate landmark (enter city name).

Step 2 – Submit Your Request

Many landmarks, whether public or private, have an online submission process which generally requires the following information:

Event name: Green Shirt Day
Organization Name: Canadian Transplant Association
Contact Info: Use your own contact information
Time Frame: One day – April 7, 2023
Event Description: On April 6, 2018, Canadians were heartbroken to hear the news of the Humboldt Broncos bus crash. Of the 29 passengers, sixteen lost their lives and thirteen will bear physical and emotional scars for life.

On April 7, 2018, Humboldt Broncos defenceman Logan Boulet, succumbed to his injuries. His parents, Bernadine and Toby Boulet honoured his decision to donate his organs so that six lives could live on. Logan had recently told his parents he was registering as an organ donor and that he was inspired by his coach and mentor Ric Suggitt. Ric passed on June 27th, 2017 and was also an organ donor and saved six lives.

As news spread of the organ donation by this young hockey player, it is estimated that almost 150,000 people registered to become organ donors in the days and weeks that followed. To date, this is the largest number of Canadians registering to become organ donors in Canadian history due to one event – one person.

Green Shirt Day was created to honour, remember, and recognize all the victims and families of that fatal crash and to continue Logan’s legacy by inspiring Canadians to talk to their families and register as organ donors.

Written submission – If the request requires a written submission, suggested wording can be found in Appendix 1.

Step 3 – Allow Enough Time

To increase the likelihood that the requested date for the landmark to be lit has not been taken, get your request in as soon as possible.

Step 4 – Make An Event Out Of It

To increase the impact of the lighting of the landmark, consider arranging for a group of family and friends to meet in front of the landmark wearing their Green Shirt Day shirts or green shirts, and take pictures and post on social media using #GreenShirtDay and #LoganBouletEffect.

Consider sending in a story to your local media that the landmark will be lit green and include any additional information such as whether an outdoor gathering will be happening and what your connection you might have to the transplant community. See section on Media Tips located in this toolkit for more information

Step 5 – Update the List

We want to let everyone know how successful we are with getting landmarks lit across Canada. To do this, we need to know when a request has been approved. Once you’ve been notified that your request has been approved, please email us at lightupgreen@greenshirtday.ca and include a photo of the landmark, if possible.

Light Up Your Neighbourhood

Getting a local landmark is a wonderful way to bring attention to Green Shirt Day but making a difference in your own neighbourhood is just as powerful. We are encouraging Ambassadors to light up their homes, whether it is switching out your white porch light for a green one or putting up a string of green lights on your apartment balcony (maybe some green ones left over from Christmas). Every single one lights up the message of the power of organ donation. No green lights hanging around – how about this simple craft to create a lantern that is fun for kids and adults alike – check out this YouTube video for – How to Make an Easy Paper Lantern. Use with a flameless candle, and you have a fun and simple way to recognize Green Shirt Day!

Harness the power of social media and share your ideas with friends, family, and neighbours. Consider contacting your child’s school and suggesting this craft as a way for the school to honour Green Shirt Day and raise awareness.

MEDIA TIPS

Media coverage of Green Shirt Day and the personal impacts of organ donation and transplant on individuals help increase awareness of organ donation and inspire people to register as organ donors.

Reaching out:

An interview with a personal story about transplant or donation helps convey the power of organ donation. If you have a story you’re willing to share publicly, you can contact local media directly, such as community newspapers, radio or tv news shows.

Contact information is usually listed on the media outlet’s website, or on the reporter’s social media channels.

• If you have time to do so, reach out to media at least a couple of weeks before April 7, so they have time to research and produce their story.
• Let them know about Green Shirt Day, its meaning and significance
• Have a hook: let them know about a local organ donation story. Share your own story if you have a personal connection to donation or transplant, e.g. you or a loved one received a transplant or donated their loved one’s organs etc.
• You may get even more interest if you can include compelling visuals – through an event or with a green light display, for example

Use the link to direct local media to the official Green Shirt Day 2022 Media Toolkit: https://greenshirtday.ca/wp-content/uploads/green-shirt-day-2022-media-toolkit.pdf

Speaking to the media:

• Think ahead about how to tell your own personal story of donation and/or transplant, and why Green Shirt Day is so important to you.
• Keep it simple. Focus on the main parts of your donation/transplant journey.
• Speak conversationally.
• Think about the main one or two points you want to get across – and be able to convey those in 1 – 3 sentences (see suggested key messages below)
• If you have been approached by media, ask for questions ahead of time. Reports are often okay with that, especially for this kind of story.
• If you don’t have their questions, think about how you’d explain what it is, why people should care and what you want them to do.
• If you don’t know the answer, “I don’t know” is always the best answer.
• Relax and have fun! For stories like this, the reporter will do what they can to make you sound good!

Key Messages

These are some suggested key messages that support the goal of Green Shirt Day and organ donation awareness:

• It takes just a couple minutes to register as an organ donor, and this simple action has the potential to save lives.
• Find out how to register as an organ donor at GreenShirtDay.ca (or find out the specific provincial website where people can register and share that)
• Have a conversation with your family and loved ones about your decision.
• Show your support for organ donation by wearing green or a hockey jersey on April 7 – Green Shirt Day.