Tri-City, New Westminster and Burnaby residents can enjoy holiday libations and get a safe ride home this holiday season thanks to the recent expansion of Operation Red Nose to the cities west of North Road.
This is the eighth year for the successful designated driver program that has raised thousands of dollars for KidSport, and co-ordinator Chris Wilson said he hopes volunteers will continue to sign up to be part of the team.
With nearly 300 people needed to put on the program over nine nights starting Nov. 28, Wilson is looking to community-minded volunteers to step up and provide driving services to people in all three cities.
"The time goes by really fast. You're busy, meeting people, you're getting fresh air," said Wilson, a recently re-elected Coquitlam city councillor who used to be a volunteer driver but now looks after the program that runs through to New Year's Eve, the busiest night of the season.
This year's campaign theme is "This Season, Hand the Reins Over to Us."
Training and food are provided to volunteers, Wilson said, and the average shift begins at about 7:30 p.m., with an orientation at the headquarters located at the Brunette Avenue ICBC, the program's sponsor. It generally runs until about 3 a.m. to get everyone who needs one a safe ride home.
THE DETAILS
Here's how it works: A team of three volunteers is dispatched and the client is safely driven home in his or her own vehicle. The client then makes a donation for the service, with the average donation of $25 to $30.
Wilson said the clients, many of whom are picked up at local bars and restaurants, are appreciative of the service. And although the money is important to support kids in sports, the service is not about the donation but about making sure people get home safely.
In the seven years Operation Red Nose has operated in the Tri-Cities (expanding to Burnaby and New West two years ago), hundreds of people have been driven home, ensuring that accidents are avoided - and, perhaps, lives are saved.
"We just want to make sure there's no barriers to making sure people get home safely."
But while the fundraising may be secondary, most clients give generously and, as a result, money collected for KidSport Tri-Cities has climbed from about $2,000 in 2007 to $27,640 last year.
SIGN UP EARLY
In all, Operation Red Nose will be offered in 13 B.C. communities, with provincial sponsor ICBC suggesting that if people's festivities involve alcohol they can plan a safe ride home by calling Operation Red Nose. "We're proud to support Operation Red Nose because we know that our roads are safer thanks to this remarkable program and its many dedicated volunteers," Jill Blacklock, ICBC road safety manager, said in a press release.
The service will run the four weekends before Christmas as well as New Year's Eve: Nov. 28 and 29; Dec. 5 and 6, 12 and 13, 19 and 20, plus Dec. 31. The number to call for a ride is 778-866-6673.
Volunteers interested in helping out should visit operationrednosetricities.com and fill out an application. Criminal record checks are required and because the program starts soon, people are encouraged to apply for a shift as soon as possible.
