THUNDER BAY -- Last year, Operation Red Nose’s 230 volunteers provided 633 free rides home to those celebrating the holiday season and ensuring a safe December for all.
The organization is getting ready to keep the city’s roads safe this holiday season for the 8th consecutive year of the Operation Red Nose campaign.
OPP Regional Traffic Manager Ken Mantey believes the campaign is a great community program.
“It’s the community helping each other get home safely during the Christmas season,” Mantey said during the media launch.
“Unfortunately, there’s been too many times where we’ve been on the other end and have had to deliver tragic news, and Operation Red Nose is an excellent program to prevent that.”
Teams of three Red Nose volunteers will pick people up and drive them home in their own vehicle.
He believes the message is getting out there that people understand there are other options than to drive home impaired
“I believe since Operation Red Nose there’s been almost 4,000 rides, so I believe the message is getting out there,” he said.
“We see the volunteers, we see them coming through the ride checks with people they are giving rides home to and that’s just awesome.”
Mantey added that it gives those people the chance to see that if they would have taken the same route home they would’ve been arrested and charged with drinking and driving.
As a retired police officer OPN chairperson Gary Cooper has seen the chaos that can be caused by an impaired driver.
“I really believe in this program,” Cooper said. “I love that so many people in the community have gotten behind it, not only our volunteers, but companies are also helping to promote the program.”
Operation Red Nose couldn’t keep the city street safe without the volunteers.
“There’s just a wide variety of people who believe in this program and they don’t want to see anybody in the community lose a life,” Cooper said.
Cooper hopes this year Operation Red Nose can provide 1,000 rides.
“We’ve been in the high 800s, and you know when you break that down that’s a lot of credit that has to be given to those who are calling and asking for rides,” he said.
Operation Red Nose is free, but donations will be accepted and all the money raised goes toward programs for St. John’s Ambulance to bring into schools and communities.
