Drivers wanted: Operation Red Nose issues plea
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 18/12/2024 (319 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
Operation Red Nose Winnipeg is up against an unprecedented shortage of volunteer drivers this season.
Winnipeg co-ordinator Matthew Barber said the designated driver program needs 100 additional volunteer drivers to cover the remaining campaign nights this season, including New Year’s Eve.
Barber said waits increased to two hours on Saturday for revellers to receive a ride home in their own vehicle.
MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS FILES
Mascot Rudy helps launch Operation Red Nose, which runs this year until New Year’s Eve. They need 100 more volunteers.
“We could have had double the number of volunteers driving, and we still would have had a bit of a lineup,” said volunteer media liaison Elisha Dacey.
Operation Red Nose began in Winnipeg 29 years ago, and Dacey said, a change to their charitable host group in the last year has left the organization without access to its roster of regular volunteers and they’ve had to start from scratch.
Dacey, who volunteers as a driver, said she signed up because her cousin died in an impaired driving incident.
She said understanding the pain it caused to her aunt made her realize most people don’t understand how difficult it is for a family to experience such a loss.
She said the experience at the charity has been overwhelmingly positive.
“If by doing this, I prevent that from happening to another family, even once, then it’s worth it to me,” she said.
Dacey says making sure clients get home safely is all about spreading holiday cheer. Volunteer drivers will be fed a buffet meal and can have their gas costs reimbursed.
There is the option to volunteer as a couple or in groups of three.
“If you come in and you don’t have anyone else to volunteer with, then we’ll place you with a team, so nobody is left behind,” Dacey said, adding a driver’s licence and vehicle are all that’s required to help.
The Winnipeg Police Service has stepped up its efforts to keep impaired drivers off the road this holiday season. Every driver stopped at its holiday checkstop is now required to provide a breath sample and officers are also screening for drivers under the influence of cannabis or cocaine.
During Week 2 of its checkstop campaign, the WPS said it had stopped 1,018 vehicles and there were 35 impaired driving incidents, which included six criminal charges.
Those interested in volunteering with Operation Red Nose can fill out an application form at rednosewinnipeg.ca/volunteer.
fpcity@freepress.mb.ca
