P.A. Lion's Club members stand in front of chart tracking 2018 ride numbers. (Alison Sandstrom/paNOW Staff)

By Alison Sandstrom

Preventing drunk driving

Holiday ride program seeks volunteers

Nov 15, 2019 | 11:28 AM

The P.A. branch of a national anti-drunk driving initiative is putting out a call for volunteers.

Run by the P.A. Lion’s Club, Operation Red Nose has been helping local revelers get home safe during the holiday season for the past 10 years.

“Every year it gets bigger and bigger,” organizer Suzanne Bantle told paNOW.

This season will be Bantle’s ninth year as a volunteer organizer.

“This is a great way to serve the community because then we’re not going to have a lot of people driving under the influence and a lot of accidents and death,” she said.

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Last year a team of 45 volunteers provided rides for 779 people. Working Friday and Saturday nights through the month of December, plus New Year Eve, volunteers operate in teams of three. One drives a vehicle donated by a local dealership, another gets behind the wheel of the client’s car, while a third serves as the navigator.

Some people donate multiple weekends of their time, while others work only a few nights.

“We’re a known commodity now. The public knows about us, the businesses know about us and they feel it is a worthwhile endeavor to sponsor,” Lion’s Club member John Alexdersen said.

Though rides are free, any donations made by patrons are donated to Prince Albert schools for them to spend on youth programming of their choice. Last year $8,000 was donated to 10 schools. The money was used to buy books, upgrade playgrounds and paint murals.

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alison.sandstrom@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @alisandstrom