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Operation Red Nose searching for volunteers

Nov 22, 2015 | 7:12 AM

With the Christmas season just around the corner, organizers of the Operation Red Nose initiative in Prince Albert are once again searching for volunteers to help provide safe rides home during the holidays.

Operation Red Nose is a national road safety campaign aimed at reducing impaired driving during the holiday season. After a night out callers can contact volunteers with Operation Red Nose on designated evenings during December for a safe ride home.

Local organizer James Wilm said this is the fifth year that the Prince Albert Lions Club has helped to organize the project. He says it continues to grow in popularity each year.

“As of last year we had the highest number of safe rides in the province,” said Wilm. “We took well over 500 people home, so that was good in itself.”

Last year Wilm said they had roughly 40 volunteers who either drove or helped to navigate. He said they hope to get roughly that many this year as well.

“Every year this continues to grow as it becomes more well-known,” said Wilm. “The community is now calling us as far back as July because people are planning their Christmas events and they are planning them for when we (Operation Red Nose) are available.

“We are happy that the community is starting to plan ahead,” he added.

Anyone interested in volunteering this year as either a driver or a navigator can call the local Operation Red Nose number at 306-763-6673, or contact Suzanne Bantle at 306-764-3246 or Jim Wilm at 306-764-3632.

Dates for this year’s Operation Red Nose are: Nov. 27, 28; Dec 4, 5, 11, 12, 18, 19, and 31.

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