Successful Opening Weekend For Operation Red Nose

Operation Red Nose kicked off it's third season this weekend with twenty six volunteers providing 29 safe rides to people in Steinbach, La Broquerie and the surrounding areas.

Janelle Nadeau Wilson is the volunteer coordinator for Operation Red Nose out of La Broquerie, she says the volunteers had a great time in the community, offering safe rides and spending time playing games in the lounge as they waited for calls to come in. She says, “We really want to reiterate the fact that people not be shy or hesitate to call, because our volunteers don't sign up to sit at the headquarters and do nothing. Because as soon as the phone rings, everybody is excited and jumps up, and everybody wants to give somebody a ride.” 

“Don't be ashamed, don't be shy, call us. We want to do it and that's why people are signing up. The busier it is the faster the time goes by, and the more fun people have.”

Eight of the nine evenings that Operation Red Nose is running it's free service have been filled, according to Nadeau Wilson. “We are still looking for people for New Year's Eve, all the other nights are taken up by groups. New Year's Eve is when we need the most people. We really cannot have too many, we actually brought in more phones to accommodate New Year's Eve because it was absolutely crazy last year. We won't reject anybody, if we get sixty, we will take them all and use them all. Right now we are standing at about twenty volunteers, but we'll definitely take everybody we can get.”

All of the volunteers are provided with food, so Nadeau Wilson says if people don't have time to volunteer, donations of fruit or vegetable platters, appetizers, or anything would be appreciated.

Nadeau Wilson adds, “When you call for a ride, depending where our teams are, there's usually about a ten to fifteen minute wait. We have four people show up, two of those people go with you in your vehicle, the other two people follow behind in an Operation Red Nose vehicle. We bring you wherever you need to go whether that's home, to the next party, a restaurant, to anywhere. At the end of the ride we drop you off, do some paperwork, make sure you have your keys, then off you go.”

For a safe ride home, you can call Operation Red Nose on Friday and Saturday evenings from 9 p.m. to 3 a.m. At 204-424-9555 and they will safely drive you, and your vehicle home if you live in the Steinbach, La Broquerie or surrounding communities.

To volunteer on December 31, contact Janelle at 204-371-1018.

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Two Million Safe Rides Home