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October 31, 2019 - 1:44 PM
For those looking to donate some time over the holidays while connecting with friends new and old, this might be for you.
Operation Red Nose is a holiday initiative where volunteers work to keep the roadways safe during the holiday season with a by-donation driving service, according to a media release. Proceeds go toward PacificSport, which helps fund amateur sports programs in the B.C. Interior. The service is available to those who have a vehicle and need it to get to their destination safely.
This year, organizers have put out a call for 250 new volunteers to help prevent impaired driving. Many of the returning volunteers they’ve had for years are now retiring from their roles and coordinators Katie Klassen and Tara Holmes are calling for more recruits.
"I have been volunteering for Operation Red Nose for about six years,” Holmes says in the release. “We have so much fun helping with this service and keeping impaired drivers off the road, and raising funds for PacificSport sure makes it worthwhile. I am confident that if a team of three comes out to volunteer for one night, they will have so much fun and they will come back for more.”
The volunteers work in teams of three as they drive for people who may have gotten into too much eggnog but the by-donation service is also available for people who are not impaired.
Some of the volunteer positions that need to be filled include dispatcher, designated driver, escort driver, navigator and phone operator. You can sign up with family or friends, or volunteer solo and get paired with other volunteers.
Operation Red Nose runs on Nov. 29 and 30, as well as every Thursday, Friday and Saturday night in December, as well as New Year's Eve. The drivers are available from 8 p.m. to 3 a.m. on Friday and Saturday nights, and from 8 p.m. to 2 a.m. on Thursdays.
Volunteers can commit to as many shifts as they want, and each shift is six hours. Around 200 volunteers filled 623 positions during the 2018 holiday season.
Volunteers must complete an application form and new volunteers must have a police information check. Visit the Tournament Capital Centre, Volunteer Kamloops or the Desert Gardens Seniors Community Centre to pick up the forms, or go to the organization's website here.
To find out more about Operation Red Nose, call 250-320-0650 or send an email to kamloops@operationrednose.com.
To contact a reporter for this story, email Jenna Wheeler or call (250) 819-6089 or email the editor. You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom and be entered to win a monthly prize draw.
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