Looking for a different way to spend New Year's Eve this year?
Operation Red Nose Delta/Richmond is looking for volunteers to help get revelers home safely on what is typically the busiest night of the season.
Operation Red Nose is a Canada-wide program that eliminates the need for a designated driver on select holiday season nights.
Simply call 604-943-0460 between 9 p.m. and 3 a.m. and a small volunteer team will arrive to help you get home safely. A driver and a navigator will escort you home in your own vehicle, and a third volunteer will follow in another car to collect the driver and navigator after they drop you off.
"These last two years we have seen a large spike in the number of people using the service," said Carlene Lewall, co-ordinator of Operation Red Nose Delta/ Richmond.
"We are pleased that people are acting more responsibly by choosing Operation Red Nose. This also means that we need more volunteers," she said, particularly on New Year's Eve.
The service has been available in the area for 10 years and it's become a popular choice for many party-goers during the holiday season.
One recent weekend Delta police chief Jim Cessford and media relations officer Const. Ciaran Feenan accompanied Rudy, the Operation Red Nose mascot, on his rounds of local bars, pubs and Christmas parties to spread the word about the service.
Feenan said he was surprised at the number of people who already had the phone number programmed into their cell phones.
Cessford also helped kick off the campaign last month and said the program is a good example of "people looking after people."
"You know, the alternative is not all that great," he said. "Because we can pick you up and we can find a destination for you and you might not like the accommodation... With Operation Red Nose, you go home."
The service is not available Dec. 24 and 25 but it will be back in action on Dec. 31.
Clients are advised to call 604-943-0460 to arrange a ride 30 to 45 minutes in advance of their desired pick up time, and 60 minutes in advance after midnight.
ORN also launched a new mobile website this year. Smartphone users can simply type OperationRedeNose.com into their browser to get the phone number and dates for the service closest to them.
The service is free, but donations are greatly appreciated. All proceeds will benefit the Delta Sport Development Centre.
To volunteer with Operation Red Nose, visit www.operationrednosedelta. com or call 604-943-0460.
