Operation Red Nose begins a fifth year in Northumberland

Pete Fisher
5 years ago
• Categories: Community

By Cecilia Nasmith/Today’s Northumberland
YMCA Northumberland has once again teamed up with Cobourg and Port Hope police services to offer Operation Red Nose for a fifth holiday season.

Last year, Operation Red Nose not only offered a designated-driver program to make local roads safer, the YMCA press release said – it also raised $35,000 towards the YMCA Strong Communities Campaign.

Operation Red Nose is a nation-wide program designed to fight impaired driving though a confidential volunteer-driven service to any individual who is impaired (or just does not feel fit to drive home).

It swings into action when that person calls 905-377-1218. Three volunteers take off in the escort vehicle to the pick-up location, Two of them (the Designated Driver and the Navigator) drive the client and any passengers to the destination of their choice in the client’s vehicle. The third volunteer is the Escort Driver, who drives the Escort Card to collect the Designated Driver and Navigator when the client and passengers are dropped off.

Though it is also free, anyone who would like to give back is encouraged to make a donation that will be passed along in its entirety to the Strong Communities Campaign.

Nine Operation Red Nose dates have been announced, with the program headquartered at the Cobourg Police Station and operating between 9 p.m. and 2 a.m. Nov. 29 and 30, as well as Dec. 6, 7, 13, 14, 20, 21 and 31.

In 2018, 200 Operation Red Nose volunteers gave 277 rides, driving 9,045 km. in all.

Also last year, no impaired-driving arrests were made in Cobourg and Port Hope on Operation Red Nose nights.

The call is out for volunteers to make Operation Red Nose 2019 a success. And thanks to the program’s generous sponsors, all volunteer Escort Drivers will be given gas cards to cover mileage expenses on their own vehicles.

For more information about volunteering, visit //ymcanrt.org/orn.

To learn more about sponsorship opportunities, contact Leslie Murray at 905-372-9247 ext. 305 or leslie.murray@nrt.ymca.ca.