From top left: Bob Mercer, Erin Munn, Nicole Combres, Randy Kirkham, Barb Kirby, Linda Coe-Kirkham, Jewelene Ironstand. (submitted photo/Linda Coe-Kirkham)

By Julia Lovett-Squires

Red Nose

Operation Red Nose kicks off in the Battlefords Nov. 29

Nov 20, 2024 | 1:31 PM

Now in its 16th season of serving Saskatchewan, Operation Red Nose will once again give partygoers another option to get home safely. In The Battlefords, Concern For Youth, the organization running the program, is already getting calls for bookings.

“Concern For Youth is all about mentorship and modelling positive choices for young people,” said Linda Coe-Kirkham, CFY executive director, of the reason they took the reins last year from KidSport.

“The fact that Operation Red Nose is focused on keeping people who have had a little bit too much to drink over the holiday season off the roads, it was a perfect fit for our organization.”

In their inaugural year, volunteers in the famous red vests provided rides to over 360 people and raised about $6,000 which went to support programming such as mentorship and transportation for their young charges.

“We had a very committed small core group of volunteers – there was 12 in total, and they did 12 different evenings I believe,” she said, noting they’re all back this year in addition to some others.

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According to Jeremy Pilon, communication consultant for SGI Media Relations, the yearly initiative, which has been serving Canadians since 1983, does a lot to help and encourages people to give it a try.

“You’re going to have some fun stories to share with your friends about it; these are real people trying to do good in their communities,” he said.

Pilon explained those who participate find they get to meet and connect with people they wouldn’t normally get a chance to in day-to-day living. According to Coe-Kirkham, users of the service reach out to the call centre and a dispatcher will assign the caller to a driving team.

“There’s a navigator and a driver that go out and we pick up the client and somebody drives them home in their own car and we have another vehicle (donated by local dealerships) that follows behind and picks up our driver,” she said.

The service is only for people who have driven themselves to events however, if a person initially ventured out in a cab, they need to find alternative transportation home.

“Our focus is get your vehicle home safe and we’re happy to have you in it.”

New this year will be the addition of two Thursday evenings. Typically, they only run on Friday and Saturday, but the volunteers have already heard about upcoming events held earlier in the week.

The teams will be running from Nov. 29 to Dec. 31 but during the “prime weekends” of Dec. 12 to 14 and Dec. 19 to 21, the volunteers will be available from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. Meanwhile they’ll run until 3 a.m. on New Year’s Eve.

This year, donations to the annual campaign will go towards covering printing costs for a cookbook that the CFY young people have been working on for the past year.

“They’ve been testing recipes and writing them out and illustrating their cookbook and telling stories about comfort food in their families,” she said.

The project’s pages also contain memories of gathering together and sharing food.

The funds will also be used to enhance supplies for their arts mentorship program for youth who haven’t been given a chance to get involved in organized activities but have aptitude for the arts that opportunity by working with a professional artist.

“Learn some skills and receive some mentorship in terms of expressing and being creative ‘cause that’s a need that we have,” she said.

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julia.lovettsquires@pattisonmedia.com

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