Operation Red Nose has wrapped up for another season and the benefits of the program will soon be reaped.
Red Nose chair Ted Hewitt said while an exact number is not known at the moment, the service provided between 270 and 280 rides during the holiday season and that people donated money to the service more freely than in years past.
“We’re within two or three clients of the last two years, but we had a better year in that we had a higher amount of donations from the clients. I don’t know why, but economically, it was a better year.”
Three years ago, the ride service hit a new high water mark for users. Since then, Red Nose has offered around the same amount of rides each year.
“The last six or seven years, on average, it went up every year. For want of a better word, it’s flatlined now. I don’t know why. Maybe we’ve reached the capacity of the community or what, I don’t know what it is,” said Hewitt.
Hewitt was pleased with the level of volunteer involvement with Red Nose this year. In total, people from the community put in 146 volunteer shifts during the holiday season, right in line with the last two years.
“We were right there and were quick. People were happy. On New Year’s Eve, we’re always fighting to get more people, but this year we had seven teams that came out. We’re quite happy with that. We always have various groups that bring people out. If they said they were going to bring three teams or four teams, they did,” said Hewitt.
While Red Nose drivers are not paid, they do accept tips and donations for their work. The proceeds are donated to community youth programming, including organized sports and school programs.
“The money that we raised in December hasn’t been designated yet. We wait for requests and we review the requests and donate money accordingly,” said Hewitt.
The list of Flin Flon groups that have received funds from Operation Red Nose in recent years is a long one, said Hewitt. The Flin Flon Ski Club, Flin Flon Skating Club, Phantom Lake Soccer Club, Flin Flon Minor Hockey, the Aqua Doves and École McIsaac School have all received donations from the program, along with two scholarships for high school graduates.
“Most of it goes to organized sports, but it’s all involved with children’s activities,” said Hewitt.
