The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Jonathon Naylor Editor Ted Hewitt didn't get home until 4:30 the first morning of 2013, but it wasn't because he was out partying. Instead, he and his fellow volunteers spent the end of 2012 and the beginning of the New Year keeping the streets of Flin Flon and area safe. They manned the final night of Operation Red Nose, a free service that throughout December gave rides home to 204 people who were unfit to go behind the wheel. 'I think I can probably speak for both Bill and I (and say) we got great satisfaction from it,' said Hewitt, co-chair of Red Nose along with Bill Morrell. Organized by the Rotary Club, Red Nose marked its 14th consecutive holiday season in Flin Flon. The service operated on eight Friday and Saturday nights as well as New Year's Eve, which, not surprisingly, was the busiest night with 40 rides. While overall rides were up slightly over last year, donations are expected to hold steady. Though the service is free, almost all callers gave their drivers a tip, with the final tally coming in at a little over $3,500. See 'Gener..' on pg.7 Con't from pg.3 Once donations from local and provincial sponsors are factored in, Red Nose is expected to generate close to $12,000, on par with past years. And as in previous years, those funds will be pumped into youth recreation initiatives. Past beneficiaries include the Flin Flon Skatepark, playgrounds, organized soccer, Flin Flon Minor Hockey, Camp Whitney and the Aqua Centre. Hewitt said this year's funds have not yet been earmarked for any particular initiative. 'So we'll basically wait until a major project comes up or we get requests for donations,' he said. 'It may all go to a single project or it may all go to a dozen projects, depending on the need in the community.' Red Nose sees a team of three volunteers respond to each call. A driver and navigator take the caller home in his or her own vehicle while the third volunteer follows in an escort vehicle. Teams went as far into Saskatchewan as Denare Beach and as far into Manitoba as Bakers Narrows. At the end of each trip, the escort brings the team back to Flin Flon City Hall _ the headquarters donated by the city. Volunteer help The initiative required the help 115 volunteers, many of whom worked more than one night behind the wheel or answering phones. That may sound like a lot, especially in comparison to other local volunteer initiatives, but it wasn't always enough. 'On some nights it was too many and on New Year's Eve (it) was probably not enough,' said Hewitt, adding that all volunteers, of course, were greatly appreciated. Eight businesses and organizations supplied volunteers: Border Explorers Snowmobile Club; Hudbay; Flin Flon Lions Club; Creighton School Division; Knights of Columbus; Flin Flon Credit Union; United Steelworkers; and the Flin Flon Ski Club. As useful as their efforts were in keeping roads safe, the volunteers found themselves having plenty of fun between calls. They played cards, socialized and munched on snacks. 'There's a lot of fellowship,' Hewitt said. Noting that Red Nose is becoming better known in the community, Hewitt commended both The Reminder and CFAR for their work to promote the service. The original plan was to operate on 11 nights this holiday season, but the first two dates _ Nov. 30 and Dec. 1 _ had to be cancelled due to technical difficulties. Having spearheaded Red Nose each December since 1999, the Rotary Club expects to run the program again next holiday season. Red Nose is a national program that provides thousands of rides each year in hundreds of communities.
