Operation Red Nose is returning in the Flin Flon area for eight nights this winter, hoping to provide safe rides home and help for community organizations.
The service has been offering drives over the holiday season in Flin Flon for well over two decades. This year, the service will run through late November and into December, starting Nov. 25 and running Dec. 1 and 2, 8 and 9, 15 and 16 and on New Year’s Eve.
“Of our eight nights, the first seven are filled - they were filled within a week and a half,” said Red Nose chair Ted Hewitt. Now in his final year as chair, Hewitt said that community response for getting involved has exceeded his expectations.
“Things are actually going very, very well for us and it’s all due to the work from various committee members. One person can’t do it all, but you can spread it out," he said.
For anyone needing a ride home during the winter weekends, Red Nose drives are free - drivers take you home in your own vehicle, drop you and the car at home and get a lift back to the main headquarters (at Flin Flon city hall) with a chase driver who follows behind. While the drives cost nothing, drivers do accept tips - the money that gets collected during the drives is pooled and eventually donated to youth organizations and kids’ sports programs. Gas certificates are provided for drivers to cover costs relating to the drives.
“We wait for a request and the requests have to come from children's organizations, preferably organized sports and children's organizations. We might give out 10, 12 different cheques each year,” said Hewitt.
“The other places in Manitoba, they're representing an organization - in Winnipeg, all the money they get goes to the swimming club. That’s one thing - other places are similar. Here in Flin Flon, maybe sometimes it's a project that could help kids or a league or something - but we’re a bit different.”
The list of community causes the Red Nose committee has donated to is long - long enough that the list of projects that haven’t seen funding might be shorter.
“We’ve donated to just about every park in the community, between Flin Flon and Creighton - whether it be a soccer field or a playground, we’ve donated to it,” said Hewitt.
“The ski club, minor hockey, minor ball, soccer, all of that - most of organizations have asked to work a night and bring volunteers, and as long as they want money for kids’ activities, it’s a given.”
Anyone hoping to volunteer with Red Nose can contact Hewitt at (204) 687-7450.
