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.
Lois Burke didn't get home until about 6 a.m. on the first morning of 2004. But rather than partying throughout the night, she was helping to make the roads safer. Burke, much better known by her nickname Bunny, and fellow volunteers spent the last hours of 2003 and the first hours of 2004 driving home people who were unfit to go behind the wheel themselves. Operation Red Nose, which provides those people with rides home in their own vehicles, was another success this year. The service gave 254 rides throughout December, including 54 on New Year's Eve, the busiest night. "I personally think it's a really good service," said Burke, who co-chaired Red Nose along with Ted Hewitt. "You get that sense of achievement that people are getting home safe and sound. You feel like you're contributing to the safety of your community." An initiative of the Rotary Club of Flin Flon, Red Nose was again headquartered at Flin Flon City Hall and operated each Friday and Saturday night throughout December, as well as New Year's Eve. A team of three volunteers responded to each call. A driver and navigator took the caller home in his or her own vehicle while the third volunteer followed in an escort vehicle. At the end of each trip, the escort vehicle returned the team of volunteers back to City Hall. While Red Nose is complimentary, organizers gladly accepted donations. Those who used the service throughout December donated about $2,300. "We had 95 per cent, maybe 98 per cent, of people donate something," noted Burke. All money raised through Red Nose is earmarked for youth recreational initiatives. Some of this year's donations, for instance, will go toward upgrading Rotary Park. Other initiatives supported by Red Nose include playground development at Parkdale School and new helmets for the sports program at Creighton Community School. See 'Rides' P.# Con't from P.# It turned out that 2003 was one of the busiest years yet for the local Red Nose program, with about 25 per cent more rides compared to 2002. While some people might see helping out on a night like New Year's Eve as a sacrifice, the Red Nose volunteers couldn't have disagreed more. In between giving rides, the volunteers watched movies, played games, munched on snacks and generally enjoyed themselves. "It was amazing how people just sat and talked and visited," commented Burke. As far as getting the word out about Red Nose, Burke said the local media was instrumental in ensuring people knew about the service and what phone number to call. The Rotary Club has spearheaded Operation Red Nose in the community each December since 1999. Operation Red Nose is a national program that provides thousands of rides each year in hundreds of communities. A variety of non-profit groups organize the program in each community. Flin Flon was one of five Red Nose sites in Manitoba. The others were based in Winnipeg, Brandon, The Pas and Thompson.
