After nearly 3 years of not operating in Williams Lake due to COVID, a volunteer safe ride home service will be returning this Holiday season.
Operation Red Nose has been given the green light to roll out Friday and Saturday nights beginning November 25th.
Deborah Pickering is the new Coordinator for Operation Red Nose and she said they started their preparations for it back in July getting sponsored vehicles, organizing the volunteers, and doing all the necessary administrative work.
Pickering noted that on the first 8 nights of the service they’ll have a minimum of 5 teams of 3 people giving those safe rides home.
“So we have a team that shows up with a vehicle and we find you at your location and our driver and navigator get into your vehicle with you and drive you home in your vehicle.” Pickering said, “Our Sponsor vehicle follows and picks up our team and takes them on to the next pickup.”
She added that on New Year’s Eve that number will double with ten vehicles ensuring safe rides.
This year’s Sponsored vehicles are Heartland Toyota, Cariboo Chevrolet Buick GMC, Lake City Ford, and Gustafson’s Chrysler Jeep.
Pickering said donations collected through Operation Red Nose will be divided among 4 non-profit youth groups in Williams Lake, the Cariboo-Chilcotin Youth Fiddle Society, Minor Hockey U18 Female Rep Team, Camp Likely, and the Cariboo-Chilcotin Gymnastics Association.
All those groups will also be providing the volunteers that are going to be driving people home.
Operation Red Nose will be available Friday and Saturday nights:
November 25 and 26
December 2 and 3, 9 and 10, 16 and 17, and the 31st from 9 pm to 3 am.
This year’s sponsor of Operation Red Nose is Williams Lake Community Policing Committee.
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