Red Nose provides 967 safe rides home

$23,258 raised for Pronghorn Athletics

They travelled more than 19,000 kilometres and raised $23,258. More important, Operation Red Nose ran 967 missions over the holiday period, assuring Lethbridge residents a safe ride home after their evening get-togethers.

And more than 750 volunteers stepped forward to provide that service, points out Eoin Colquhoun.

Communications and operations manager for Pronghorn Athletics and Recreation at the University of Lethbridge, Colquhoun reports 112 rides were provided on New Year’s Eve, the final run of the 10-day safe-driving campaign.

In addition to donations from the passengers ferried home, he says local businesses contributed $15,450 in support of the annual project. The combined total, $38,708 will help fund the university’s Pronghorn Athletics teams.

Over the 23 years Operation Red Nose has operated here, Colquhoun says more than $728,000 has been raised to fund the men’s and women’s sports teams. But the service could not be successful “without the immense support from volunteers, local businesses and the entire community.”

The U of L service is one of three offered in Alberta — and more than 100 across Canada.

This year’s operations involved 51,261 volunteers, a national spokesperson says, and provide 71,430 rides for an unrecorded number of party-goers.

That includes 1,443 rides in Alberta, provided by the Pronghorns program and smaller initiatives, thanks to 897 volunteers in three communities. The project now raises an estimated $1.5 million each year for local youth or sports organizations.

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