Operation Red Nose has begun another holiday season in the Battlefords.
The annual campaign to get holiday revellers safely home as an alternative to drinking and driving was launched Wednesday afternoon at the Gold Eagle Casino.
The plan is for volunteers to drive individuals safely home in their own vehicle from functions this holiday season. Local numbers to call are 306-446-7177 (landline) or 306-480-9876 (cell).
The free service will run on weekends starting Nov. 25 and 26 and will continue each weekend on Dec. 2, 3, 9, 10, 16 and 17 and Dec. 31, New Year's Eve, which is its final night of operation.
In 2015 Operation Red Nose provided 224 rides in the Battlefords with 37 volunteers taking part.
This is the 33rd annual national campaign for Operation Red Nose and the eighth in a row for the Battlefords, the first Saskatchewan community to be part of the national campaign.
Prince Albert, Saskatoon and Regina now have Operation Red Nose campaigns of their own. Across the province, 929 rides were provided last year.
In all, 102 communities across Canada have Operation Red Nose campaigns.
The North Battleford Lions Club organizes the local effort and SGI is on board as a major sponsor. Representatives from the RCMP, the City of North Battleford and Town of Battleford were on hand for the launch as well, and they all credited the program for saving lives and preventing drinking and driving.
"I remember when it started," said Mayor Ryan Bater of North Battleford. "I thought it was great then, and I still think it's great today."
He called the program a "win-win" for the community and thanked Operation Red Nose for their efforts.
Mayor Ames Leslie of Battleford also paid tribute, saying as a 16-year member of the Battleford Fire Department he's had to attend his share of accident scenes.
"It's never an easy day to attend those things," said Leslie, as he also thanked Operation Red Nose.
As part of its mandate Operation Red Nose raises money for local youth amateur sports. The local organization estimated over $50,000 has been raised for various local youth sports organizations over its run.
Local proceeds will once again go to KidSport, an organization that helps underprivileged youth to be involved in organized sports. Last year, a final donation of $13,000 was made to that organization.
David Schell, co-chair of Battlefords KidSport, provided some statistics on the work they do. Last year they helped 223 local kids participate in sports and paid for registrations in the amount of $42,600. This is KidSport's largest fundraiser of the year.
