Operation Red Nose is back, and volunteers will be hitting the roads this weekend to get those who celebrated with alcohol home safely.
Operation Red Nose Langley-Surrey is organized by volunteers from the Langley Gymnastics Foundation.
Anyone who calls in for a ride will be met by a volunteer team of three people.
The volunteers, in their red vests, will take you home in your own car, while another volunteer follows behind the team’s escort vehicle.
You might also get a chance to meet Rudy, the Operation Red Nose mascot, a friendly reindeer.
Pre-bookings are not available, but calling 30 to 45 minutes before a needed ride is the best way.
The volunteers work long, late shifts on the weekends leading up to Christmas and through New Years, said Mike Biggin, the coordinator of Operation Red Nose.
“Volunteers would be the biggest thing that we need,” Biggin said.
There has been a steady increase in the number of people using the service.
“It goes up a bit every year,” he explained.
The local operation can take you anywhere in Langley and Surrey, or hand you off to a team from neighbouring communities for a trip to other parts of the Lower Mainland. Only Vancouver doesn’t have an Operation Red Nose.
The ride home is free, but donations are gratefully accepted, via cash or credit card. The donations go to youth sports.
This year’s hours of operation are from 9 p.m. to 3 a.m., Nov. 25 and 26, and December 2, 3, 9, 10, 16, 17, and 31.
To contact ORN for a ride, call 604-532-0888.
Operation Red Nose is supported by numerous local businesses and donors.