Operation Red Nose back in Lethbridge

Operation Red Nose is returning for its 26th year in Lethbridge following a two year hiatus. It is dedicated to helping eliminate impaired driving during the holiday season. If you have had a few too many drinks and need a ride home a registered volunteer will come down to drive you home in your own vehicle.

Neil Langevin, the executive director of the University of Lethbridge Pronghorn Athletics, says Operation Red Nose is a fundraising event to help support their teams. Over $815,000 has been generated since its inception and he says he is hoping it will be successful again this year.

“This year we actually tried to look at it through a completely different lens, and that was solely through community service. We’re looking at any donations and our corporate sponsorship as basically bonus for our groups this year. We know coming back after the pandemic, we’re not sure, how popular the service will be. In the past, it would be an annual amount of between $30-40,000 that has been generated. We didn’t focus on the dollars, but that would be historical.”

In 2019, Operation Red Nose provided 868 rides over 10 nights, with the help from more than 569 volunteers. During the 2019 holiday season, Operation Red Nose collected $21,608.50 in donations from patrons that used the service and another $18,450 in corporate donations for a yearly total of $40,058.50. All proceeds went directly back to Pronghorn teams.

Operation Red Nose will start on December 2. Volunteers will have to receive a criminal record check from the Lethbridge Police Service to be able to get out and drive.

For more information on Operation Red Nose you can visit https://gohorns.ca/