Operation Red Nose Experiences Most Successful Campaign Yet!

North Shore, January 4, 2008 – One hundred and fifty-two dedicated volunteers provided over two hundred volunteer nights of service. About 50 volunteers were Rotarians; the remainder were from the community at large. They provided 313 safe rides for North Shore residents over eight evenings in December. They covered over 7600 kilometers and received donations just over $7800 which will be used by the Rotary Clubs to support youth programs on the North Shore. These volunteers were critical to the success of the program! Many of them volunteered on several nights! Thank you!

To quote Sgt Joe Arduini of the North Vancouver RCMP Detachment “ORN also ensured that the community itself was kept safe because none those drivers were involved in collisions, which would cost all of us. I am not talking about the financial burden, but emotionally and psychological as well.”

Partners and Sponsors
Although the service is co-ordinated by the North Shore Rotary Clubs, this service is only possible with the support provided by Rotary and community volunteers as well as the provincial hosts and community partners and sponsors. Provincial support is provided by the BC Crime Prevention Association, the BC Autoplan Broker Road Safety Program, ICBC, and CTV. On the North Shore, ICBC provided the Claim Centre as our Headquarters, the RCMP did the criminal checks, the North Shore News provided the advertising, Cell City Communications provided the cell phones, and Capilano Audi / Volkswagen provided many of the escort cars. In addition, financial sponsorship was provided by the North Shore Credit Union, Prudential Sussex, Park Royal, Ginger Jar, Lee & Porter Insurance Brokers, Peake & Richmond Ltd., North Shore Studios, Cowboy Coffee, the City of North Vancouver, the District of North Vancouver, the District of West Vancouver, and many other corporate sponsors. A special thank you goes to the many restaurants, pubs, and lounges that also supported the program financially and encouraged their clients to use the service. The sponsorship funding of approximately $17,000 supplements the donations which will support youth programs and cover program expenses.

Comparison with 2005 and 2006
Compared to the past two years, the number of rides has increased (295 in both 2005 and 2006); donations have increased slightly year over year; the number of volunteers have decreased year over year since our high 220 in 2005; financial sponsorships have increased over last two years.

Organizing Committee 2007
The organizing committee for 2007 included Jim Godey (coordinator), Sue Godey (sponsorship), Sonia Wolowidnyk (headquarters), Riet Carter (treasurer), Fred Sverre (facilities), Mark Ferrari (poster delivery), and Janice Bosley (media and volunteer coordination). A special thank you to the HQ team leaders and the volunteers who assisted with the poster distribution and with contacting potential sponsors.

BC Results
The North Shore is one of nine regions in BC providing this service. Some 2756 volunteers provided over 4500 safe rides and raised $93,500 to support youth programs in BC.

National Results
Nationally, over 53000 volunteers provided safe rides for 76,800 clients and raised $1,300,000 for youth programs in Canada.

Visit http://www.operationrednose.com for information on the national program. For information about how to become involved in ORN on the North Shore in 2008, call Jim Godey at 604-837-2362 or email james_godey@telus.net.


SUMMARY

Year	# rides	# volunteer nights	# of teams	Donations	# of KM	Financial Sponsorship (before expenses)
2007	313	205	58	$7,807.00	7636	$17,124
2006	295	208	59	$7,196.00	6802	$12,793
2005	295	220	62	$6,860.00	7535	$12,135