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More than 60 safe rides home given in Langley over first Operation Red Nose weekend

Volunteer ride service is looking for drivers and dispatch workers to help out this month
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After a two-year absence, Operation Red Nose (ORN) volunteers returned to the streets of Langley to offer safe rides home this past weekend.

Langley Minor Hockey Association (LMHA) took over the reins of ORN earlier this year and officially launched the service on Friday, Nov. 29.

Jennifer Kingwell, LMHA administrator, said overall, the first weekend was a fairly smooth ride.

“We had 60 plus volunteers between the two nights and provided over 60 safe rides home,” Kingwell explained. “There were lots of great stories and so many happy and appreciative clients. Rudy was out spreading the word with numerous pub visits.”

For the past 24 years in B.C., the service has provided a team of three volunteers to pick callers up and drive them in their own vehicle to the destination of their choice.

One volunteer drives, a second navigates, and a third volunteer follows in an escort vehicle to pick up the volunteers – all done free of charge.

ORN’s duties are far from over as the holiday season enters into full swing; Kingwell said the team is actively looking for more volunteers and will be accepting interested applicants all month long.

“Our goal is to recruit more volunteers so we can have 10 to 15 driving teams per campaign night. This way we can reduce the wait time for our clients and ultimately keep the roads safer for the community,” Kingwell explained.

Read More: Operation Red Nose B.C. kicks off season in Langley

Covering all of Langley-Township and Surrey, ORN runs every Friday and Saturday night Dec. 29 from 9 p.m. to 3 a.m. as well as Tuesday, Dec. 31. – New Year’s Eve.

The service runs on donations, any money given by ORN users will go towards LHMA to help bring down fees for young hockey players.

Anyone interested in signing up and get involved, more information can be found at www.langleyminorhockey.ca/operation-red-nose or on their Facebook page.

The local Red Nose number to call if a ride is needed is 604-539-9082.

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Email: ryan.uytdewilligen@langleyadvancetimes.com

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