The 2014 campaign for Operation Red Nose in the Tri-Cities, Burnaby and New Westminster was another very successful one. Not only were the number of rides up, but the average and overall donations were up too.  As usual, New Year’s Eve was by far the busiest night.

This year, 1011 rides were given over the nine nights, compared to 936 last year, however this 8 per cent increase pales in comparison to the overall donation increase.  The 2013 campaign saw $27,600 in client donations, while this year that figure jumped to $32,940 – an increase of 19 per cent.

Program Coordinator Chris Wilson, attributes this to a number of factors.  “I think there’s better awareness of the program, how it works and that the donations go to KidSport.  The community has been very supportive of KidSport over the years so when they get a chance to support it, they’re pretty generous. We also provided rides for a number of Christmas parties and many of the companies were very generous too.”

Sponsorship was also strong this year. “We had great support from Metropolis at Metrotown and the Hard Rock Casino Vancouver, so all our costs and more were covered by sponsorship.  This ensures that 100 per cent of client donations to go to KidSport.”  Approximately 150 lower income kids will now get a chance to play a season of sport in the community as a result of the donations.

Once again, New Year’s Eve was the busiest night and organizers were able to meet the demand by working hard to recruit more volunteers for that night. More than 100 volunteers were kept very busy providing 180 rides in the area. “We’ve been very lucky to have been able to recruit so many volunteers specifically for New Year’s over the last number of years. This year we had 59 people volunteer just for New Year’s Eve … that’s pretty phenomenal and in general, the volunteers have been absolutely amazing. We had 275 volunteers this year.”

The Tri-Cities, Burnaby and New Westminster chapter of Operation Red Nose is now the largest in Metro Vancouver and the third largest in BC, behind Kamloops and Prince George, but organizers are always looking for more volunteers and sponsors.  Please email orn@telus.net for more information.