Operation Red Nose Steinbach raises money for school

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This article was published 27/11/2023 (572 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Operation Red Nose Steinbach is raising money to help with the expansion of Ecole St Joachim in La Broquerie.

“Fundraising for this project will support additional needs for equipment and supplies not included in the capital construction funding,” said Jo-Anne Dalton, media coordinator for Operation Red Nose Steinbach. “A fitness room, without equipment, does not fulfill its purpose! Some of these needs include equipment for the arts/band room, equipment for the industrial arts and home economy programs, and furnishings.”

Since 2013, Operation Red Nose Steinbach has raised $63,665 for the expansion, last year generating $20,000 alone.

“Over the years the money has been going to that expansion. Now we’re at the point that we’re opening the expansion in September and it’s that last straight line towards the finish line I want to say,” said principal Karine Pilotte. “We are really seeing it coming together. That project is really coming together and it’s the end so it’s getting very exciting for the community and hopefully by next fall we’ll be able to show to the community this amazing new space that is available for high school students and also for the community. We hope to be able open our doors to have the community using our new space and this is something that we really look forward to.”

About 430 students that attend St Joachim will be able to enjoy a new fitness room, woodshop, STEM lab, and home economics room.

“There are many new spaces where we’ll be able to offer much more a variety of courses for our students,” said Pilotte.

Last year, the Steinbach chapter of Red Nose had 173 volunteers give 193 rides and received $4,661 in ride donations. The ride service will run every Friday and Saturday until New Year’s Eve, as well as Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Boxing Day, and New Year’s Eve. The service is offered from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m.

“Operation Red Nose there’s no other organization that beats it in offering free rides to people that are having fun going to Christmas parties, going to gatherings, and offering a free ride home plus driving your vehicle home in a safe way,” said Const. Dennis Redikop.

“This year alone, the Steinbach detachment, we averaged about 60 impaired investigations a year. This year we’re about 54. In Manitoba, just the RCMP jurisdiction, I think, we investigated about 500 impaired investigations and issued over 900 immediate roadside prohibitions involving alcohol.”

To schedule a ride or to volunteer visit www.operationrednose.com.

Operation Red Nose St Malo

This is the fourth year that Operation Red Nose St Malo has been driving people home since it began operations in 2018, and coordinator Charmaine Gosselin said the service is a treat for rural residents.

“It’s really important, especially for us rural folks who don’t have taxis, public transit, we always have to find an alternative ride home…What a treat for us rural folks to get to call Red Nose for 13 nights of the holiday season…It’s not just for people who consume alcohol or cannabis it’s for anyone to just get home safely.”

Rides are every Friday and Saturday night as well as Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Boxing Day, and New Year’s Eve.

New to this year’s campaign is the division of ride donations to the non-profits of the volunteers’ choice. Red Nose St Malo typically collects between $4,000 and $5,000 every season. Donations range from $10 to $40 depending on how far the driver must drive. One of the benefits of the ride service is that it will drive your car home for you.

The organization is looking for 200 volunteers. Last year, it had more than 150 volunteers.

“We’re giving back to volunteers’ non-profit of their choice. We hope that that will encourage them to work a shift. Because not only are they helping us keep the road safe, but they’re giving back to a non-profit that means a lot to them. We’re hoping that helps volunteers do a ride night. We have some businesses that are putting in a group of their employees. We love to encourage more of that because we’ve got some nights that are completely empty,” said Gosselin.

This year 46 business sponsors are supporting Red Nose either through financial donations or through in-kind products or services.

“When businesses sponsor us and help us that helps us pay for advertising, we have to provide food to our volunteers that’s one of the rules from Operation Red Nose national. We want to reimburse volunteers for their own personal gas they’re using on their personal vehicles…There are many, many expenses that we incur to put on this campaign. Without these sponsors we wouldn’t be able to afford it. The ride donations have to go back to non-profit groups that are either community use or sports related…When a business sponsors us we are actually able to use that for our expenses, which is so helpful,” said Gosselin.

Gosselin said the ride nights are really fun with people getting to meet new people and driving to different areas of service. She said shifts usually start around 7:45 p.m. and last until 3 a.m.

“Some people say there’s no way I can stay up that late and when they do try it out they’re impressed that the night went’ by so fast and we had a bunch of fun. It’s a busy night and it does go by because you’re constantly surprised by your radio telling you to go to a different ride and things like that. A lot of volunteers have said I’m shocked that I’m not as tired as I thought I’d be. It’s just so fun.”

To schedule a ride with Red Nose or to volunteer, visit www.stmalorednose.com. The communities being served by Red Nose St Malo are all the towns along Highway 59 from Lorette to Tolstoi and Highway 75 from St. Adolphe to Dominion City.