A word from our President

It is with great pleasure that we welcome you to our Operation Red Nose web site.

On December 13th 1984, when we first launched our unique service in Quebec City, we had two motives in mind : to provide our community with a great service and to help young athletes pursue their performance objectives.

At the time, the service was developed and organized by Laval University 's Rouge et Or Swim Club, the Quebec City Police Services and CHRC Radio Station.  The challenge was tremendous. The credibility of the service needed to be established and inebriated motorists needed to be convinced that letting someone sober drive their vehicle was a good idea.  For many of them, doing such a thing meant showing weakness and that very thought was just unimaginable.  At the time, the words « designated driver » didn't mean much to most people. 

Nevertheless, from a very modest beginning, Operation Red Nose has become an important national awareness campaign which greatly contributes to reducing accidents caused by impaired driving.  Today, a large majority of people make sure that they will get home safely at the end of the evening by planning ahead before the beginning of the evening.  These people keep the phone number of a relative, a friend, a taxi company or that of Operation Red Nose, during the Holiday Season, on hand.  They find out about the possibility to stay overnight when they attend a function at a friend's house, or they use public transportation when it's possible.

The message of Operation Red Nose is positive, friendly and non-judgmental.  From year to year, in Canada, Operation Red Nose accomplishes more than 80,000 rides and raises more than $ 1,300,000 in donation to support various youth programs.  The number of local organizations who host Operation Red Nose also increases continuously.  There are now 100 organizations in Canada, some twenty in Switzerland, four in France and one in Portugal. 

In these regions, the success of Operation Red Nose heavily relies on the solid network of sponsors, the media, police services, the population in general and, of course, the many volunteers who take part in the campaign.   

I salute all of these people for their exceptional community involvement! Together, we have succeeded to turn Operation Red Nose into a Holiday Season tradition and a true winter treat.  And it is together, again, that we will make the upcoming campaign another success that meets all expectancies.

Have fun consulting our web site, and have a great Operation Red Nose campaign!

Jean-Marie De Koninck

Founding President