I would like to respond to Erin Delorme’s letter to the editor, Operation Red Nose Doesn’t Help At Other Times Of The Year (The Daily news, Jan. 2).

First, the Operation Red Nose Kamloops Chapter is tied to a national organization that started in 1984 in Quebec as a not-for-profit organization.  We follow the guidelines mandated by the national Red Nose headquarters.

Operation Red Nose is a campaign established only for the holiday season to create awareness and education for people to get in the habit of getting a safe ride home for any reason during this time.  Red Nose Kamloops has been operating for 16 campaigns with the dedication of committed volunteers.  We have over 500 volunteer positions for the 11 nights of service for this year alone.  It was mentioned we only do six nights which is incorrect as we offer the service every Friday and Saturday night from November 30 to New Year’s Eve, which equals 11 nights for 2012.

Operation Red Nose applauds all efforts to get home safely. We encourage the use of Zero Tolerance, cab companies and designated drivers. The Red Nose campaign is a free service, however if people choose to donate, 100 per cent of the proceeds go to support local amateur sports through PacificSport.  This is a win-win for our great community! I would like to thank all our volunteers, sponsors and our co-ordinator, Katie Klassen for another great campaign that saw 1,094 people get home safely!

In closing, I encourage everyone to have the numbers programmed in their phone for Zero Tolerance (778-220-9376), Yellow Cabs (250-374-3333), Kami Cabs (250-374-9999) or a designated person. The Operation Red Nose number will be published for our 2013 Campaign in November. Let’s celebrate all the options we have that contribute to a safer community!

CAROLYN BOOMER

Founder, Operation Red Nose Kamloops