From left: SGI representative Mike San Miguel, Operation Red Nose national headquarters coordinator Marie-Chantal Fortin, Battleford Mayor Ames Leslie, mascot Rudy the Red Nose, North Battleford Mayor Kelli Hawtin, Concern for Youth executive director Linda Coe-Kirkham, board chair Jennifer Schmidt, and RCMP Inspector Ryan Howe pose for a photo during the launch of Operation Red Nose’s 2025 campaign at the Concern for Youth office in North Battleford on Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025. (Kenneth Cheung/battlefordsNOW)

By Kenneth Cheung

A SAFER HOLIDY SEASON

Operation Red Nose kicks off 2025 campaign in the Battlefords, marking 15 years on the road

Nov 4, 2025 | 1:33 PM

The national and Saskatchewan launch of Operation Red Nose’s 2025 holiday campaign took place Tuesday at the Battlefords Concern for Youth office, marking 15 years of helping holiday revelers find a safe ride home.

The volunteer-run service provides free, safe rides home for motorists and their vehicles during the holiday season. It operates through local partnerships between Concern for Youth, SGI, the RCMP and Operation Red Nose Canada.

“This is a really exciting day for us,” said Jennifer Schmidt, chair of Concern for Youth.

She said the campaign doubles as a fundraiser and a community-building effort.

“All of the fundraising dollars that [we’re] able to capture through Operation Red Nose will go directly to helping kids in our community.”

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Executive director Linda Coe-Kirkham said this is the group’s third year leading the initiative after taking it over from the Lions Club and a team led by RBC volunteers.

“Once you get started, the volunteers don’t want to leave. They have a great time,” she said.

Over 15 campaigns, volunteers in the Battlefords have provided nearly 2,900 rides, supported by about 1,800 volunteers.

The service will run on Fridays, Saturdays and New Year’s Eve between Nov. 28 and Dec. 31. Teams of three volunteers — a driver, a navigator and an escort driver — bring people and their vehicles home safely. Donations are voluntary, but every dollar stays local to fund youth mentorship, sports and arts programs.

“We’ve had some individuals who choose not to give a donation, and we have others that will give us $200,” Coe-Kirkham said. She added the organization raised just over $10,000 last year and hopes to meet that goal again.

Nationwide, Operation Red Nose has provided more than 2.4 million safe rides across Canada since its creation in 1984, thanks to the efforts of about 1.7 million volunteers. The organization has also raised and distributed more than $36 million to support local youth and amateur sports programs.

In Saskatchewan, alongside the Battlefords, the safe-ride service also operates in Prince Albert and Saskatoon.

Inspector Ryan How, commander of the Battlefords RCMP, said the initiative helps reduce tragedies caused by impaired driving.

“Anything that helps mitigate the tragedies that we see from impaired driving all throughout our area is more than welcome,” he said.

SGI representative Mike San Miguel said the issue is deeply personal.

“My family lost someone we loved because of another person who chose to drive impaired,” he said. “That decision had irreversible consequences.”

He believes programs like Operation Red Nose give people a better choice to get home safely and prevent those losses from happening again.

The Battlefords event also featured Operation Red Nose National Development Coordinator Marie-Chantal Fortin, who travelled from Quebec City for the launch.

Fortin said this year’s campaign will operate in more than 60 regions and 600 communities across Canada.

“This is an important milestone for all the organizing committees who have been working tirelessly to prepare for the upcoming campaign,” she said.

She also recognized longtime Battlefords coordinators Grace and the late Bill Bowman, along with David Schell, who were inducted into Rudy’s Circle, a national honour for volunteers who have made lasting contributions to the program.

Anyone in the Battlefords looking for a safe ride home this holiday season can call Operation Red Nose at 306-445-1020 or 306-441-4676 to reach the volunteer dispatch team.

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Kenneth.Cheung@pattisonmedia.com