If John Holmes ever needed a reminder why he was willing to sacrifice all of the Friday and Saturday evenings with his family during the Christmas season, he got a graphic one on a couple of occasions.
Holmes, who has run the Seafair Smoke & Mixer convenience store since opening it in 1976, is a longtime volunteer driver with the annual Operation Red Nose program in Richmond and Delta that provides safe rides home during the holidays.
And during his many travels ferrying those party-goers who have had a bit too much to pilot their own cars home, he witnessed the shocking aftermath of two, separate motor vehicle crashes which have remained with him ever since.
It was probably in my second or third year with Operation Red Nose and I remember seeing cars up on Nordel Way, pretty much completely cut in half as a result of a crash. It was horrible, said Holmes who has not missed an Operation Red Nose shift since it got rolling, first in South Delta in 2002, and then in Richmond a few years ago.
I looked at the wreckage as I drove by and thought to myself thats as good as any reason to keep on volunteering.
Holmes first came across the concept of Operation Red Nose while he was visiting Montreal to coach a Richmond Pee Wee hockey team and noticed a group of people clustered on a city street.
From the manner in which they were dressed dark suits and ties Holmes joked he thought they were a secret sect of Masons.
But when I got closer to them I saw they were wearing these big, clown-like, red noses, Holmes said.
When he asked the group what that signified, Holmes learned how Operation Red Nose was started by the swim team at Laval University in 1984 as a fundraiser rides home are paid for on a donation basis and a way to help keep the roads safer at Christmas.
I thought it was a fantastic idea, Holmes said, adding he vowed to get involved if the idea ever made its way out west.
So, when the Delta Gymnastics Society decided to adopt the program and sought volunteers, Holmes, who also runs a tanning salon in Ladner Village, was firmly on board.
I thought Id better put my money where my mouth was, he said.
Now, giving up his Friday and Saturday nights from late November through December, and even on New Years Eve, has become a tradition for him.
My family understands and has been very supportive, Holmes said.
And if he ever has a moment where that commitment wavers, Holmes says he not only looks back on the Nordel Way crashes, but one particular ride he provided to a group of young men a few years back.
I remember them very well. There were three guys in their 20s who obviously had been drinking too much and were not able to get their car started, Holmes said.
So, they called us for a ride. And when we got them to their home, they rummaged through their pockets and came up with $1.84 as a donation.
Holmes said the fact Operation Red Nose was able to transport them and their car, after it was finally started and driven by another Operation Red Nose volunteer was one of the most satisfying trips he has ever made, despite the small, but well-meaning donation.
I know those young guys would have tried to drive themselves home because they didnt have enough money for a taxi, he said.
And we were able to get them off the street and back home safely. Im pretty sure we saved at least three lives that night.
This seasons Operation Red Nose has already hit the streets rides started Nov. 30 and Dec. 1.
The service will be available each Friday and Saturday throughout the remainder of December (Dec. 7, 8, 14, 15, 21, 22 and 31). Rides are offered from 9 p.m. to 3 a.m.
Last year, the 356 volunteers with Operation Red Nose in Delta and Richmond provided 644 rides covering 20,220 kilometres. The average donation was $28.31, raising $18,148.46 for the Delta Gymnastics Society, which has a good number of young, Richmond athletes on its books.
To request a ride home for you, your passengers and your vehicle, or to sign up as a volunteer driver, call 604-943-0460 or visit operationrednosedelta.com for more information. All volunteers are required to complete a criminal record check. A criminal record check request form for Richmond-based volunteers is available from the Operation Red Nose website.
