The Dauphin Reduce Impaired Driving Everywhere (RIDE) program is gearing up for its 31st year of getting people home safely during the holiday season.
Started by the late John Shuttleworth and RCMP Sgt. Ron Marlin, the program was the first of its kind in Manitoba and led the way for other communities to develop similar initiatives.
Operating out of the Dauphin Friendship Centre, RIDE gets underway, Dec. 1, and will run each Friday and Saturday night in December, except for Dec. 29 and 30, providing those who have been celebrating with alcohol or cannabis a safe way home.
Even the smallest amount of alcohol or cannabis can impair judgment, especially for someone behind the wheel of a vehicle.
To prevent that, RIDE volunteers will pick you and your vehicle up from a provided location. They will then drive you and your vehicle to your destination, preferably your home residence.
This is the first year the program has operated since Shuttleworth’s death, making it a bittersweet time for organizers.
“Dad founded the program back in 1992, so the program meant so much to him. He was not mobile for the last few years, but every night he would always call me the following morning and ask ‘did you have lots of volunteers?’ ‘Were the volunteers fed?’ Did you have lots of callers coming in?’ He was always so concerned about making sure that his volunteers were taken care of and that we were saving lives,” said his daughter Sho-Sho Shuttleworth-Lafontaine, who is now spearheading the program. “As tough as this year is going to be for me and our immediate family that volunteer . . . this is a year that we really are doing it in remembrance of dad and making sure that we carry on because it was so important to him.”
As in past years, the program is looking for additional volunteers and sponsors.
“A lot of our volunteers have retired from the program, so we are looking for more volunteers and with that, of course, they need a valid driver’s license and the RCMP will set them up for a free abstract and criminal records check,” Shuttleworth-Lafontaine said. “And a vehicle is not required, just a driver’s license.”
Main sponsors of the RIDE program are Manitoba Public Insurance, Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries, Parkland RCMP and the Dauphin Friendship Centre, but more are welcome, she added.
“Fuel prices have gone up and food prices, everything has gone up. So anyone who’s willing to do a monetary donation, we are more than willing to accept that,” she said. “We have already had several businesses in town step up for cash donations. I know Countryfest has also stepped up as a board to volunteer and has issued a challenge to the Ukrainian Festival board to also step up, And it would be nice to see the community challenge many boards and see if they’d like to come out, not for the whole season even. If they decide to do one weekend or one night we’d be glad to have them. It all helps.”
Anyone wanting to volunteer for the program or provide some sponsorship can leave a message for Shuttleworth-Lafontaine at 204-638-1463.
Those wanting to make use of RIDE services on the nights it is running, can access a safe ride home with your vehicle by calling 204-638-5707.
