Ken Coderre made no bones about it: he had drunk his fill at his office Christmas party in Pointe-Claire, which he drove to from his home in Verdun. But Coderre called for backup, enlisting the help of volunteers from Operation Nez Rouge to get him and his car home safe.
“It’s great to see there’s someone out there looking out for us,” Coderre said, just before getting into the back seat of his car and having two Nez Rouge volunteers drive it back while a third volunteer followed.
Nez Rouge was started in 1984 in Quebec City. Its initial purpose was to raise money for the Universite Laval swim team, but it quickly caught on elsewhere and became a donation-funded ride service that operated during the holidays.
“Why risk losing your permit?” said Roger Campbell, the chief trainer of Nez Rouge’s Montreal office.
What separates Nez Rouge from other ride services in that it’s run by volunteers who drive the cars of the service’s clients to their homes. The service is technically free but volunteers do accept donations.
While volunteers often share stories of searching for their clients in some lively places, the mission of the service is aimed at the lofty goal of helping revellers stay out of harm’s way.
“People are looking to get home safely,” Campbell said. “It’s free.”