With the holiday season just around the corner, MADD Prince Albert has launched their Project Red Ribbon campaign to promote sober driving.
MADD representatives kick-started the 2022 campaign at the Lake Country Co-op grocery store in Cornerstone on Tuesday afternoon. MADD Prince Albert director Karen Anthony-Burns said boxes of red ribbons will be placed around Prince Albert. Residents are asked to display their commitment to sober driving by displaying a red ribbon or red ribbon car decal on their vehicle, key chains, purses, briefcases and backpacks.
“It is still really important for us to spread the message to drive safe and drive sober and to tie a red ribbon,” Anthony-Burns said. “Tie it on your keychain, on your vehicle, or on your backpack just to spread that message that it’s never okay to drive impaired.”
The ribbons will be available at all Lakeland Co-op locations, as well as other businesses in the community who are willing to join. Anthony-Burns said they’ll post pictures on their Facebook page to help promote each location.
“During the holidays, we expect there is going to be a lot more gatherings,” she said. “We just want people to remember to always make that plan for that safe ride home.”
Although the campaign launched on Tuesday, MADD Prince Albert is still waiting for the promotional ribbons to arrive. Instead of posing with red ribbons, MADD representatives posed with another MADD fundraiser that also helps the Prince Albert chapter: Dr. Java’s.
“We are doing a coffee fundraiser in partnership with Dr. Java’s. We are selling medium and dark coffee at $20 a bag, and seven dollars from each bag sold goes to MADD Prince Albert to help us support any activities that we do throughout the year,” Anthony-Burns said.
“We really encourage everyone, they make a wonderful Christmas gift, a stocking stuffer, a great gift for your office, so we encourage anyone to reach out to us. You can email us at maddprincealbert@gmail.ca,” she added.
Project Red Ribbon raises awareness about the risks of impaired driving during the holiday season and urges people to plan ahead for a sober ride home if they are going to be consuming alcohol, cannabis or other drugs. Take a taxi, take public transit, arrange a designated driver, or plan to spend the night.
Every hour, on average, 10 impaired driving federal charge and provincial short-term license suspensions are laid in Canada, according to MADD Canada’s latest statistics.
Red ribbons and car decals are available from MADD Prince Albert at maddprincealbert@gmail.com and the MADD Canada website at madd.ca. Once boxes arrive expect to see them around the city.
“We are going to have these boxes everywhere so we are going to encourage everyone to grab a red ribbon and to tie it on and drop a donation in our donation box,” Anthony-Burns said. “If you don’t have any change in your pocket, hey, we are with the times. We have got a QR code on there you can just scan it with your phone it makes donating really easy.”
MADD Prince Albert will still be active in the community in the holiday season.
“We are continuing to work with the city police on checkstops. We, of course, don’t advertise those ahead because of course not, but they are very important,” Anthony-Burns said.
michael.oleksyn@paherald.sk.ca
