Operation Red Nose Video – Volunteer at the wheel
Transcript - Operation Red Nose Video – Volunteer at the wheel
(Jean-Marie De Koninck, winner of the Thérèse Casgrain Award and founder of Operation Red Nose)
(We see the back of Jean-Marie De Koninck as he looks out to the horizon. Title appears.)
A world without volunteers would be inconceivable. I don’t think our society could function without volunteers.
(Screen dips to black. White text on black background.)
Jean-Marie De Koninck, winner of the Thérèse Casgrain Award for Lifetime Commitment, 2016 Canada Volunteer Award.
(Close-up on the hand of Jean-Marie as he takes a piece of chalk and writes his name on a blackboard.)
I was a math prof at Université Laval for 44 years. I just retired, but I still have a passion for mathematics.
(Jean-Marie smiles at the camera. Screen dips to black.)
(We see a swimmer from the Red and Gold Swim Club in the training pool at Laval University.)
In addition to being a prof, I was a coach for the Laval Rouge et Or.
(Shots of Jean-Marie talking to the swimmer, the swimmer then prepares to dive into the pool, underwater view of the swimmers.)
I learned early on that I was losing my best athletes to American universities, to scholarships offered to student athletes in the United States.
(Cover shot of Jean-Marie talking to a swimmer.)
So I said to myself, “I need to find an original way to raise money so that Université Laval can also offer scholarships to our best student athletes.”
(Jean-Marie walks on the side of the pool, while the swimmers train. Screen dips to black.)
(Car driving on a road at night.)
I heard about drinking and driving statistics on the radio, and I thought, “There’s a problem with that.”
(We see a driver at the wheel of the car at night.)
So I decided to offer to go drive people home in their own vehicle.
(Cut to interview with Jean-Marie De Koninck, in a university classroom.)
That’s how Operation Red Nose was created in 1984, through a free driver service. You may think, “How can you make money from a free service?” Well, I counted on tips and sponsorships from businesses that supported Operation Red Nose.
(Statistic appears as a title on screen: Thirty-three years later, with more than 1.1 million volunteers, Operation Red Nose has provided more than two million rides across Canada.)
(Cars driving at night.)
The Red Nose movement helps reduce the problem of impaired driving.
(Interview with Jean-Marie De Koninck, in a university classroom.)
I’m particularly proud of that, too. We certainly don’t volunteer because we want to win prizes. We do it to help others and because we get pleasure out of it.
(We see a photo of Jean-Marie De Koninck, Lise Casgrain and the Minister of Families and Children and Social Development, Jean-Yves Duclos, at the Canadian Volunteer Awards ceremony.)
I was very happy when I received the Thérèse Casgrain Award, but I was happy for all of our volunteers, because I’m not the one who won the award.
(We see photos of volunteers working at Red Nose.)
It was all the volunteers who helped create Operation Red Nose. We have to take care of those volunteers if we want them to come back.
(Interview with Jean-Marie De Koninck, in a university classroom.)
If we want them to have an incredible experience, we also have to show them recognition.
(Jean-Marie De Koninck smiles at the camera.)
Little gestures like that can make a big difference in society.
(Fade to black.)
(White text appears on a black screen: )
(Each year, Red Nose raises approximately $ 1.6 million for participating communities.)
(Saved lives are invaluable.)
(Pay tribute to volunteers and submit an application today!) (Canada.ca/volunteer-awards)
(Canada.ca logo on black background)
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