"James" with Home James, poses with  Chatham-Kent OPP officers, November 18, 2016 (Photo by Jake Kislinsky)"James" with Home James, poses with Chatham-Kent OPP officers, November 18, 2016 (Photo by Jake Kislinsky)
Chatham

Home James Needs More Volunteers

Chatham-Kent's designated driver service is hitting the road Friday night.

Home James co-ordinator Jodie Hogg says they're short on volunteers, though.

"We haven't had that much response, we're hoping to get a lot more," says Hogg. "This is a volunteer-driven program, so without the volunteers, we can't run it."

Hogg says they only have about 20 volunteers signed so far -- and they're hoping to have anywhere from 40 to 50 people helping out. If you decide to volunteer, you don't need to show up every night they're operating.

"Usually one night, we run from about 9pm until about 3am -- if they want to stay until then, they can just stay for one night," says Hogg. "Usually what happens is if they volunteer one night, they have so much fun, they want to come back."

Volunteers need to be 18 years old or older with a G2 licence to drive your own vehicle for the program, but to drive a client's vehicle, you need to be at least 21 years old.

When you call Home James, you will be picked up by a team that will drive you and your vehicle home safely -- especially if you think you have had too much to drink. There are no set fares, the service runs solely on donations, with the proceeds going to local youth groups in Chatham-Kent.

Hogg says the goal is to raise around $10,000 again, which is about on par with what they raised last year.

The service is available on Fridays and Saturdays -- and New Year's Eve -- from November 24 until the end of the year. You can reach them by calling 519-351-3353 and you can find more information on the program by clicking here.

Read More Local Stories