Every year, Vancouver Island University (VIU) in Nanaimo, British Columbia, stages the Festival of Trees to showcase its culinary arts and hospitality management programs, and every year it makes a safe ride home for guests an integral part of the gala’s responsible beverage service.
This would be a logistical challenge for any busy event organizer. Fortunately for Renee Bohun, VIU’s Special Events Coordinator, Development and Alumni, the 16th annual Festival of Trees, which took place on Nov. 26, 2010 and attracted a sold-out crowd of 260 guests, was augmented by a unique Drive Home Safe program developed by VIU and operated by student volunteers from the university’s criminology department.
For Bohun, one of the more fulfilling aspects of Drive Home Safe, now in its third year, is the enthusiasm of the 20 or so volunteers needed to operate the program, which includes valet parking at the gala. “Also, the support we receive from local businesses is incredible. This year, the students drove cars supplied by Tom Harris of Harris Auto Group, who has been a long-time supporter of our university, and the gas was donated by Mid-Island Co-op.”
Harris provided eight vehicles from his dealerships, including high-end SUVS, two vans and assorted sedans. Matt Laing, the president of the Criminology Students' Association who recruited and organized the volunteers, says Harris completely accommodated the team. “All we had to do is show up and collect the car keys,” he says. “The vehicles were already insured on a temporary basis and ready to drive.”
While the program takes a lot of planning, it is simple to use. Festival guests pre-register for the service and can either drive to the gala and have a volunteer take them home in their own vehicle (with a second volunteer tagging along behind to retrieve the first) or be picked up at home in a Harris vehicle and returned later. “It’s not mandatory, but the guests usually tip the volunteers, and all proceeds go to the Criminology Students' Association for scholarships and bursaries,” says Bohun.
This is the third time Laing has participated in Drive Home Safe, and he echoes the sentiments of his team when he says, “We want to pursue careers in the criminal justice system, so no question this looks good on our résumés, but Drive Home Safe means much more to us. As criminology students we’ve learned to appreciate how dangerous impaired driving is, and the program allows us to do something about it and give back to the community.”
Bohun’s concern for responsible beverage service comes from being Serving It Right certified herself. “One of the main concerns in our industry is the responsible alcohol service”, says Bohun, “Throughout the years, we are making sure that all of our students understand and possess the knowledge of the responsible beverage service, especially during the big events like the Festival of Trees. Our volunteers have Serving It Right certificates, and they follow the policies of the VIU liquor licensing as well. We want our guests to have an unforgettable experience at the Festival of Trees, and we want to make sure that they are getting home safe after the event”.
Laing points out that Drive Home Safe is more important than ever given the new impaired driving law that came into effect in British Columbia in fall 2010. “Since it’s common at any social function to have more than one drink, I think programs like Drive Home Safe should be made widely available,” he says. However, as far as he and Bohun are aware, their program is unique to VIU.
The number of guests using Drive Home Safe at the Festival of Trees has grown over the years. “This year, we drove home about 15 people in their own cars and between 30 and 40 guests in the Tom Harris vehicles,” says Laing, adding that many guests appeared to be perfectly sober. “Maybe they were playing it safe,” he says. The 17-member crew began shuttling people home at 10:30 pm, and Laing drove the last guest home at 1:30 am. “Although people pre-registered for the service in groups, we didn’t know how many individuals would ultimately need to be driven home — because if someone showed up for the event without registering and wound up having too much to drink, we drove that person home too,” he says.
Although Laing and his volunteers will eventually graduate from VIU, Drive Home Safe is a permanent fixture on campus. “It’ll keep going because it’s a fantastic program with lots of goodwill behind it,” he says. Bohun agrees: “It works beautifully. Hopefully its success can be duplicated in other campuses and venues in the future.”
