GOOD WORKS
GADGET GUY For Bill Caswell, P.Eng., volunteering with Tetra is an opportunity to “build some gadgets” and do some good. Many of his inventions — including the custom rolling stool he’s working on here for a client with mobility challenges — are built in his garage. Inset is a rocking device Mr. Caswell built to help load a wheelchair into a car trunk. The device supports the wheelchair’s weight, while elevating the folded wheelchair into position so it can easily be loaded into the trunk. -photos courtesy Bill Caswell, P.Eng.
services for homeless and low-income people. The centre donates the space for the workshop and lets Tetra volunteers use machinery in its woodworking shop. Tetra’s workshop is also equipped with machinery donated by a volunteer who was down- sizing, and the society has a supply of donated metal, wood and pipes on hand, which helps keep costs down for clients. “Our volunteers love to come together to work on projects,” says Tetra’s Calgary chairman Allan Monk. “I think what they
group of about 18 volunteers — Professional Engineers, machinists, millwrights, electricians and other mechanically inclined folks — meets monthly to review requests and brainstorm solutions. Last year, the volunteers spent 1,200 hours working on about 80 projects. While many Tetra volunteers work in their garage or basement, Calgary volun- teers also have access to a 900-square-foot workshop, courtesy of the Calgary Drop-In & Rehab Centre, an agency that provides
love, as much as inventing something, is sharing ideas with other people who are very creative.” Of course, they’re also motivated by the opportunity to change someone’s life. “It’s the joy on their face, when something is delivered and the client responds with such excitement. It’s excitement you’ll never forget,” he says. “It’s a simple thing, but amazing.” Mr. Monk, a retired opera singer, got involved about three years ago when his
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