“At my stage in life, it’s time to give back.”
For Peter McKelvey, a long-time volunteer from Saint John, New Brunswick, helping people has always been a passion. As the provincial coordinator for the Tetra Society’s New Brunswick chapter, Peter has used his skills as a retired engineer to create supportive, custom-tailored equipment for people with disabilities.
Peter’s fascination with hands-on engineering work dates back to his teenage years. “In high school, I bought my first metal aid in 1967, which is over 50 years ago,” he reminisced. This passion for building has continued throughout his life.
Now 73, Peter looks back at his time at the Tetra Society since 2013. He has seen the New Brunswick chapter grow to its current size of 10 volunteers. Though his chapter operates with a small team, Peter sees his organization growing even larger in the future. “Tetra Society New Brunswick was pretty small when I came on board, and I feel we’re in the building up phase now,” he said.
The New Brunswick chapter completed at least four projects last year and is currently working on eight this year. The time it takes to complete each request varies depending on the circumstances — they can take anywhere between a month to two years. The team must assess whether a project can be done with the materials and team members at their disposal. Peter describes that the Tetra Society tries to serve a “niche” currently not filled by other accessible commercial products on the market.
“The major challenge has been getting the word out there, and we do need to find our niche. If [a project’s] excessively complicated, that becomes difficult for us,” Peter said. “If there’s a commercial product available, that’s part of our mandate not to reinvent the wheel.”
Peter has worked on many projects over the years, including a wheelchair-accessible crib, a mouth stick for an iPad for a quadriplegic client, and a special bed to help a child with Pitt Hopkins syndrome sleep. He has an upcoming project that involves making an arm brace to allow a quadriplegic client to feed themself.
One particular project that highlights his contribution is the adaptive bed he created for a child. He said that clients are “invariably appreciative” when they get the chance to try the final product. As a volunteer, he sees to it that his relationships with clients do not end after a project’s completion; he conducts follow-ups to see how they are adjusting.
As a maker, Peter’s role at the Tetra Society plays to his strengths. He says that Tetra Society helps keep his engineer brain sharp by letting him design projects with computer-aided design (CAD) software and use his woodworking and metalworking skills. As someone who has been building things since he was a teenager, Peter feels proud to serve his community with his knowledge. He describes it as his “time to give back.”
“Since I retired 13 years ago, I have a desire to use my talents and capabilities and machinery to do some good,” he said. “The Tetra Society fills that niche, fills that desire [on] my part, and to be able to help people is very rewarding.”
Peter says that the New Brunswick Tetra Society’s team consists of two major roles: occupational therapists that help analyze the needs of a client, and makers, those who bring their requests to life. He says they are looking for people who are dedicated to the community they serve. “We’re looking for people with, on one hand, maker capabilities,” Peter said. “And on the other hand, we want people that are familiar with the disabled community.”
Inspired by Peter’s dedication to his community?
Visit https://tetrasociety.org/volunteer/ or email volunteer@disabilityfoundation.org to learn more about volunteer opportunities. Check out the Tetra Society’s project gallery for some examples of projects they have completed for their clients!