We all know elves are busy in the North Pole this time of year, but it seems Santa Claus also has some local recruits.
In a little known workshop on the edge of Inglewood, volunteers are fashioning some truly unique gifts.
“If it does good for somebody, we’ll do it,” says Allan Monk, President of Tetra Society of Calgary.
Since 1987, Tetra Society has created over 5,000 custom requests for people with physical disabilities.
The Calgary chapter includes about 20 volunteers that work out of a space owned by the Calgary Drop-In & Rehab Centre.
Kasey Aiellow is one of Tetra Society’s most recent clients. She broke her neck in a snowboarding accident about 15 years ago.
Five months ago, she gave birth to a baby boy, but she wasn’t able to reach into his crib from her wheelchair.
“They absolutely solved a huge problem in my life,” says Aiellow, who has received a new modified crib. “It’s actually high enough for me to roll underneath and then it has some gates so I can open it up and access him. It’s kind of like a cage, but it’s a safe little cage for him.”
Clients pay for materials and the “elves” do the rest of the work.
Each of them brings their own skill set, many with backgrounds as engineers, woodworkers, machinists, or welders.
“When you’re retired and you’re done all your projects, it’s kind of nice to go somewhere with people that are likeminded and contribute, especially to people that are marginalized,” says volunteer Pieter Van Lindenberg.
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