Awarded on: 2007-06-11
Tom Jeary, Waterloo, Ontario
Governor General's Caring Canadian Award
For over 30 years, Tom Jeary has endeavoured to improve the quality of life of others. In his basement workshop, he has designed and created hundreds of custom-built gadgets and equipment that help adults and children with disabilities to achieve greater independence. Since the early 1970s, he has created adaptive inventions for numerous organizations such as KidsAbility, the Track III Ski Program and the Independent Living Centre. Through his Web site, Workshop Solutions, he has provided free online plans and a forum where inventors from around the world can share knowledge about building adaptive devices for persons with physical disabilities. A devoted Rotarian, he lives by his personal motto: "Nothing is impossible."