14-year-old Reece Felt has been using his 3-D printer to create facial mask straps for frontline workers.
The grade eight student from Lacombe is hoping to make healthcare workers feel a little more at ease as they work for extended hours during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“They’re out there helping their community and everyone else who has an illness, disease, or COVID-19. All of them know that when they are helping, they have a greater chance of getting it, coming home, and spreading it across their families,” explained Reece.
The mask straps allow facial masks to clasp behind the head, rather than behind the ears which can rub raw over time.
Reece has been studying the use of AutoCad programs since September of 2019 where he received access to programming and training.
“Most AutoCAD programs cost $8,600 dollars a year to have. He found one that he had to apply for a grant for through the company. The company awarded him a three-year subscription and all the training,” said Chris Felt, Reece’s father.
The programs have opened a lot of doors for Reece, who aspires to be an architect.
“It’s so cool that he has these three years for free which he can work on, which actually gets him ahead of the game a little bit, too. That’s what engineers use as well. It will be exciting to see what he’s able to do here in the next few years and where he goes with it,” said Chelsea Felt, Reece’s mother.
For now, Reece is happy to share his gifts with others and help out those on the front lines. At first, Reece was inspired to create facial shields for frontline workers, but found that the production rate of the shields wasn’t quite what he was hoping for.
“I found these face masks online, since those were going to take a long time, I was thinking about other stuff. I just kept looking out there and then I found these mask straps for the nurses and staff so their ears won’t hurt,” explained Reece.
Additionally, with facial shields, there are a few more hoops to jump through before they can be offered to healthcare workers, as there are stringent safety requirements needed for the PPE.
“Any equipment donated to AHS has to meet certain requirements. They have to be vetted so they have to be sent in, vetted and once they’re approved, they should be sent to a warehouse and then distributed to all the hospitals from there,” explained Chris.
Another piece of Reece’s work, is a small keychain being sold at a newer business called Gift Smack in Lacombe where the owner, Nadine Waterfield is using them to donate money to the Food Bank.
As Reece and his family wait for the mask straps to be approved for AHS requirements, healthcare workers can still elect to wear the strap on their own accord. Many organizations and people hoping to create care packages for healthcare workers have reached out to Reece to provide the strap for hard-working care centre staff.
So far, he has made over 250 straps for workers in the Calgary and Edmonton zones.
Now he is working on 100 straps for the Stettler Hospital, and another 100 for the Red Deer Hospital’s Hemodialysis Unit. It will be a while before AHS has fully vetted his mask strap so for now, he is offering them free of charge to those on the frontline.
“With these mask straps, I can help them a little bit with helping their ears stay more comfortable while they’re working, since they have these masks on for 12 hours or more per day."
"It makes me happy to see that I am helping them out so that they have a more comfortable and suitable area for them to work,” said Reece.
Printing 60 straps a day, Reece is busy. He is also currently accepting donations to help fund materials for the project. So far, he has seen only $90 in donations but is seeing a rising need for mask straps.
If you would like to donate to help Reece out, you can e-transfer him at Reeces3dpieces@gmail.com. If you would like to inquire about receiving mask straps you can message Reece at Reece’s 3-D Pieces here.
Thu, Apr 25, 5:00 PM
Agriculture, Full-time