Kilee Patchell-Evans was two years old when she was diagnosed with autism; her father, David-Patchell-Evans, started a self-taught crash-course to learn everything he could about the disorder – he consulted with medical and behavioural experts, read voraciously and sought out other parents whose children had been diagnosed.
In 2003, Mr. Patchell-Evans met neuroscientist Dr. Derrick MacFabe, who was about to embark on research into possible causal factors for autism – it was based on a hunch and required an in-depth study, but he needed funding. Mr. Patchell-Evans presented the fledgling research idea with $1.5 million.
That seed money grew into the Kilee Patchell-Evans Autism Research Group, based at the University of Western Ontario. Over the last six years, Mr. Patchell-Evans has continued to support the multi-disciplinary research team, personally donating over $4 million.
Mr. Patchell-Evans is also founder and CEO of GoodLife Fitness, started up in 1979 with a single club while the owner was still a university student, a physical education major at the University of Western Ontario. Now, GoodLife is one of the largest fitness clubs in the world, with over 275 locations in Canada and 750,000 members nationwide.
He is chair of the International Health, Racquet and Sportsclub Association, representing more than 9,750 fitness clubs in over 78 countries.
To encourage the next generation of fitness enthusiasts, Mr. Patchell-Evans started GoodLife Kids Foundation, committed to helping children get active and lead healthy lifestyles by giving grants to physical activity-based programs across the country.
In 2009, Mr. Patchell-Evans published his second book, The Real Sexy Smart and Strong, another best-seller after his Living the Goodlife sold more than one million paperback and audio copies. All proceeds from both books support autism research.
Nominator: Sharon Lindenburger, London, Ont.
