Sitting in church pews, we were all on our best behaviour. Childhood memories of obeying orders to “sit still” reined in any urge to do anything but wave to the person we wanted to visit across the aisle.

Soon, however, we would challenge that convention.

Colin McMahon, Program Manager at Kawartha Youth Orchestra, bounded onto the stage as one of the guests for National Philanthropy Day two weeks ago. With infectious energy, he asked us to drum together using an instrument we all had handy: our legs.

With his baton, he led us through different tempos and emphases. He elicited joyous smiles as we all pulled together to create simple, but organized sound.

Shortly afterward, John McIlmoyle from the Kawartha Komets inspired empathetic sighs as he talked about welcoming unlikely athletes to his organization’s games. These players don’t get picked first for school teams or even get invited to........

© Peterborough Examiner