Volunteer drums her way into people's hearts
Story by Lindsey Elliott
4:52 p.m. Monday, July 21, 2008
Christine White marches to the beat of a different drum and she encourages others to do the same, or rather, different. That's why she volunteers her time showing others how much fun it is just to beat a drum.
"I've completely and utterly fallen in love with it," White said.
Her joy is shared by those who share her love for drumming.
14 year-old Paige Hughes looks forward to the weekly practices. She's been playing with the group for about two years.
"It's a good way to relieve stress because you can bang on the drum pretty hard," Paige said.
Christine says she fell in love with the program called Sheltered Reality, when the group took the act on the road and taught drumming to the homeless. She says rather than taking over the program here in Topeka, it sort of took over her.
"I thought I was just getting a show and by the end of the day, I was the site coordinator for the Topeka site and a month later, I was a board member and now it's a huge part of my life," she said.
Now with ten adults and four youth, it's not about banging on the drum all day. It's about raising self-esteem and doing something they love. And they love the program because they know Christine will be there every week ready with her sticks and ready to lead.
"I love Christine. She makes me happy," Paige said.
Learn more about this year's outstanding volunteers at www.ktka.com/volunteers.
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