79-year-old B.C. choir conductor constructs 'little libraries' to donate to others
Although he’s the same age as Mick Jagger, and has worked in the music business for a similar length of time, there is one difference between between the Rolling Stones frontman and Bruce More.
“Rock and Roll generally gets big audience response,” Bruce says before laughing.
“Whereas choir conductors, not so much.”
But when the crowd does goes relatively crazy for your choir, “there’s absolutely no feeling in the world like it,” Bruce says.
When he wasn’t conducting choirs in 33 countries around the world, Bruce was striving for a similar high as a self-described “garage sale freak.”
“If you make a big purchase and get a real deal on something, you just feel so good,” Bruce says.
Finding a bargain was one thing. Using what he bought was another.
“For 30 years, I’ve been collecting tools,” Bruce says. “And they’ve been sitting in the basement doing nothing.”
But then Bruce retired.
“You hear about people who retire and they die the next year,” Bruce says. “Finding something to do that you really like is really important.”
So Bruce decided to use his tools to construct a "Little Free Library" in his front yard and start exchanging books with his neighbours.
“It collapsed (in the rain) because it was made of particle board,” Bruce smiles. “Note to self.”
So he tried again. And with the same determination that earned him a doctorate from Yale, Bruce built a more robust book-borrowing box.
“It’s the thrill of creating something,” Bruce says, showing pictures of his brightly painted buildings with shingled roofs and latching doors.
“And the thrill of somebody using something you’ve created.”
Bruce started making multiple Little Free Libraries and donating them to people who couldn’t make or afford their own. He even made a map showing how 15 of them have been erected across the region. He’s currently working on two more.
“I want to make the thing,” Bruce smiles. “And get it out there.”
Which brings us to another difference between Mick and him. While Jagger “can’t get no satisfaction,” Bruce has found that serving others is the most fulfilling feeling of all.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'A beautiful soul': Funeral held for baby boy killed in wrong-way crash on Highway 401
A funeral was held on Wednesday for a three-month-old boy who died after being involved in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 in Whitby last week.
Police handcuff man trying to enter Drake's Toronto mansion
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.
Biden says he will stop sending bombs and artillery shells to Israel if they launch major invasion of Rafah
U.S. President Joe Biden said for the first time Wednesday he would halt shipments of American weapons to Israel, which he acknowledged have been used to kill civilians in Gaza, if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders a major invasion of the city of Rafah.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his brain more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.
Ontario Provincial Police arrest 64 suspects in child sexual exploitation investigation
Ontario Provincial Police say 64 suspects are facing a combined 348 charges in connection with a series of child sexual exploitation investigations that spanned the province.
Pfizer agrees to settle more than 10K lawsuits over Zantac cancer risk: Bloomberg News
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.
Quebec premier defends new museum on Quebecois nation after Indigenous criticism
Quebec Premier Francois Legault is defending his comments about a new history museum after he was accused by a prominent First Nations group of trying to erase their history.
Blind Sask. boy heading to international braille competition hopes to increase accessibility for visually impaired
A Saskatchewan boy who qualified for an international braille competition in Los Angeles next month hopes he can inspire change in his home province.
'A step forward': New screening criteria for sperm donors takes effect
Canadians looking to grow their families with the assistance of sperm or egg donations should soon have more options for donors as the federal health agency does away with longstanding restrictions criticized as discriminatory.