A community is only as good as its members.

It's the kind of line you'd expect from the perspiring lips of a man, gloating in his overly starched shirt, nervously raking white out flaked to his fingers through thinning hair as everyone else shuffles off to their own little cubicle. The day will end with curt nods to each other in elevators, in halls and on buses. People rush home to lock their doors behind them. It has become the routine we have fallen into in our modern world, to live our lives disconnected from each other.

The Ability Society plans to change that with their new Friends movement.

Officially launching Wed., Mar. 10, this new movement encourages people to forge stronger connections with each other. From welcoming a new student to your class to helping your neighbourhood become more accessible for its disabled members, all actions contribute to a stronger community. Ability Society' aims to build communities and foster social change through them. Friends is defined by you, as the program proclaims.

Evelyn Glennie is an exceptional artist, a woman known to break through barriers. A two-time Grammy winner, world-renowned percussionist and able to play over 60 instruments, she has not let the fact she's hearing impaired stand in her way. She is the embodiment of the Friends movement's ideology, transcending her disabilities to fully achieve her goals and forge a better world through building communities. Her actions and drive are but a small part of what defines the Friends movement.

To help the Ability Society celebrate the beginning of the new movement, Glennie, along with the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, will provide a concert experience for those willing to open themselves to the spirit of community at the Jack Singer Concert Hall. First and foremost, Glennie is a musician of incredible caliber offering her gift of music to ensure we can all be as good as we can be.

The concert is Wed., Mar. 10 at 8 p.m. in the Jack Singer Concert Hall. Tickets can be purchased at Ticketmaster (299-8888) or through the Ability Society (262-9445 ext. 119). For students, there is a two for one offer.