This article is based on a news release from the office of Assemblywoman Heather Simmons.
MULLICA HILL — Tim Simmons, who donated a kidney to his sister, Assemblywoman Heather Simmons, led a community drum circle for about 15 people Oct. 3 at the Gloucester County Library.
Simmons, a Democrat, represents the 3rd Legislative District, which includes all of Salem County along with parts of Gloucester and Cumberland counties. She has served in the Assembly since 2024 and was re-elected in 2025. Her district office is on East Broadway in Salem.
For an hour, participants who mostly did not know one another listened, responded and found a shared beat, according to a news release from the assemblywoman’s office.
Heather Simmons, D-Gloucester, said watching her brother lead the circle had personal meaning. Tim Simmons gave her a kidney in December 2019, nearly seven years ago, a transplant she credits with giving her a new life.
“There’s something beautifully connected about those two gifts,” Heather Simmons said. “Tim gave me a part of himself that gave me a new life. At the drum circles he hosts like the one in the library, he shows people through music that we all have something inside us that becomes more powerful when we share it.”
Tim Simmons, of Havertown, Pa., teaches music at Delaware Valley Friends School in Paoli, Pa. There, he uses music to help students with auditory learning differences build confidence, strengthen their reading and connect with one another, the release said. He is also a drummer, songwriter and author.
He hosts drum circles for students and adults at schools and community and faith-based organizations across the region. The goal is always the same, according to the release: The music is inside everyone, and its power comes from sharing it.
“None of us had to be great musicians to be in the drum circle,” Heather Simmons said. “We just had to listen, find the music inside us, and share it. Learning to do that was surprisingly simple. And it was an incredibly powerful gift.”
Photo caption: Tim Simmons leads a community drum circle Oct. 3 at the Gloucester County Library in Mullica Hill. About 15 people took part, including his sister, Assemblywoman Heather Simmons. (Photo: [credit])