Contribute to our Upcoming Skill Swap!

/

Continuing to build on the success of our swapping event series, the SSTB is hosting a Skills Share Swap on Sunday, January 8 from 2-5pm at the Silver Spring Civic Center. We are looking for SSTB members to present 15-minute short sessions on a quick, teachable skill. We will put out a call for presenters soon, so please start thinking about what you might share. This event will act as promotion to the entire community of what talents and skills our Time Bank has to offer. Examples of short, shareable skills would include: knitting a scarf, choppng veggies like a chef, and designing a logo. Most of all, we are looking for skills that people WANT to learn -- think about what will draw a crowd. Please save the date and plan to attend either as a presenter or learner!

Tool Swap: August 2016

/

LOTS OF TOOLS FOUND NEW HOMES, BUT WHERE DID THEY COME FROM?

  • "I brought part of a tool kit my mother gave my husband as an engagement gift. The gift she gave me was something for the kitchen. It's fun that they were such "gendered" gifts but my husband wouldn't use the tools. I'm the one who's the carpenter!"
  • "I brought a tool my sister got as a gift for being a good customer at Home Depot."
  • "My dad was going to build a house so he collected every tool under the sun. I brought three of the eight axes I have from him. His tool boxes weigh a ton.  But I don't have a wood clamp and I hope to find one today."
  • "I do remodeling. Here are some tools gathered from older homes where people were downsizing."
  • "I realized that these tools actually belong to an ex-boyfriend, so I'm texting him now to see if it's really okay to leave them here!"

The SSTB was pleased to donate any remaining tools to Community Forklift.

Card Swap & Crafting: May 2016

/

CARD SWAP TESTIMONIALS

  • "When I got home and started integrating my finds into my stash, I wrote four cards--two thank you notes, an anniversary card, and a birthday card for my sister. What fun!"
  • "I think people just enjoyed taking a break from walking around, sitting down and creating something to take with them. Suspect a lot of people enjoyed selecting cards, too!  It is kind of crazy how much greeting cards cost these days --- 1.99, 2.99. OUCH! The swap fits right in with our sharing economy!"
  • One little girl made a birthday card for her dog that had a giraffe. When asked why she included the giraffe, she said “Oh my dog likes giraffes!”
  • Another little girl made a Mother’s Day card for her Mom that included a cow, and she declared, “I’m making a Mother's day card and the cow is because my Mom likes cows.”
  • "People were surprised when we invited them to help themselves to cards and giftwrap. For Free?? Yep! We said some folks donated cards they no longer needed, so you're free to pick out as many as you'd like. Wow!! They were pleased and several said 'What a great idea!’"  

The SSTB was happy to donate any remaining greeting cards and wrapping paper to the Housing Opportunities Commission (HOC) to share with senior residents.  

A great turnout for our spring happy hour!

/

Over two dozen members and others interested in learning more about timebanking came to our spring happy hour on Friday, March 18.  There was lots of good food and drink, including a delicious cake to celebrate our first year anniversary!  Current members shared some wonderful stories about recent unique and valuable exchanges.  

Stay tuned to our Facebook page for more details about our welcoming summer gathering on Thursday, May 26 from 6-8PM at the Rivendell Center located at 9335 Fraser Avenue in Silver Spring.  

Timebank HH 15.jpg

Book Swap: February 2016

/

BOOK SWAP TESTIMONIALS

  • “I'm so pleased that people in this community still read actual books. I got some history, fiction, nonfiction. I'm a very eclectic reader. This is great. I hope you do this all the time.”  –Karen
  • “I am excited to find this Lemony Snicket book, ‘A Series of Unfortunate Events.’ My friends read this and said I would like it.”  –Opal
  • “I found this Ursula K. Le Guin book. She was an anthropologist who wrote science fiction. I have a trio of her books, but this fourth book is harder to find. I am so happy to find it!”  –Lynn
  • “I'm getting new kids’ books for my daughter. This is also a good way to trade in her old books and let somebody else have them.”  –Eva
  • “I am picking up mystery books. I'm trying to write a mystery, and I figured I should read some. This is not for school.” 
  • “I found ‘The DaVinci Code.’ After I’m done with it, I'll drop it off in the Friends of Silver Spring Library bin to let someone else read it.” –Jaime
  • “I got my mom these books I know she has never read: ‘Goldfinch’ and ‘Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.’”
  • “Mommy, can I go find a chair to read this now?”  –Mayra
  • “I love how many decluttering books have shown up!”  –Kathy
  • “I brought a copy of my book ‘Hypatia Academy.’ I've also written a series for kids about living in a nutty family.  It’s aimed at reluctant readers. I'm always happy to see children reading and moving through the world of the books.”  –Esther
  • “There are some interesting selections here. My daughter found a book about Egyptians. I got this Andy Rooney book.  I love comedy.”  –Irene
  • “I found Tom Stoppard's ‘Arcadia,’ one of my favorites. I’ve seen the play twice, and there are a couple of quotes I always want to remember.”  –Lisa
  • “I found the book ‘Saladin’ about the most powerful Kurd in history. He diminished the Crusades in the Middle East.”  –Rob
  • “Can I really just take them?!? I love the library.”  –young boy
  • “I picked up the book ‘How Not to Look Old.’ I didn’t have my glasses on, and I thought it was called ‘How to Look Old.’  I learned that one of the best things I can do for my relationship is to have my eyebrows waxed. Who knew?”   –Mary
  • “My young son got some books for himself and others to read to his sister. He’s teaching her how to read.”
  • “I was glad to find a couple of books for nieces and nephews.”  –Masha
  • “I was looking up something the other day about Lithuania. My old atlas from 1960 says it is still part of the Soviet Union. This atlas is from 1991.  It’s not new, but it’s better than 1960.”  –Marilyn
  • “When I was 4 or maybe 6, I saw this big hole in the ground, and now it's a whole library. It's like being in the future! I love the library.”  –Ian
  • “Wonderful event! This is what community is about. I'll be joining the Time Bank at the next orientation.”

The SSTB was thrilled to partner with Velocity Books to organize this swap.  All remaining books were donated to Velocity Books.  

Building community one hour at a time…

/

The Silver Spring Timebank celebrated its first year in January 2016.  As one of the founding members, I remember thinking last January when we “launched” the timebank that all the hard work was finally done!

Our founding group of six had put in a lot of time the previous six months, researching, experimenting and planning. With help from nearby time banks (thanks Greenbelt Timebank and Columbia Community Exchange), inspiration from other time banks, and free and seemingly limitless support from hOurworld Time and Talents, we created our mission, vision, exchange policies, and promotional and orientation materials all needed for the start-up.  

But in the last year, as our founding circle expanded to include over a dozen individuals, we have put in more hours than any of us ever anticipated.  We’ve done so with amazing energy and dedication because it’s been such fun hearing about the wonderful exchange stories like new puppy help, early morning rides to the airport, resume counseling, french lessons and bike repairs.  Even more, we’ve happily given our time and talents to keep building the Silver Spring Timebank because we’re thrilled to see a community of new connections develop…one hour at a time.

During the first few months, our main focus was on getting new members. We partnered with community organizations who offered us space for orientations, and we organized potlucks and happy hours for new members to get to know each other. Each month the leadership team met and we congratulated ourselves on the growing membership: 25…50…75 members!  We anxiously tracked the various exchanges, and always wished there were more!  We posted member stories on Facebook and Twitter, and we “tabled” at community markets to spread the word.

A turning point came when over 15 people attended a monthly leadership team meeting in the late spring.  The group was full of enthusiasm and ideas, but it was unwieldy and so many voices made it hard to decide on next steps.  We realized then wehad enough people and commitment to break up into multiple action teams and individuals stepped up to lead each team to get so much more done!

The orientation team has continued to offer two orientations each month, finding unique community locations and engaging new members with a revised presentation.   The membership team has personally reached out to every member in the timebank, offering help to set up profiles and brainstorming ideas for offers.  The outreach team offered their original 20X20 powerpoint presentation at the PechaKucha Night Silver Spring Vol. 5 focused on the theme of community. And, outreach team members worked to build this wonderful new website!

Because of the terrific efforts of the event team, the Silver Spring Timebank is now known as a leader in organizing sharing events in Silver Spring.  With plans for a community swap each season, the event team already organized a fall community clothing swap and a winter book swap.  Plans are already underway for a spring greeting card/stationary swap and a summer tool swap too.  Members love to help with these events as they earn timebank hours to spend on timebank services. Finally, the tech team has provided calm and consistent support with all hOurworld software questions and any computer-related issues, and guidance on a variety of timebank policies.

We’re celebrating our first year anniversary with 135+ active members and hundreds of hours worth of exchanges.  There’s lots on the agenda for the time bank’s next steps and keeping the momentum going will be critical. Our hope is that the bonds we’ve made within the leadership teams and the connections made within the timebank community will energize and excite us to keep building the Silver Spring Timebank…one hour at a time…for many years to come.