Summer social walk

In August, Charlotte Cook led a small group of timebank members on a summer social walk around Buddy Attick Lake in Greenbelt. The weather was perfect, conversation flowed, and new friendships developed. They walked at a leisurely pace along the 1.5 mile trail, stopping to enjoy the view and take photos of monarch butterflies, water lilies and a heron in the lake. Following the walk, they went to the Greenbelt Farmers’ Market. It was a lovely morning indeed! 

If you would like to lead a group to your favorite walking destination, let us know at silverspringtimebank@gmail.com.

Summer 2022 Virtual Socials

At the June Virtual Social, “Discovering the Best of Ourselves,” host Anna Doroshaw led a discussion on personal strengths and talents. She first invited participants to reflect on times when we have felt energized and “in the flow” as well as when we have felt drained and blocked. She noted how this is often related to whether we are engaged in activities that are aligned with our strengths and talents.

Anna shared some tools that can be used to learn more about where we, as individuals, shine brightest. The better we know ourselves, the more likely we can offer the best of ourselves while drawing out the best in others.

The July Virtual Social featured a discussion of "Good Books, Good Food, and Peace," hosted by Mary Liepold. Participants each talked about a book that made a lasting impression, including such varied selections as The Velveteen Rabbit, Diet for a Small Planet, The Chosen, and a series of Star Trek books. We then discussed food memories which included preparing our own specialties, sharing meals with special people, and dining in memorable locations.

Peace was our third topic, and the group’s interpretations included places we can go to be at peace, activities that help us feel peaceful, and how we work to promote peace in the world. It was an enriching evening, full of both introspection and inspiration.

Timebank members who host our Virtual Socials get to share an area of interest informally, meet new members, and reconnect with past exchange partners. They also earn hours for their time hosting plus prep time. There is always a member of the timebank’s Events Team on hand to tend to the Zoom and answer questions. Past hosts have enjoyed the experience and encourage other members to write to silverspringtimebank@gmail.com to discuss hosting a social.

Fall 2022 Scavenger Hunt!

Would you like an extra timebank hour to spend on a hair trim, learning to play bridge or pickleball, or could you use help assembling your IKEA furniture?  Did you know that there are timebank members who can fulfill each of these requests? You can earn a Bonus Timebank Hour by taking part in our Fall 2022 Scavenger Hunt!

The hunt takes place on hOurworld.  Log in to look for the answers (and also get some ideas for what offers or requests YOU might post).
Most of these questions ask you which SSTB member can provide a certain service. There may be multiple members who can do that --- you don't have to find them all, one will do. (Hint: Check the Offers tab, search bios under the Members tab, or just use the Search box!)

List your answers in an email and send to US.  Deadline is FRIDAY, October 21, 2022.

We'll get back to participants in early November with the answers and how to record your bonus hour.  Let's get started!  

1. We’re hosting an anniversary dinner for good friends. Is there someone who could make a laser-cut wooden cutout saying “36 years together!” to use as a cake topper (it’d also be a great memento for them!).

2. Your kid loves nature and you’d like to plan a child-centered nature activity for them and their friends. Who can offer some suggestions on where to go and how to do this?

3. Long ago, you used to play bridge. Now you and some friends want to get back to it. But you definitely need a refresher. Which member can help?

4. You looked in the mirror and think it’s time for a hair trim. Who has the skills and equipment?

5. You’d like to stretch your body and try some yoga, but don’t want to have to leave your home. Is there someone who would work with you via Zoom?

6. Oh dear, your car battery has started acting up. Does it need to be replaced, or could it be something else? Who has a screening device for batteries?

7. You’ve recently retired and now that you’re home full-time, you’d like the place to be more peaceful and welcoming. Which timebank member(s) can help you with decluttering?

8. Pickleball/pickle ball is all the rage these days! You’d like to try it --- is there someone who could show you how?

9. You just got back from a trip to IKEA and want to assemble your furniture finds!! Who might be able to help you?

10. You’re submitting a paper, or an article for a newsletter. But first, you’d like an “eagle eye” to look it over. Can you name a member or two who could proofread it for you?

11. Who are the 3 newest members to join the timebank, as of the day you submit your answers to the scavenger quiz? Hint: Use the Members tab.

12. You’re going to the University of Michigan for a college visit. What Michigan timebank member offers lodging? (Hint: Under the Services tab, click Inter-trade, and search Offers)

13. Where would you look to find out how many exchanges Don Slater has done and how many times he responded when emailed? (Hint: the Profile page is the info other members can see about you – go to Don’s Profile and click on Achievements)

14. You received a notice that the offer you posted is about to expire. Do you know how to change the expiration date on your offer? (Hint: Under the Services tab, click Edit My Offers, and then what’s the next step?)

15. An upcoming SSTB event is the OCTOBER Virtual Social --- do you know what date it’s scheduled for? (Hint: click on the Home tab and look under Announcements)

Thanks for participating!!  Mail your answers to US by FRIDAY, October 21, 2022.

Member Spotlight: Sharon Englisch

Sharon was very excited to share this Eastern Hercules Beetle with her pre-school students.

Do you need a ride to the airport? Sharon Englisch, a vivacious, 2-year member of the Silver Spring Timebank, is the person to contact. She is a part time preschool teacher who divides her time between that and other work - driving people to doctors’ appointments and caretaking for a couple elderly clients. She enjoys the flexibility of not having a full-time job, and the variety of things she is able to do with this arrangement.

Sharon offers translation of German to English as a timebank skill, with help from her German husband. Her most engaging time bank exchange so far was translating a series of old letters which were written in German beginning about the time Hitler was elected chancellor of Germany.  Quoting Sharon, “Reading and translating many letters with the hindsight and horrors of WWII, my husband and I were anxiously awaiting the next letter, fearful for the safety of the writer and his family.”

In addition to the things already mentioned, Sharon earns hours by supporting local exchange activities. In an opposite exchange, she had a member help organize her basement when she felt overwhelmed by the job.

Another great interest is hiking and leading hikes, which she has done for the timebank. One of her favorite hikes is the Underground Railroad Trail in Sandy Spring, which is close to her home. When I discovered that Sharon lives near me, we arranged to meet for a hike of this trail. It was a very pleasant hike, and I learned things from Sharon about the trail that I had not previously known.  

Sharon led a group of timebankers on a hike at Lake Needwood, too.

In an early exchange, Sharon learned to play pickle ball from Gina Ottaviani. She still enjoys playing pickle ball with Gina and, as a bonus, they have now been friends for a couple years! They also volunteer together at Charity’s Closet in Savage Mill. This isn’t Sharon’s only volunteer activity. She has also volunteered with Meals on Wheels, Olney Days, and helping an Afghan family resettle.

Sharon grew up in Greenbelt, MD, traveled around several states and countries before settling down with her husband in Maryland. She studied at the University of Maryland and took their German classes while living in Germany. She and her husband have two sons, one attending Montgomery College, and the other who just graduated from St. John’s College in Santa Fe, NM. 

Sharon was introduced to SSTB when she met Laura Kranis at a marketing research focus group. In 10 minutes or so, Sharon was sold on the idea of timebanking. She was really intrigued with the concept of exchanging hours for various things. Additionally, it fits well into her schedule. She also feels that exchanges provide everyone, not just herself, an opportunity to give and to receive which engenders wonderful feelings. 

She very much likes getting to know new people, and consequently, looks forward to many future time bank exchanges.  

Many thanks to SSTB member Donna Sasser for writing this terrific Member Spotlight.

Looking Forward, Looking Back: SSTB Social Celebrates our Own Lucky Seven

The Silver Spring Timebank’s Virtual Social on March 27, 2022 celebrated seven years of growth in community and commemorated the “father of Timebanking,” our late great neighbor Edgar Cahn.

Six of the main founders who attended shared origin stories with twelve other attendees, each of whom had stories about their own Timebank experience. Even those present at the very start – co-founders Mary Murphy and Anna Awimbo (each credits the other with the plan’s inception) -- must have been astounded by the range of exchanges, events, and connections produced in this fruitful first seven years.

Co-founder Tina Slater began to list some highlights: potlucks and happy hours, clothing and book swaps, tool and kitchen gadget swaps, holiday decoration and toy/game swaps, Skill Shares, Repair Cafés, game nights, Service Socials, new skills developed, a vast array of services completed – and friendships developed with like-minded people, as co-founder Marjie Ford emphasized. Each event helped established the timebank’s community presence, which attracted more members: Jacqie Wallen learned of the timebank from advertising for the Arts/Crafts swap. Charlotte Cooke read the Washington Post article featuring the SSTB and joined soon after.

Anna Awimbo and Kathy Jentz at a SSTB in-person social.

Appreciation was the flavor of the day, with special thanks extended to our many community partners; to Robin Handleman (who called in from the Philippines, where it was 3 a.m.); co-founder Christy Batta, who contributed our logo and other eye-catching elements of professional design; Kathy Jentz, swap queen and organizer extraordinaire; Jay KapLon and co-founder Jonathan Bernstein, tech wizards; Jonathan, also, for infectious enthusiasm with the County and community organizations; Mary Campbell, everyone’s favorite for mending; Laura Kranis, for decluttering tips and team leadership; Saunya Connelly, for Twittering and raising funds that even an alternative economy can’t do without – and many, many more.

The final section of the two-hour conversation was devoted to gathering thoughts about the future of the timebank as well as on-the-spot plans for exchanges (cooking, sewing, repairs, and custom artwork!):

Each evolution of hOurworld, our global platform, creates opportunities that didn’t exist in 2015. And now that we’re all proficient on Zoom, e-seminars are a possibility, easily set up as a “one-to-many” exchange. Expanded hour-sharing, perhaps through our Community Time Chest, may be another option and could provide services to elderly community members. We could also tap into the energy of teenagers as members (with proper permission and oversight). Other members could organize a bulk-buying group – less expensive and more eco-friendly. Another thought was to keep expanding our range of services to include the more unique and imaginative, partly as a reminder that there really is no end to what is possible in a timebank, even after seven years.

In folklore, as in gambling, seven is a lucky number. Brain science validates common law, describing seven as the age when parts of the brain devoted to relationships flourish. What a bright future we have then, after such a marvelous beginning!

Many thanks to SSTB member Mary Liepold for writing this wonderful article!

Timebanking Week '22 - So Much to Celebrate!

This March was the 4th Annual International Timebanking Day, and the Silver Spring Timebank expanded its own celebration into a week (plus an extra weekend, for a very full nine-day week). Why the extra time? We have so much to celebrate! It’s our 7-year anniversary. We have hit the 400-member mark. And we have adapted successfully to the limitations from the pandemic, finding ways to continue our service exchanges and social events, in order to stay connected. 

Though we are saddened by the passing of “Father of Timebanking” Edgar Cahn in January, we celebrate him, too. His ideas, his work, and his enthusiasm, kindness, and dedication have improved lives all over the world, and we, in Silver Spring, were lucky enough to have him as a friend and close neighbor in D.C. What better way to honor Edgar this week -- and celebrate our own timebank’s milestones -- than to send the number of service exchanges through the roof!

Edgar Cahn with SSTB member Tina Slater.

To that end, we held two events on Timebanking Week’s opening day, to help members set up exchanges for the coming week. We’ve learned that one of the best ways to make “matches” for timebank exchanges is to put people together in real time and talk about what we need and what we can do. Invariably, someone needs a service that another member can provide but would never have thought to offer. The person-to-person connection is also a big help: When a delightful member describes her difficulty in picking up fallen branches in her yard, it’s easy to agree to help, even if that’s a task some of us would normally try to avoid. Another catalyst for exchanges is a fun challenge: to start with the person, not the task – meaning, you meet and get to know another member and make a list of all the possible exchanges you two can think of to do together. In the first of our Opening Day Zoom events, we came up with ten exchanges among us that we thought we could do during the week.

An opening day Zoom event at the start of Timebanking Week.

Other members also posted many new and interesting offers, such as car-buying tips, strength training, help with diversity study circles, creation of adult-size hula hoops, and delivery of fresh herb transplants. Plus the historically popular cooking, raking, sewing, airport rides, and practicing French.  

But how to motivate our busy members to do those exchanges during Timebanking Week, rather than in the weeks after? We offered bonus hours for doing at least 7 exchanges of any duration (to celebrate the SSTB’s 7th anniversary) and for doing a total of at least 400 minutes’ worth of exchanges (to celebrate the SSTB’s 400-member milestone). Such a high bar, even for a nine-day week! But some reached it: One motivated person did 14 exchanges with 7 different members! 

We wound up the week with a final event: an extra special Virtual Social, featuring a panel of the founders of the SSTB, reminiscing about the beginning and the evolution of the timebank and inviting ideas about where we might go next. (Read more about it in “Looking Forward, Looking Back: SSTB Social Celebrates our Own Lucky Seven.”)  Let’s continue that dialogue together as we move into year #8! 

Spring Virtual Socials 2020

The timebank's monthly Virtual Socials in April and May brought us into the kitchen and out into the garden.

In April, Tori Bourret hosted "Food with Friends" from her kitchen where she baked Vegan Apricot Squares. Three participants joined her in baking the squares in their own kitchens, using their jam of choice, while all participants chatted about vegan substitutes for ingredients in other dishes (e.g., chickpea water, a.k.a. aquafaba, in lieu of eggs). Baking together -- even virtually -- was great fun, and a few members had found possible exchange partners by the end of the social.

Vegan Apricot Squares

In May, Elise Stigliano hosted "Tend Your Garden; Tend Yourself" and spent part of the time in her garden demonstrating "zen weeding" and "mindful pruning." Most everything in the garden is both real and metaphor. How we approach our garden tasks reflects our current mindset and our approach to our own well-being. So a change to our approach is an opportunity to affect our well-being going forward. In one particularly resonant example, Elise showed how to get into a comfortable, meditative rhythm while weeding, and she talked about a choice we have: To focus, moment by moment, on the weeds -- or on all the wonderful possibilities of what else we could grow in the empty space that weeding creates.

“zen weeding and mindful pruning”

A big thank you to Tori and Elise!

Would you like to host a social for the timebank? There are plenty of other ways to help as well (organizing, writing, promotion, etc.), and members earn hours for the work they do for the timebank. Interested? Please write to silverspringtimebank@gmail.com to discuss how to share your time and talents with your timebank community.