Spring and Summer Virtual Socials

The Silver Spring Timebank continued 2023 with two more wonderful virtual socials.

April Virtual Social: It’s a great big beautiful world, and it’s full of timebanks!

With spring in full swing, Maryland-style, the Silver Spring Timebank’s Daisy Birch and Laura Kranis hosted a two-hour Zoom social on April 23, 2023.  The social was all about inter-trading -- what it is, what the possibilities are, and how best to take advantage of this feature.

Most participants in the social were already timebank members. For the non-members, our hosts shared a brief explanation of the essence of timebanking and its benefits.

They then shared a map of timebanks. They are all over the world! An inter-trade is an exchange between members of different timebanks. Those timebanks may be in the same state, across the country, or on another continent.

Inter-trading opens up exchange options not only for local timebank members who can’t find takers for their offers nearby but also for people who want to expand the audience for their requests. In addition, members may want to make connections with timebankers in another part of the world, and responding to their offers and requests is a great way to do that.

Inter-trading can be helpful with any service that can be done at a distance (such as language practice via zoom -- but not lawn mowing!). Inter-trading can also work very well when traveling or when arranging help for family members or friends who live in other cities, states, or countries.

Daisy and Laura offered examples of inter-trading, including some exchange stories shared by Silver Spring Timebank members. One idea is to find lodging with a far away timebanker when traveling -- or perhaps find someone to show you around their city. One participant at the social mentioned another exchange that was a good way to illustrate inter-trading: Instead of being asked to paint someone's home in exchange for timebank hours, they were asked to teach someone how to paint their own home in exchange for hours. The teaching can happen on Zoom or any similar platform, with someone who is near or far.

Daisy and Laura explained the details of inter-trading within timebanking, how to locate the inter-trading area on the hOurworld platform, how to find the offers and requests from members of timebanks throughout the world, and how to list our own offers and requests in the inter-trade area so that members of other timebanks may see them.

By the end of the social the conversation covered other aspects of community-building such as when businesses, non-profits, and co-housing communities join a timebank or encourage their members and employees to take part.

Everyone got to ask questions and share their experiences and left the meeting ready to participate in inter-trade in addition to local timebank exchanges. For questions on how to record hours with inter-trade, check out this video from Time and Talents: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6MxMplA14bM

Thank you to all who attended for making this social an informative and pleasant way to spend a Sunday afternoon. 

June Virtual Social: Credit Scores DemystifiedI

In June, the timebank's Virtual Social focused on credit scores and reports -- and how to understand, build, repair, and dispute them. Host and Silver Spring Timebank member Christopher Cruise started out in the mortgage business more than three decades ago and has become a true industry expert. 

He shared that many people have questions and/or misconceptions about consumer credit. Not only is the system complicated, but it also wasn't designed to help borrowers understand it. It was designed to help lenders assess risk. As a result, it seems shrouded in mystery to many consumers. He feels that we can all be armed with the information we need, to get the most out of this system: Industry insiders shouldn't be the only ones with access to the most effective tips and tricks.

He touched on so many helpful facts such as:

*why it may be a good idea to freeze your credit and only unfreeze it when applying for loans or credit cards,

*how you may be able to get your timely rent or utility payments added to your report to see how they boost your score,

*recent changes in the consumer credit laws which may allow you to have late but paid-off debt removed from your report (rather than simply being marked as repaid).

He also talked about fairness in the credit industry, including what can and cannot legally be asked in an application for credit. He says we have a long way to go to make the process more fair to people from diverse groups, but some important advances have been made. 

Participants at the social had quite a few questions about their own situations, and Chris gave thoughtful, insightful responses to all. Many thanks to Chris for chatting with us! 

If you couldn't attend this session, Chris will offer another one on this topic in the future. In the meantime, timebank members may write to him through hOurworld.org to discuss doing an exchange with him regarding their credit scores or reports.

Opportunity: Earn hours for helping the Timebank! So many tasks or roles to choose from -- large or small, on an ongoing basis or one time only! Do you like to organize events? Manage schedules? Write short articles? How about hosting a social like this one? Sharing on social media? Posting to an online calendar?

Daisy, Laura, and Chris earned timebank hours for preparing for and hosting these socials. Timebank members Brikena Kay and Laura Kranis also earned hours for writing up these summaries. Several other timebank members promoted this social on social media and their neighborhood listservs and earned time for that, too. Please reach out to your Member Mentor to discuss ways you may enjoy helping. (If you're not sure how to reach your mentor, please write to silverspringtimebank@gmail.com.)

Colorful quilt exchange

This month timebank member Carrie Noel-Nosbaum, a Blair High School alum and former JFK and Wheaton High Schools Spanish teacher, will be attending the wedding of two friends she’s known since the three attended Oberlin College together.  The couple already has most of what they need, so Carrie wanted to give them something special. Carrie browsed the hOurworld website and saw that Mary Campbell sews quilts. The two met in early April to discuss making a special quilt. Carrie explained she’d like a quilt in Oberlin’s colors: maroon and gold but after consultation, they expanded the color scheme to add green and blue – a reminder of Oberlin’s open space.

Mary got to work cutting patches and laying them out. Before sewing the top, Mary emailed Carrie a picture of the layout. Carrie loved it, and Mary completed the quilt in late May. Carrie got a surprise when she picked up the quilt. The back was maroon with a four foot high gold “O” for Oberlin  in the center!

The 48 x 60-inch quilt took 32 hours to make, and Mary charged Carrie for the cost of the fabric which cost less than current retail, because Mary belongs to a quilting guild and visits their yard sales to find interesting fabric.

Mary really enjoys sewing these quilts!  She specializes in small to medium size (60” is largest size she’s comfortable quilting), and especially likes making baby quilts. So if you’d like to commission a handmade-quilt, think about which colors you might like, reach out to Mary on hOurworld, and you could soon have a lovely gift for someone else or just to enjoy yourself.

Carrie is now a full-time professional organizer.  She was featured at February’s SSTB virtual social where lots of members participated and benefited from her talents. Carrie offers up to 2 hours via the Timebank and then further hours through her business: www.carrieitaway.com. 

Winter Virtual Socials

The Silver Spring Timebank began 2023 with two Virtual Socials on the theme of Beginnings.

January 2023 SSTB Virtual Social

A diverse but harmonious group of 16 current and prospective members met on January 8th, 2023 for a New Year's planning session. Our gracious host Madeline Caliendo and capable organizer Laura Kranis created a warm and welcoming atmosphere, physical distance notwithstanding. This was an excellent opportunity to welcome the new year by taking a couple of hours to breathe in, introspect, share thoughts, and plan a fruitful year ahead. 

The meeting started with introductions and sharing our experience with the timebank, what skills we are looking to share, and what kind of help we are looking for. Participants then found a few potential and exciting exchanges with one another.

Madeline then led the group through a relaxing and centering body-scanning meditation that promoted present focus, tranquility, positivity, and gratitude. After the meditation, everyone had a chance to share their favorite New Year's ritual. 

Then Madeline used several questions from author Caroline Myss to gently guide participants into a self-assessment of the previous year and a goal-setting session for 2023. Madeline also touched on the topic of "vision boarding" -- how she goes about constructing vision boards, what she includes on them, what inspires her, and how everyone can use vision boards as a self-development and goal-reaching tool. 

The group closed out the session with a discussion on a range of topics such as unusual timebank exchanges, inter-trading, and even tool libraries. The dynamic felt as comfortable as a gathering of family and friends, and we all thanked Madeline, our host, with smiles on our faces.

February 2023 SSTB Virtual Social

Despite the capricious weather throughout the DMV at this time of year, there is something we can rely on, and that is the beloved Silver Spring Timebank social. Ten ladies gathered on zoom on February 26 from 4 - 6 pm to exchange tips and tricks and encourage each other to prepare for the fast-approaching spring season with a good Spring Cleaning. As is often the case, most participants at the social were timebank members, and those who weren’t members were intrigued by timebanking and glad to learn more.

Similar to other Silver Spring Timebank socials, this one had a definite theme and was guided by a timebank member with expertise in the field. This social was led by Carrie Noel-Nosbaum of “Carrie it Away." Carrie has been a member of the Silver Spring Timebank since 2016 and a member of the National Association of Productivity and Organizing Professionals since 2021. 

Carrie started the first half of the meeting (the Presentation section) in a fresh and interactive way: Participants were invited to answer icebreaker questions about Spring Cleaning. It turned out most participants had tried their hand at spring cleaning with varying degrees of success and reliability. The rest of the first hour was dedicated to a well-structured method for carrying out spring cleaning in an efficient way. 

Carrie unfolded her favorite method while allowing participants to chime in with their tips and secrets. Her method is as easy as 1 , 2 , 3: make a plan, execute it, celebrate. Carrie did a wonderful job of explaining creating "S.M.A.R.T. goals," especially as this method pertains to spring cleaning, decluttering, and freshening up one's living space. She taught participants the steps to planning two levels of cleaning/organizing:  basic and deep cleaning -- as well as planning how the progress can be maintained once achieved. She went through the details and steps for planning each level of cleaning for optimum success.

The section on Planning was very useful, but the next section on Execution was a godsend. It was filled with actionable steps, advice for including support, accountability partners, and expert help as needed. Most importantly, Carrie beautifully articulated the need to Celebrate Success. It was the most vivacious portion of the meeting: Everyone got to share their favorite way to celebrate success. 

Participants had the chance to ask questions or ask for Carrie’s advice and guidance before she ended the Presentation portion of the social with a few questions that urged everyone to think about the takeaways from the meeting as well as how they might help one another through the timebank.

In the second hour of the social, Carrie led participants through practical steps of practicing the lessons learned. She answered questions and gave guidance while everyone had the chance to apply Carrie’s secrets and get their own decluttering, organizing, and spring cleaning done while still chatting over zoom. Participants left the meeting with new knowledge, resources, and a sense of satisfaction at having begun the process.

Thank you to SSTB member Brikena Kay, for reporting on these Virtual Socials! Brikena earned timebank hours for her efforts. You, too, can help your timebank and earn hours for doing it. Please write to silverspringtimebank@gmail.com to discuss which needed tasks are a great fit for you!

Ode to Timebanking

Thank you to SSTB member Daisy Birch for sharing this wonderful poem about timebanking!

Events team member: Charlotte Cook

Charlotte joined the timebank in 2019 after reading an article in The Washington Post about her friends, SSTB members Mary and Al Liepold. After some successful exchanges - offering rides and getting computer help - Charlotte decided to get more involved in the timebank. As she says, "If I join something, I don't just join in name. I have to do something with it." Since the spring of 2020 (the start of the pandemic), Charlotte has been a member of the Events team, planning the Social Walks which help our members safely meet with others while walking on beautiful trails in our area.

In her role as Social Walks coordinator, Charlotte connects with members who express an interest in leading a walk. They work together to confirm the location, date, and time, and Charlotte writes up details for SSTB’s social media. After the walk, Charlotte writes up a brief summary to share in the newsletter.

The Events team meets virtually each month, and Charlotte attends when she can to help brainstorm ideas for upcoming activities. She appreciates these meetings because they give her “an insider’s ear to events” so she can plan ahead to attend virtual socials and activities of interest.

Charlotte enjoys the work she does for the SSTB - she likes organizing people and creating spreadsheets with details. Naturally an introvert, Charlotte has found herself doing more outgoing things because of her timebank involvement.

With Charlotte’s help, the timebank has offered 7-8 Social Walks since the start of the pandemic to places like Brookside Gardens, Lake Needwood, and Buddy Attick Lake in Greenbelt. Many thanks to Charlotte for sharing her time and skills with the SSTB!

The Silver Spring Timebank is looking for more members to help on a monthly or quarterly basis, or even just once or twice a year. And, you earn a timebank hour for every hour you give. Current open jobs include:

• Writing an article for our quarterly newsletter

• Posting updates to our sstimebank.org website

• Posting events to our Facebook page

• Organizing or leading an online or in-person social event, like a Virtual Social or a Social Walk

• Mentoring a new timebank member

• Leading a virtual Orientation and Refresher session

If you've got 1-2 hours to offer each month, every other month, or even a few times a year, please let us know. We'll get you connected to a job that fits your interests and gains you timebank hours too! 

November Virtual Social: Thinking outside the recycling box

The November 2022 SSTB Virtual Social brought together an enthusiastic group of creative and eco-minded people. 

"Creative Re-use to help the planet and your wallet,” hosted by longtime timebank member Tanya DeKona, was a forum for thinking about ways to re-use objects rather than putting them in the trash. Re-use can happen with materials that would otherwise be recycled, too. 

Creative Re-use means giving an object, or parts of it, a new life, with a new purpose. This extends the life of objects, eases the burden on the planet, and saves you money. In that spirit, Tanya and the participants shared some of their creations made from ordinary household objects. They also showed objects that they wanted to find a way to re-use rather than dispose of, and the group brainstormed possibilities together. 

The group also shared resources on the topic such as https://reuse.dc.gov/.  It is clear that every object has many possibilities, and every act of conservation matters!

SSTB Virtual Socials are a fun way to learn about something new, connect with other timebank members or – for people who haven’t joined the timebank yet – a way to learn about timebanking, too. There is always time for members to talk about timebank exchanges they could do with one another.  

Do you have a topic you’d like to share in a Virtual Social? It’s great fun, and  you earn timebank hours for presenting.  Please write to silverspringtimebank@gmail.com so we can discuss it further.

Sequim Daily Photo, https://www.sequimwadailyphoto.com/2018/08/02/creative-reuse/

September Virtual Social: De-kryptoniting your favorite junk foods

The September virtual social was on de-kryptoniting (making healthier) your favorite junk foods.  Knowing this is a vast topic, we began by pondering what treats our ancestors ate before these treats became processed, extruded and unhealthy. Then we looked at favorite modernized unhealthy treats and suggested replacement ingredients.  Replacing ingredients often saves money and time. It also gives us health, focus and energy instead of sucking it out of us. 

Some suggestions during and after the social were: Using stevia, monk fruit, dates, and coconut to replace depleted sugars and chemical sweeteners. For example, our ancestors didn’t have Sprite, but they had lemon, soda water, and stevia. And we could replace depleted salts and chemical salt-substitutes with original/natural salts and salt substitutes, like mined, mineral or sea salts, miso, vinegar, sumac, lemon, and onion. 

Here are 8 initial de-kryptoniting tips. Enjoy!

1. Observe (w/out judgement): What do you eat or drink most often that you know is unhealthy? (Remember: leave judging in the courts, and drama on the stage.)

2. See what unhealthy ingredients can be replaced (processed milks, preservatives, chemical flavorings/colorings, trans fats, depleted sugars, salts and starches.).

3. Imagine our precious ancestors (say, 10 generations back) eating. How would they make and eat your favorite junk food?  Try their ingredients. For example— a candy bar: Stuff a walnut & unsweetened chocolate into a date— add a dash of mineral salt, optional. Wow! 

4. Ponder healthy preindustrial (ancestral) condiments: roasted sesame seeds/tahini, chilis, mustard, fire (or organic liquid smoke), mineral salts, lemon/lime juice/zest, sumac, stevia, dates, fermented salsa, miso, nato, and live flavored vinegars & pickles. 

5. Check what percentage of your food is green vegetable and mushrooms. 

6. Check what percentage of your food has pre- and probiotics (for a healthy gut). 

7. Check what part of your 24-hour day gives your gut a full rest (intermittent fasting). 

8. If you think you may have any eating disorder, smoke, or over-drink, seek help from professionals and healthy loved ones.

Many thanks to SSTB member Daisy Birch, a diversity, health, and executive coach, for hosting this social. Daisy practices both virtually and internationally.

Make your own! Our daily condiments carousel: (clockwise): Lemon, nutritional yeast, chili’s, pink salt, black pepper, homemade vinegar, olive oil in spray bottle, roasted sesame seeds, black mineral salt, sumac, fresh onions/pepper, some stray things we’ve pickled, blenderized mustard seeds & vinegar. The saffron rock candy on the sweets shelf is for the rare stomachache. We’re just trying out the Bragg herbed salt substitute.