'Banks'
allow members to pay with time, not cash
By MICHAEL RUBINKAM Associated Press Writer
Loretta's Musings:
Spotlights:
Home.
'Banks'
allow members to pay with time, not cash
The Pride Stride Report
TimeBank
Party/Fundraiser at Alchemy restaurant
Cape
Ann TimeBank Membership Satisfaction Survey
Share
Your Favorite Recipes
How is
The TimeBank Working for You
Letter to The
Editor (Gloucester Daily Times)
Thank You Volunteers!
New Policy on TimeBank Classes
Cape Ann TimeBanks
Meets El Banco del Tiempo (8/28/09)
Nancy,
Jane, Cheryl and Gitama's Excellent Adventure aka The 2009 TimeBanks USA
Conference, (7/23/09)
Cape Ann TimeBank
Yard Sale Benefit/Plant Swap (6/23/09)
2009 TimeBank Dues (5/23/09)
How to Donate Hours to Our
TimeBank
March Leadership Team Retreat.
Farewell to Drew.
Timebanks Computer
Buddies (1/25/09)
.
Sustainability Support Group
(10/1/08).
Notes on TimeBank Dues
No money? No problem! Pay with time, instead.
That's what Maria Villacreses did when the economy put a hitch in her wedding plans: She used "time dollars" on everything from a wedding-day makeover to an elaborate seven-layer cake. In a modern twist on the ancient practice of barter, people like Villacreses are joining time banks to help them get the things they need or want without having to spend cash. In a time bank, members get credit for services they provide to other members, from cooking to housekeeping to car rides to home repair. For each hour of work, one time dollar is deposited into a member's account, good for services offered by other members. Scores of time banks are being started in hard-hit communities around the nation—and thousands of devotees are helping each other survive tough financial times. "Even though we were planning to do something small and simple, it takes a lot of money, time and effort. Through time banking, I got a lot of help," said Villacreses, who belongs to Community Exchange, a 10-year-old time bank in Allentown, where 500 members offer everything from electrical work to tai chi. As the economy recovers amid stubbornly high unemployment, newer banks with names like "Back On Track" have joined Community Exchange in offering an alternative to cash. Time Banks USA, an advocacy group in Washington, says interest in time banking has surged: About 115 now operate nationwide, with 100 more in early stages of development. Membership fluctuates but is believed to total more than 15,000. "People see time banking as a way to deal with the economic pressures they are feeling," especially in places hit hardest by the recession, said Jen Moore, membership and outreach coordinator for Time Banks USA. In Maine, where paper mills and shoe manufacturers have closed, time dollars buy everything from guitar lessons to yard work—even prayer. In California, they buy haircuts, tax help and aromatherapy. In Michigan, child care, plumbing and yoga. In South Carolina, Back on Track Charleston was launched recently to help down-on-their-luck residents get, well, back on track. It's already got 80 members. Winborne Evans relies on Back on Track to supply her with baby-sitting while she picks up extra shifts as a waitress. She's also using time dollars, which she earns by sitting for other members' kids, to help get her fledgling beekeeping business off the ground. "Becoming a single mom recently ... I truly can't imagine where I would be without it, mostly because I can't afford a baby-sitter, and I can't afford to pay people to help me with my bees," said Evans, 29. Unlike bartering, transactions in time banking are not usually reciprocal. Instead, Jane baby-sits for John, John fixes Mary's leaky faucet, Mary drives Tom to the doctor's office, and so on, all of them earning and spending time dollars. Their labor is valued equally: One hour is always worth one time dollar. (Time dollars are not taxable, according to Time Banks USA.) People often join for economic reasons but wind up getting more out of it. Among the benefits: networking, getting to know neighbors, building a sense of community and keeping skills sharp. "Part of it is very practical," said Judith Lasker, a professor at Lehigh University in Bethlehem who is co-writing a book on time banking. "There's another part of it that's very ideological. People believe the best way to survive in this crazy, unpredictable world is to forge local ties, support local economies ... and support local people in a variety of ways." Services provided by Allentown's Community Exchange—including gardening, cleaning, cooking and transportation—have allowed 79-year-old Joan Stevenson to stay in her home and out of assisted living. "I'm enriched by it, not only from the services I receive but by being able to contribute," said Stevenson, who earns time dollars by writing for the Community Exchange newsletter, hosting Community Exchange meetings at her house and helping other members with their resumes and job searches. Time banks are labor intensive and can be difficult to keep going. Most of the successful ones eventually get a paid staff, either by raising grant money or affiliating with a larger organization. Lehigh Valley Hospital & Health Network, the Allentown region's largest employer, pays the small staff of Community Exchange. Manager Laura Gutierrez said time banks are worth the effort. "Since the economy has been poor, people need to be a little more creative about using resources within a community that might not have been considered resources in the past," she said. Which is exactly what Villacreses did to salvage her wedding plans. The 28-year-old, who is fluent in English and Spanish and earns time dollars as a medical interpreter and by offering rides and pet-sitting, thought she would have to scale back when her fiance's hours at work were cut in half. Then fellow Community Exchange members suggested she use time dollars to pay for services that would typically cost hundreds of dollars. On the big day, the bride sat at her dining room table while a complete stranger, Marilyn Shive, did her makeup. "Show me which colors you tend to like," said Shive, a Community Exchange member who sells beauty products. As Shive applied foundation and eyeliner, another member of Community Exchange delivered the cake. Others brought food and decorated the sanctuary and reception hall. During the service, time bankers took photos and played the organ. In all, the wedding cost about 200 time dollars. By spending her time wisely, Villacreses figures she saved about $2,000.Top
On a sunny Sunday (April 25) the Fab Five
-- Rachel, Cheryl, Nancy, Roger and his wife Carol -- showed
up at Stage Fort Park and walked in the Gloucester Pride Stride. We
sang the TimeBank song that Roger had written, waved our signs (see photo)
and generally had a wonderful time. Bruce Tarr even took a video of
us singing our song to post on his blog. Best of all, we
raised $819 for our TimeBank. The champion pledge-collectors (Cheryl
by far, and Nancy a distant second) say that next year they would be
willing to coach anyone who’s interested in learning how to ask folks to
pledge.We really embodied the lyrics of one of Roger’s verses, “Get things done and have some fun!” It really was fun, and it was FLEXIBLE -- there was a circulating trolley to give a lift to those of us who preferred NOT to walk the whole 5 miles from the Park to the State Fish Pier and back. PLUS excellent free food when we got back to Stage Fort Park! ta-DAH!!
Here are a picture and a cartoon of us.
Top
TimeBank
Party/Fundraiser at Alchemy Restaurant
by
Caitlin Featherstone
Cape Ann TimeBank celebrated
the beginning of spring with a crowd of dancing, grooving folks at Alchemy
March 20th. With over
100 people attending our "Let's Get Together and Feel Alright"
dance party at Alchemy, it was one of their biggest community events ever.
The crowd was a mix of TimeBank regulars and members, interested folks and
people drawn by the music of the band, Groove.
A raffle that included offers from TimeBank members piqued interest in the
TimeBank and raised some money. Winners were excited about taking
advantage of massage, kayak lessons, garden design, photo portraits and a
night at Inn Magnolia.
The evening netted us about $1000 US dollars. This does not
include the immeasurable goodwill and community awareness that the event
also provoked.
Thanks to members who put up posters, distributed postcards, worked the
door, sold raffle tickets and organized countless details that made the
evening seamless and enjoyable even for the organizers.
Thanks also to James Auditore
Events, Alchemy and Groove, without whom the event would not have been
possible.
For more information about
Cape Ann TimeBank or to join, please contact Cheryl Davis (cdavis_62@hotmail.com)
or Nancy Goodman (ngoodman52@yahoo.com).
And here are the pictures from Judy and Tom Robinson-Cox:
 |
 |
 |
| At The Door | Hanging Out | On The Dance Floor |
 |
 |
|
| The Band | The Raffle | |
|
Top |
Cape
Ann TimeBank Membership Satisfaction Survey
by
Judy Warrington
The survey was sent out to every member of Cape Ann TimeBank (CATB) and 31 members responded.
You will be able to find the original survey questions, the numerical and textual responses in the full survey report. The conclusions were presented to the Leadership Team on March 10. They will be working to review the results and implement any necessary changes in the near future.The full results are here.
We would like to thank all the respondents who completed the survey. Your suggestions are invaluable
A New Feature of our Newsletter - Share Your Favorite Recipes
Indian
Cauliflower and Potato Curry
shared by Jane Keddy
1 14.5 ounce can
coconut milk
1 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes
1 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion finely diced
1 tablespoons ginger, chopped fine
1 ½ teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon curry powder (Madras brand)
1 head cauliflower, broken into small florets
1 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 teaspoon pepper
1 cups frozen peas, thawed
½ cup chopped cilantro (optional)
Juice of one lime
In a Dutch oven or large pot, heat olive oil and add onions and ginger and sprinkle with salt, and cook until onions are translucent. Add curry powder and cauliflower and cook for 2 minutes stirring often. In a separate bowl, mix coconut milk, tomatoes and pepper and add to the pot along with the potatoes and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer and cook for 30 minutes. Stir in the peas, cilantro and lime juice and cook for another 3 minutes. Serve over white rice.
EARN A TIMEDOLLAR for less than 15 minutes of your time by responding to the survey at the attachment below. Give the Leadership Team some input on how the TimeBank is working for you and things you would like the TimeBank to do in the future.
We hope you will spend a few moments completing this questionnaire, within the coming week if possible. When you complete the survey you can claim a TimeDollar which you can record in the usual manner.
Click Here to fill in the survey.
Enter the information below into the Community Weaver, TimeBank website, in order to earn your TimeDollar.
Service given to Cape Ann TimeBank
Service Category is Community Activities
Service is Help Our TimeBank
Brief Description is Answered Survey
Feel free to contact another veteran member if
you need help with this.
Top
Letter
to The Editor (Gloucester Daily Times).
by
Mary Ann Wenniger
Mary Ann Wenniger, a member since November 2006 recently wrote in a letter to the Gloucester Daily Times, "The TimeBank is growing a terrific sense of old-fashioned community here on Cape Ann." After describing a recent surgery and TimeBankers’ support during her recovery, she wrote, "Because of the TimeBank, I did not feel lonely; I felt concern and even affection and was fantastically well fed… It’s hard to express the depth of gratitude I feel for this local circle of people who want to provide care and support for people like me. And it feels especially good not to be regarded as a passive recipient of this largesse but to know that the resources that I have to offer are valued, even expected, in return."
November 2009
Dear Editor,
I wonder how many people my age (in their seventies) know about a local resource called the Cape Ann TimeBank. The TimeBank is a system for exchanging services based on donated time. An hour spent helping another person (whether as a lawyer or as a lawn mower), is kept in the bank so it is not direct barter. The TimeBank is growing a terrific sense of old-fashioned community here in Cape Ann. I experienced the warmth and generosity of it recently.
When I moved to Gloucester two years ago, I wasn’t sure how easy it would be to build a circle of friends and a support system which I yearned for as I got older. I joined the time bank hoping that I might find community there. This fall I was scheduled for an operation. My family of origin lives in Philadelphia, so they were not going to be able to support me through my recuperation. My husband is older. Taking care of me on his own was going to be too much for him to handle. Enter the Cape Ann TimeBank. A young TimeBanker named Caitlin Featherstone offered to coordinate the preparation and delivery of meals. For two weeks delicious meals were delivered to my home. Because of the TimeBank I did not feel lonely; I felt concern and even affection and was fantastically well fed.
In return I have hosted a time bank event, and I have visited with another member for lunch. I plan to earn additional time dollars by working with the Leadership Team to help the timebank grow and develop.
If this sounds good to you, you can find out more about it at www.capeanntimebanks.org, or you can contact one of the coordinators, Cheryl Davis (cdavis_62@hotmail.com or 413 454-4682) or Jane Keddy (jkeddy@ymail.com or 978 281-5634), They can give you information about how to join.
It’s hard to express the depth of gratitude I feel for this local circle of people who want to provide care and support for people like me. And it feels especially good not to be regarded as a passive recipient of this largesse but to know that the resources that I have to offer are valued, even expected, in return. Whether you are a young Cape Ann resident or an older person like me, the Cape Ann TimeBank can provide you a place to both give to and receive from an awfully nice group of people. And even though you may think, as I did, that you have nothing to offer in exchange, the simplest things count, as they often do in life!
Mary Ann Wenniger
Top
Thank
You Volunteers!
by
Karen Favazza Spencer
In the spirit of sustainability, the TimeBank volunteer crew converted to wood chips the majority of the sticks, removed trees and limbs and created a lovely and wide walking path. About 8 large paper sacks of undesirable plant matter were sent to the recycling center where they will be composted at temperatures that will kill the seed and convert the organic material to nutritious garden material for Cape Ann gardeners. The very successful work day, which netted TimeBankers over 40 time dollars, ended with a delicious supper provided by Lin Chandler, TimeBank member and grateful owner of the Arts & Wellness Center.
Lin Chandler, owner of the Wellness Center invites TimeBankers to enjoy the property when visiting one of the practitioners at the Arts & Wellness Center. The October 17th workday was phase 1 in an ambitious plan to further create a welcoming integrated healing environment on the grounds complementing the work done by the practitioners inside the Center. Thank you, thank you to all the wonderful volunteers! We couldn’t have done it without you. We hope to have more of these community spirited events in 2010. Click here to view a slideshow of the day.
Top
New
Policy on TimeBank Classes
by
Jane Keddy
On October 14 2009, The Leadership Team voted to accept the proposal of the Subcommittee meeting on CATB classes for one year on a trial basis.
This new policy is:
The teacher of the class can charge each student 1.5 hours for every hour of class time, the extra half hour covering preparation time and anything else involved in organizing the class. The teacher will be able to collect all the time dollars for the class, and has the option of donating back to the CATB any of the hours. If the teacher is offering the class to the general public on a paying basis, (s)he can decide to limit the number of students taking the class for time dollars.
History and notes from the Meeting:
Because there has been so much confusion and dissatisfaction surrounding the Cape Ann TimeBank’s policy on offering classes, a sub committee on CATB classes made up of Gitama Kinigstein, Roy Warrington, Cheryl Davis and Jane Keddy, met on September 23, 2009 to discuss this issue and come up with a new policy that is more user-friendly and encouraging. The major issues discussed were:
-
The importance of maintaining the TB principle that everyone's time is equal
-
The policy as it stands now is confusing and unwieldy
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Not many classes are offered, and the TB would like to encourage more people to give and take classes in order to foster community and get people involved in the CATB
Questions to consider:
-
Should the teacher be able to charge whatever he/she wants
-
Should we have 2 different policies for classes that are exclusively for TB members and another for classes open to public that are offering a certain number of spaces for TB members?
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Would allowing a teacher to receive more TDs than the actual number of hours spent in teaching the class be a major breach of our principle of one TD for one hour spent?
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Is it important for the TimeBank to receive those extra hours that teachers formerly should have been donating back? (No—C ATB is approx. $700 in the hole)
What are the goals for creating a new policy for TB classes:
-
To encourage more people to teach classes
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To create an equitable exchange
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To create connections and foster community by getting people to attend classes
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To have a policy that is simple to explain and easy to follow
Cape
Ann Time Banks Meets EL Banco del Tiempo
by
Nancy Goodman
Sometime between the time when Jim and I confirmed our trip to Barcelona and the day of departure, I discovered that there is a time bank in Barcelona, Spain! Through TimeBanks USA’s Facebook page, I sent a message to Josefina Altes; she wrote back encouraging us to visit while we were there. Josefina works for what in the US would be a private non-profit organization called Salud y Familia (Health and Families). Their organization receives government funding for running the time bank! Quite different from our situation here in the US.
The biggest challenge and most delightful aspect of the visit was our mutual determination to cross the language barrier. It is really fun and occasionally very frustrating to try to figure out how to communicate in different ways, to pantomime, to come up with simple words to express an idea and, on the listening end, to make sense of what the other person is saying. Josefina’s first sentence to us was, "My English is not very good." I replied, "My Spanish is worse." Luckily we had Jim there. With his 4 years of high school Spanish, he was at least able to help us find common ground and interpret what the other person was saying.
Josefina met us with a folder full of literature and posters about their time bank – information that I am more than happy to share with anyone who is interested. What Jim and I learned about El Banco del Tiempo is that in many essential ways, time banks in Spain (and all over Europe) are the same as our time bank: an hour of service earns one time dollar, an hour is an hour no matter whose time it is, and the time bank is a mechanism for building community. Some of the service exchanges Josefina mentioned were people watering plants while their owners are away, and young people buying groceries for elders. Since Salud y Familia works with many immigrant families, a major service exchange is language instruction.
Josefina is very proud of the annual conference that brings together time bankers from all over Europe. Edgar Cahn, the founder of TimeBanks USA has attended. She told us excitedly that TimeBanks in Spain have made an arrangement with TimeBanks in Italy so that people traveling from one country to another can stay in the homes of time bank members for 6 time dollars. She is working to bring TimeBanks in France into the arrangement.
I wanted to check with Josefina if they find that it’s okay for the time bank itself to go into debt as it pays time dollars to members to help run the time bank. Josefina didn’t understand the word debt, and after much fumbling around to make ourselves understood, she blurted out, "Oh, you mean the red numbers!" This led to a full-out belly laugh by all three of us, a moment of universal connection no matter what language one speaks. Her answer, by the way, was that they don’t concern themselves with the time bank’s "red ink."
As I reflect on the hour or so that Jim and I spent with
Josefina, I can think of so many more questions that I would have liked to
ask her. I also realize that, because of the time it took to be certain
that we were understanding each other, we didn’t get to cover a lot of
territory. Meeting Josefina was the only time Jim and I had the
opportunity to talk to a resident of Barcelona, and it enriched our visit
immensely. If you’re planning to travel, whether in the US or to some
other country, I recommend your looking into whether there’s a time bank
at your destination.
Top
Nancy,
Jane, Cheryl and Gitama’s Excellent Adventure
aka
the 2009 TimeBanks USA Conference
by
Gitama Kinigstein
|
Four members of the Cape Ann Time Bank’s Leadership team, Nancy Goodman, Jane Keddy, Cheryl Davis and I, traveled to Madison Wisconsin for the 2009 TimeBanks USA Conference on Thursday June 25th. Driven by Carla King to the airport, we arrived in Madison in time for a Timebank tour showing us some of the sites of the Dane County Timebank. We split into two groups and my van’s first stop was the Allied TB store in a housing project in the southwest part of the city. Timebank members used time dollars (TD) to purchase used clothes, electronics including computers, and food. Two residents of the area earned time dollars that day by working in the store, they took the time to talk with us and explained how things worked. The idea of exchanging TDs for goods instead of services was seen here and in other situations during the conference. Madison is an appealing liberal city with racial diversity, a university and a social and environmental consciousness. The government and mayor supported the existence of the time bank and donated an apartment for the purposes of the TimeBank store and a meeting place for that neighborhood. After seeing the store we headed for a large community garden with 330 plots, a CSA, cohousing project, herb gardens, children’s area etc. There was a connection with the time bank, but none of us was sure of what exactly it was. We returned to the Convention Center to attend the welcome session and met people who had traveled from other time banks all over the USA and the British Isles. We met some of the prime players for the event including Edgar Cahn, founder of Timebanks. He was very friendly and we joked about having the next convention closer to home in Providence, Rhode Island and he agreed it was a great idea. A TB parade was organized and the four of us marched through the hall in our CATB teeshirts, the announcer remarking on the teeshirts and hair (a reference to our gray.) The theme of the conference was social justice, which we all embraced, but in addition we had our own agenda which we created before we arrived. For the past few months during leadership team meetings when ever we had philosophical or other TimeBanking questions we would say "we’ll find out in Wisconsin." Our agenda was to find out more about incorporation, ways of collecting dues, interesting long term members in a variety of projects, working with organizations, young people and those with special needs etc. In addition Nancy and Cheryl were going to be leading an hour and half workshop on the different roles people play in our member led time bank, and Jane and I were going to be a part of a Q and A panel discussing best TimeBanking practices. Jane had also prepared a tri-fold display with pictures, newspaper articles, brochures etc. There were panels and discussions and "break out groups." We learned about diverse programs in Wales, and the UK as well, as DC, Dane County (Madison), Portland, Maine, Rhode Island etc. One of the things which became apparent to me was the diversity in the form of each time bank. For example there are "Youth Court" in DC where young people who made mistakes served restitution and then earned TDs for helping other young people move through the system. Some of the TBs were connected to mental health institutions, housing projects and facilities for the elderly, while others were formed to help parents of difficult children. Dane County, a TB of 1200+ has several "Kitchen Cabinets" which connect to geographic regions in the county and were multiple versions of our leadership team. Woodstock’s membership was mainly healers and artists. Our type of time bank was called a neighbor to neighbor time bank. Friday night the mayor of Madison gave a brief talk and invited everyone to attend the Dane County Farmers’ Market Saturday morning in Capitol Square around the corner from where we were staying. Cheryl and Nancy were the early birds and got there by 6:30 while Jane and I arrived a while later. It was amazing. Beautiful and diverse produce and plants, everything produced locally and sold by its producers. (It’s the largest producer only farmers’ market in the country; yellow beets, cheese bread, snow peas, venison and emu oil were all sold there.) On Friday after the programs, we walked from the convention center to a university Chapel/ Student Center for a Taste of TimeBank!. Madison Timebank had gone all out with their hospitality- an enormous potluck, entertainment, crafts etc. the variety and quantity of food was amazing. It was an opportunity also for us to see how Madison integrated those with special needs into their community. Physical and mental diversity were present and embraced in a compassionate way. I saw how the heart of the community expanded to accept and give all its members respect and appreciation. Saturday we attended more conferences and Sunday night, much later than expected, we returned to Cape Ann feeling invigorated, educated, entertained and inspired. Not to mention exhausted. I was the only one not needing to get up early the next morning. We found that we hadn’t gotten answers to all of our questions, nevertheless our time in Madison was an enjoyable and worthwhile opportunity for all of us. Click
for more information about the conference, including pictures. |
Bright and early on Saturday June 6th, members of the CATB were setting up
under tents for our first annual yard
sale and second annual plant swap. Potential buyers waited impatiently
behind the opening ribbon for 9 a.m. to
arrive so they could purchase a variety of valuable and invaluable objects
(remember beauty is in the eye of the beholder.)
Cheryl Davis' daughter, Stephanie, hosted the event and created a display that was beautiful to behold. Some of the notable purchases included two bicycles, wonderful clothes and purses, plants, books, flower pots etc.
Roy Warrington and Roger Hussey played guitar and banjo and sang, creating a celebratory tone for the event, while people burst into spontaneous sing-alongs as they checked out the goods.
Louise Maier, who did much of the organizing and baking, sold wonderful homemade cookies.
At 1 p.m. the yard sale was over and the TimeBank was about $500 richer. (It was a 50/50 event.) Jane Keddy and new member Peter Breeze carted the leftover things to Second Glance.
A good time was had by all.
To see more photgraphs and participate in our caption competition click here.
2009
TimeBank Dues
by
Jane Keddy
Many thanks to all
who have paid their dues for this year.
PLEASE, for those who haven’t yet, send your check to:
Trish Roach, 18 Two Penny Lane, Gloucester, MA 01930.
And don’t forget to also donate your 4 Time Dollars. [See last month’s Spotlight if you need directions.] Your dues (both federal dollars and time dollars) pay for the expenses that keep our TimeBank running, including our membership in TimeBanks USA and use of their software ,PR materials, salaries, etc.
The following is a list of the members who
have paid their dues as of May 21 (THANK YOU!!)
:
JUDITH NAST
LAURIE HAGAR
ESTHER MARTIN
CAPE ANN FARMERS MARKET
BARBARA LAMBERT
ELIZABETH LEWIS
NANA DUNN
MORT RUBIN
NANCY GOODMAN
JIM GUTSTADT
ROB MARTIN
TRISH ROACH
JAMIE KESHET
HARRY KESHET
ALKA MILEWSKY
CHERYL DAVIS
LOUISE MAIER
KAREN SPENCER
KATHY MORRIS
MARGARET DILLON
MARY NIKORA
BONNIE BARISH
NANCY WILLIAMS
CAPE ANN ART HAVEN
DAVID BROOKS
LORETTA PERES
PAULINE TRESSILIAN
JULIE FLYNN
ROY LOPEZ
KESTREL EDUCATION
THERESE DESMARAIS
JAMIE LYNCH
CHRISTINE HICHEY
NANCY WILLIAMS
JANE KEDDY
PATTI AMARAL
LAURIE HENDRICKSON
ROGER HUSSEY
KATHRYN HEINZE
ERIN ACEVEDO
JUDY & ROY WARRINGTON
NORTH SHORE HEALTH PROJECT
RUTH SKOV LEOPOLD
ROD PARKER
DON MAIER
GITAMA-ANNE KINIGSTEIN
BARBARA SEED SIERGIEW...
NICK CARTE
JANICE FULLMAN
CYNTHIA HENDRICKSON
JAMES PECK
SEAN ROULAN
DIANE FAISSLER
CARLA KING
DEBBIE CARMAN
When I asked people to send me any questions or concerns, several people
asked me how to donate hours to the
time bank in order to pay their 4TDs as part of their annual membership.
One point to know is that it is ok to
temporarily have a negative balance of TDs. It’s
a bit tricky, but here’s how to do it:
1. Log into your account and click MY ACCOUNT tab
2. Click MY HOURS tab
3. Click DEDUCT TIME tab
4. Screen will say Service given by, click SELECT PROVIDER
5. Look up member will appear on screen, type in CAP
6. Click LOOK UP MEMBER
7. Click down arrow next to Cape Ann Art Haven, and scroll down and click on CAPE ANN TIMEBANK
8. Click CONFIRM
9. Was an ad posted? Click on YES
10. Click SELECT AD
11. Go to Cape Ann’s offers
12. Select donate hours to CATB
13. Click CONFIRM
14. Enter date,
15. Enter number of hours (4)
16. Then click PREVIEW
17. Click CONFIRM
Leadership
Team Retreat
by
Jane Keddy
On Sunday, March 1, the Leadership Team gathered for the annual retreat at CABI. We had a small group this year and we were able to get quite a bit accomplished.
We started by discussing our TimeBanks’ accomplishments during the past year, which included:
- Created a new brochure that does a much better job of telling our story to prospective members,
- designed a more engaging newsletter format with many more features than we had before,
- varied the locations of the monthly potlucks in different neighborhoods, alternating between private homes and public locations.
And our goals for the upcoming year:
- continuing to make it easier for new members to join,
- creating activities that will attract veteran members to potlucks,
- increasing service trading among members and
- Continuing to cultivate a culture of inclusiveness.
We also continued our ongoing conversation about incorporation as a non-profit organization, listing the pros and cons. We are still undecided, so the conversation continues.
The Leadership Team is always looking for new members. If you would like to find out more about this fun and dynamic group, come to one of our upcoming meetings. To keep the membership informed about what happens at the Leadership Team meetings, we have decided to post the meeting minutes on the Community Weaver website, and we also will provide a link to the minutes in the monthly newsletter. Happy reading—and hope to see you at one of our meetings!
Jane Keddy, Team Leader
You know, you are such a wild thing. Your wildness is your tenacity to find a life for yourself as yourself. You’re wild in your persistence to overcome so many obstacles and still be your own self. You have a great love for everything especially for children, for flowers and for your adopted community, Gloucester and TimeBanks.
Your wildness is how much you cared for people and how much you wanted people to care and love you just as we all wish to be loved. Clearly, you' were the mayor of Main Street in Gloucester. You said "hello and how are you" to everyone whether you knew them or not. You wanted to connect and show people that they mattered and that you mattered and you are recognizing and reaching out to make the "human" connection unabashedly.
You found a place in our hearts by seeking out all of us and making us aware of both your and our wonderful human needs and human tenderness. Giving to you and your giving back is such a gift of mutual kindness. You opened our hearts and you will never be forgotten.
Harry Keshet
This
photo was taken this fall when Drew and I spent the afternoon together,
first doing yardwork at my house and then gathering seaweed on the back
shore for Drew's garden.
Jane Keddy
Double your pleasure, double your fun - or
another way to partake in the weaving of our community: serve as a
provider or recipient Computer Buddy.
Computer access is not a requirement
for TimeBanks membership even though the organization functions thanks to
a computer database. In keeping with our desire to be as inclusive as
possible, the Cape Ann TimeBank offers to partner "computer
people" with members who do not have
computers or who are not comfortable using them.
Some things computer buddies can do:
- Meet at a library or at one of your homes or by phone to:
- Create an e-mail address or use one that you already have to join.
- Work with the new member to create a profile.
- Be available to help with questions over time (e.g., software use)
- Communicate about emailed messages received, alerts, newsletters, specific offers or requests.
- Research or “shop” for services the member wants or offers.
- Take a digital photo (if possible). Upload the photo and post it on the person's profile.
- Register the partnership with time bank webmaster and member coordinator.
If you would enjoy some learning and laughing community weaving as a Computer Buddy partner please contact Cheryl Davis, Membership Coordinator.
Sustainability
Support Group
by
Liz Duff
Be a part of the Global Warming Solution! This support group will meet 4 times to work toward living more sustainably. We will discuss different strategies in each session, using the workbook "Low Carbon Diet: A 30 Day Program to Lose 5000 pounds" Participants will support and encourage each other in reducing carbon emissions and implementing sustainable practices. We will focus on lifestyle practices, household systems, and empowering others. From 7- 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday Evenings:October 15, 29, November 5, 19. Location on Cape Ann to be announced. Cost of the Book is $12.95. (You may borrow or buy a copy.) Call Liz Duff at 978-283-1191 for more information.
by
Jane Keddy
I just wanted to clarify for all the members, what the Leadership Team has decided to do about dues, since there has been some confusion. Since we are a fairly new organization, we have gone through many changes in our thinking and we have grown and learned from our mistakes. Because we are a member-driven time bank that operated for our first two years with no paid staff and no grant money coming in, we needed to have a way to generate income to sustain our organization. We decided to charge dues on a sliding scale, from $10-40, and asked for a 4 hour time dollar payment as well. We were pretty loose with collecting dues (both dollars and time dollars) for quite a while, relying on each member’s sense of responsibility and motivation. At the beginning of this calendar year it was decided that we needed to get more organized and active in our efforts to collect annual dues. A letter and several emails were sent out, and as of now we have dues from around 80 of the 144 members. So we will be reaching out to those of you, by phone, in the next couple of weeks to ascertain if you are still interested in being an active member, and if so, to please send in your dues to Trish Roach,18 Two Penny Lane, Gloucester, MA 01930.
As to the 4 hour Time Dollar dues, again we had been leaving it up to members to make their donation whenever they got around to it, but very few people remembered to do this; so the Leadership Team decided it best to just charge people these hours. We got some responses from people who were surprised and not happy about our strategy. There was concern especially that when the 4 hours were taken, it put them into a negative balance. I will always remember Mark McDonough’s words on that subject: that in Time Banks, being in the negative column was NOT a bad thing—basically, it really didn’t matter, unless the number got too large. Any trading was a good thing, and if receiving a service put you in the negative column for a while, that was better than have no trading happening and a big fat zero in your account.
I would love to hear from all you Time Bankers out there with any questions, suggestions or opinions you might have, on this topic, or any other. We are hoping this newsletter will open up communication and dialogue among our members, so join in!
Jane
Keddy
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Loretta's
Musings - Cape Ann's Secret Society
by
Loretta Perez, our own Cape Ann
TimeBanks Newsletter editor emeritus.
YES, there is a secret society here on Cape Ann and you "ARE" a part of it. It’s a large circle of which we have no way to measure the numbers. You have worked under the radar in such a way that it has been impossible to point you out. You are working single-handedly; you are working within organizations, and in many neighborhoods. You live in Rockport, Gloucester, Manchester by the Sea, Essex and as far as Ipswich, Beverly, & Danvers. You travel by foot, train, car and bus. You are white, black, Portuguese, Italian, Latino, Irish, English, Brazilian, Finn and much, much more. Your faces are warm and gentle, harsh and cold, old and young.
What is it you do? What is your secret? What was on your agenda this past year? You formed alliances, you held hands, you sang, you cried, you gave, you gave, and you gave and then gave more. You gave time. You gave energy. You gave ideas. You gave money. You gave of yourself in a way that no other could give. You gave what you could and went out and found more to give. You gave to the schools. You gave to the churches, you gave to your neighbor, you gave to the organization that touched your soul. When you didn't know where to give, you found the person that could connect you to giving. You are poor. You are rich. You are modest. You didn't look for a pat on the back. Instead, you looked in the eyes of others. You asked, "What can I do?" The stock market went down and you listened to your coworker, friend and family as they spoke of their worries.
You held a hand of an elderly person to help cross the icy sidewalk, you read a book to a preschooler, you pulled weeds, and walked dogs, and you visited the sick in the hospital. You consoled a dying friend, husband, family, and neighbor. You held on to the grieving. You spoke to the teen that struggles each day to find herself in this world of wonder. The list goes on and on. You "ARE ONE" within this great society. Continue to reach out! Continue to give in all the ways you have! Continue to "CONNECT!"
The Secret Society of Cape Ann. Yes, you "ARE" a part of it and had no clue. You have crossed paths in many ways without knowing. You gave of yourself, your hopes, your dreams, your heart and your love. This magical place called Cape Ann can truly live well and beyond no matter what goes on in the "outside world."
I ask you Secret Society, "What is
on your Agenda for the year 2009?"
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