Help Empower Timebank Communities Around the World

Hello from TimeBanks USA! 

We’re writing to thank you for helping us build communities through your donation. 

As we step into November and the upcoming U.S. election here in Washington, DC, our faces masked, we look at the unfamiliar landscape we find ourselves in.  The world as we’ve known it has changed indeed, the pandemic has impacted our way of living in unforeseen ways. We don’t hug each other, we stay at home.  It’s easy to be discouraged by the times we are in… and for how long? 

What questions are you asking these days?  

For us at TimeBanks USA, that same question arises:  what can we do for each other? 

In Newburgh, New York, “Together We Can Timebank” Founder, Damian DePauw, has chosen to respond by both empowering and leaning into his community through powerful action.  With Damian's permission, we are sharing his story below with you. 

“When COVID-19 first hit us here in New York we were the hotspot for the virus.  I have people I know who have lost loved ones to this horrible pandemic.  It is not like me to sit on my hands if there is an urgent need in my community and I had to do something.  At that time, there was a severe shortage of masks for healthcare workers and the CDC was advising that homemade cotton masks were a suitable solution given the emergency.  I run another program at IMPACT!, Inc. that is the Newburgh Repair Cafe.  At the Newburgh Repair Cafe, I have many ‘repair coaches’ who volunteer to help people fix people's beloved but broken items: bicycles, computers, small appliances, etc... I knew several timebankers and volunteers who have sewing skills as they have helped man the sewing repair station at the Newburgh Repair Cafe to repair ripped articles of clothing and such.   So I reached out to some of them and ‘Sewing to Stop the Spread’ was born.  Since that time I have recruited over 80 volunteers throughout Orange County, NY and together, we have provided over 8,000 home-made facemasks to people in our area who need them.  I travel around Orange County, NY to supply volunteers and timebankers with sewing supplies and sewing machines so they don't have to leave home.  I also pick up finished batches of masks and deliver them to organizations who need them. 

I started Individuals Making Positive Advancement in their Communities Together, Inc. (IMPACT!, Inc.) because I believe in the power of average, every-day people to make significant changes within their own communities by volunteering or timebanking to help each other and address the broader needs of the community.  I have several mini-initiatives that run through Together We Can Timebank.  Together We Clean Newburgh, for example, is an initiative to award time bank credit for people who are willing to clean trash off of the streets and sidewalks in Newburgh around where they live or work.  Together We Heal is an initiative to address health disparities and encourage poor people who usually cannot afford specialized wellness activities to spend their time credits for yoga classes, acupuncture, aromatherapy, and vegan cooking classes (all of which have established partnerships here in Newburgh who accept timebank credit for payment for their classes or therapies)."  

We hope Damian has inspired you the way he inspires us.  None of us could have planned for how the year 2020 has unfolded, but Damian reminds us of the power of community and what we can do when we come together during difficult moments. 

Thank you so much again for helping us build timebank communities. 

Your contribution makes it possible for TimeBanks USA to support timebanks like Damian’s by providing timebanking software which tracks the hours exchanged in the community and lets people see what’s being offered and requested.  With your support, we are able to provide resources and connectivity for timebanks to build on each other’s progress.  

We continue to face uncertainty, but there is always something we can do, individually and collectively.  We can choose to show up in the midst of fear. 

Change is here.  We hope you’ll continue to create impact by supporting the timebank movement. 

Sincerely,

Pam and the TimeBanks USA Team

P.S.  Do you have a story about your community that you’d like to share? Please send it to us by sending an email to pam@timebanks.org and we’ll spread it for you.

Links:

• More about Together We Can Timebank
• Timebanking and Creative Freedom

Happy Holidays from TimeBanks USA! 

We can hardly believe we are wrapping up the year 2019.  What has 2019 been like for you? We’re writing to let you know how grateful we are for your support and give you great news on our progress this year.

First off, we’re excited to share that “Gathering With A Purpose” is happening! 

As the home of timebanking, we have seen timebanks go from the start-up phase to thriving, actively exchanging communities, transforming individual lives through real connection.  It’s magic when it happens - as many of the 50 Timebanking Stories in 50 Days illustrate. If you haven’t heard our founder Edgar Cahn’s podcast series on the 50 Stories yet, listen to this week’s story by clicking on the link below.

And yet, some timebank initiatives fail to gain traction in some communities.  One reason is that people feel strange when they do timebank exchanges for the first time — exchanging a time credit for an hour of help.  It’s not money. It’s not volunteering. It’s not barter. Just time for time. It is so intuitively attractive and fair. And yet, in practice, so new and often a bit unsettling.   

Getting going hinges on people being willing to step out of their comfort zones to do something they haven’t done before.  

That’s what Gathering With A Purpose was designed for: an opportunity to explore what timebanking is with a small group of neighbors or colleagues, then to jump into action to try it out, make a few exchanges to see how it feels, and, finally, to share stories about what felt good, what felt strange, what worked, what didn’t, and what was learned. Like the proverbial training wheels on a bike, it’s an opportunity to see how it feels and works before taking on the much bigger challenge of doing the real thing. 

This year, five timebanks held their first Gatherings in Indiana, California, Florida, Pennsylvania, and in our hometown, Washington, DC.  It turns out that this new workshop, designed for new timebanks, also works wonders for timebanks that were once humming with activity and have lost energy when they lost their leadership. 

Here’s what we’ve learned so far--

• In Indiana, CoThrive Timebank Network Founder Kathy was near burnout, overextended in her part-time coordinator role and feeling unsupported as members had previously not responded to her requests for help with leadership. After the first Gathering, more existing members (and new recruits) were drawn by a sense of shared purpose and more easily integrated into key functional leadership roles. The timebank experienced a surge in momentum as a result of this focus and bolstered support. 
• In Pennsylvania, the 13-year old Neighbor-2-Neighbor Timebank transitioned from the Lehigh Valley Hospital to a new host, a Community Organization, last year.  Leading timebank members and organizational staff and management who attended the Gathering gave it a high five, saying that it gave them an opportunity to reconnect -- and to more deeply understand what was involved.  New ideas sprung up and an appreciation for what could be achieved was expressed at their first Gathering.  They are now seeking to get AmeriCorps personnel to help with organizational support.
• In Florida, the Tampa Bay Time Bank used it to re-energize their leadership and have decided that they want to hold the next Gathering in the Spring.
• In California, Sheryl is using the Gathering to reinvigorate the Sobrante Park TimeBank with a new sponsor, the Roots Community Clinic. The organization's coordination and recruitment of residents has been slower to get off the ground than was expected; however, the training of staff has been excellent -- and includes outreach strategies to reach the residents.
• In Washington, DC, the 9-year old DC TimeBank has hosted several Gatherings. Some participants have been familiar with timebanking, and for some, it has been completely new.  Each of the Gatherings has led to rich exploring of possibilities.  One enthused participant said: "I just wish we could have more get-togethers like this." Four have been scheduled for January: one in Alexandria, VA, one in a neighborhood that sits right beside the United States Supreme Court, a third in a Jewish Congregation, and a fourth one at the University of the DC.

These are the seeds of a movement.  So often, the leadership role falls on one coordinator.  Gathering With A Purpose inspires people to jump in — and to trust that others will do it with them. As many coordinators will attest, it takes awhile for a group of people to get to the place where timebanking feels natural and comfortable, and it takes work by the timebank founding team to help the timebank get there.

With timebanking, there’s always something new to learn, as our founder Edgar Cahn shared, upon recently learning what a scoby is:

We look forward to what the Gatherings will open up for timebank communities in the new year.  

Leadership growth, new discoveries, a renewal of energy - it is truly magical to see what these seeds will create and what we can do for each other. 

Links:

• More on the Scoby
• Day 40 - The Gift of Giving