Cville TimeBank

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  • Learning new skills is how we roll!

    Learning new skills is how we roll!

    Thanks to the timebank, I’m a sushi convert.

    A few years ago, I posted a request for a timebank member to go with me as a guide to a sushi restaurant. I was sushi-curious, and more than a little intimidated by the menu and protocol. My request was answered quickly by member Sarah, and we met at a sweet little restaurant for my first experience. While getting to know Sarah over tea, she expertly guided me through the menu. Her knowledge and guidance was even more appreciated once I realized the significant language barrier with the waitstaff. Lunch with Sarah was delightful and informative – and delicious! I was hooked.

    Fast forward a few years – and many restaurant sushi meals – later. I wanted to learn how to make sushi at home, so I posted a request for someone experienced to teach me. It turns out that I wasn’t the only member who wanted to learn. Three members responded to say they’d be interested in a class if someone was willing to lead it. When Susie responded as a willing and knowledgeable teacher, we quickly arranged a class at her home with the other members.

    Susie deftly led a fun hands-on class that covered everything I wanted to know about ingredients, equipment, and process. It turns out: it’s not that hard! But having an experienced teacher at your side, answering questions and guiding you through the process, is something you won’t find in a cookbook or on YouTube. Besides learning a new skill, I became better acquainted with three other timebank members, and went home with my own little bento box to share with my husband. Empowered with  information and confidence, I purchased mats, sushi rice and nori sheets, and rolled my own for the first time. Success! Thanks to Sarah and Susie, sushi is demystified – and regularly happens at our house. 🙂

    -Kathy

    Sushi-making class
    Tah-dah - Sushi!
    My take-home box from class
    My first solo sushi attempt
    A month later, my first solo attempt at home. Success!
  • A Tale of Two Quilts: One Old, One New

    A Tale of Two Quilts: One Old, One New

    Last spring, I had a great transaction with fellow Timebanker Susie. I had a request posted for months for quilt repair and had even communicated with a couple of interested people who ended up passing due to other time commitments. Shortly after Susie joined the Timebank, she saw my request for quilt repair and assistance in compiling a t-shirt quilt and emailed me. Over a couple of months, Susie first repaired my favorite quilt (passed down from my grandmother) that was unraveling on the edges. Now I can use the quilt again without being afraid it will rip more. Secondly, she took the squares of high school and college t-shirts I had cut up years ago with intentions on making a quilt and actually made the quilt! It looks great, and I’m covered with it on the couch as I write. Susie is so friendly and was very knowledgeable about fixing and creating these quilts. Susie, thanks so much for sharing your skills and time with me!
    – Andrea

  • Get your Holiday Cookie Fix at Cookies for a Cause – December 15

    On December 15, a slew of volunteer bakers will descend on Champion Brewery in Charlottesville, loaded with dozens and dozens of scrumptious homemade holiday cookies for sale for our third annual Cookies for a Cause fundraiser. Want in? Of course you do!

    Cookies for a Cause Charlottesville

    Sunday, December 15 

    1:00 – 3:00 pm

    Champion Brewery

    324 6th St SE, Charlottesville

    Come to Champion, purchase a bakery box and fill it up – creating your own assortment. We’ll have a gift-wrapping table with volunteers to get your purchases ready for gift-giving. Buy one box to share at work, another to snack on at home, one for the sitter, one for the piano teacher…. you get the idea.  And… *ahem*… you can enjoy a frosty beverage while you shop!

    Boxes are just $12 each – what a bargain! 

    What does your purchase support?  100% of proceeds support the Cville TimeBank and our Repair Cafe program.

    Repair Cafe logo

     

     

  • Sometimes, you gotta ASK!!

    How to ask for help in the timebankFor many of us, asking for help is hard. I see this difficulty manifest often when timebank members tell me they can’t find the help they need in the timebank.

    Here’s a recent example:

    Me: What do you need?
    Member: I need four post holes dug.
    Me: Have you asked for help with that?
    Member: I looked at the current offers, and didn’t see it offered.

    I’m happy to report that this conversation has a happy ending: hole-digging is scheduled! It’s also a perfect opportunity to talk about how to make the ask. It’s impossible to know what kind of help people need, and it would never occur to me to post a separate offer for each and every little thing that I was willing to do for another timebank member. Who’s got time for that?

    I can’t tell you how many times I’ve looked at the weekly member email that lists recent requests and said “Wow, I never thought about offering that particular service, but I could totally do that!”

    If you dismiss the thought of getting the help you need through the timebank by a cursory glance at what’s currently being offered, you’re missing an opportunity. Here are some suggestions to try:

    • SEARCH!
      Use the search box at the top of every page in hOurworld. Try a few different words or versions of your search. Go ahead and noodle around in there. You won’t break anything! You may find a member bio or offer that turns up in your search, and we encourage you reach out directly to that member with your request by emailing them: use the email they have listed in their profile or use the envelope icon in their profile to send an email.
    • Post a request!
      It may be hard to ask for help, but members are standing by – and they’re reading their emails … not your mind! Plus, members who see your request can help you make a connection if they’re not able to fulfill the request themselves. Go ahead and put contact information right there in the request, which makes it easy for them to respond!
    • Post it in the Facebook member forum 
      It’s a great place to pose a question or make a request, and it allows a conversation thread to unfold, members to be tagged, and activates the hive mind. Remember that not all of our members are on Facebook, but many are.
    • Keep your member profile current
      Make sure your profile information is up-to-date, friendly, and inviting. After all, the first thing a potential responder will do is look you up on the member software. Increase your chances by having a photo and welcoming bio, and make it easy to contact you.
    • Don’t take it personally if a request is unfulfilled. Maybe it isn’t something that others are able to help with, or they’re not available, or maybe they didn’t read their email. OK, that’s a topic for another post. The point is: please don’t be disheartened. Keep at it, and perhaps the next time you’ll make a fabulous connection.

    So — what do YOU need that you haven’t requested? 😊

    -Kathy

  • Cookies for a Cause is back in 2018!

    On December 2, a slew of volunteer bakers will Cookies for a Cause Charlottesvilledescend on Champion Brewery in Charlottesville, loaded with dozens and dozens of scrumptious homemade holiday cookies for sale for our second Cookies for a Cause fundraiser. Want in?  Ha-ha — we knew you would!

    Sunday, December 2  1:00 – 3:00 pm

    Champion Brewery

    324 6th St SE, Charlottesville

    Come to Champion, purchase a bakery box and fill it up – creating your own assortment. We’ll have a gift-wrapping table with volunteers to get your purchases ready for gift-giving. Buy one box to share at work, another to snack on at home, one for the sitter, one for the piano teacher…. you get the idea.  And… *ahem*… you can enjoy a frosty beverage while you shop!

    Boxes are just $10 each – what a bargain! 

    What does your purchase support?  Funds raised through this event will support the Cville TimeBank’s Repair Cafe program.

    Repair Cafe logo

     

     

  • New Year – New Orientation Venues!

    If joining the Cville TimeBank is on your to-do list in the New Year, we’re introducing two new orientation venues to our schedule. We’re elated to report that we’ve made arrangements with both the City of Charlottesville and with JABA to hold regular sessions at their facilities, on a schedule that we hope prospective members will find convenient:Cville TimeBank New member orientations

    • 2nd Tuesdays of the month at 6:00 p.m.:  2nd Floor Conference Room at City Hall.  Super-easy to find – right across from the City Manager’s office. Two hour parking validation available for the nearby Market Street parking garage!
    • 3rd Wednesdays of the month at 2:00 pm: Senior Center, 491 Hillsdale Drive (the Center hasn’t moved – the address changed from 1180 Pepsi Place due to the Hillsdale Drive project). This session is also an opportunity for current members to meet with a coordinator to ask questions and get help with the timebank member software. Plenty of convenient, free parking!
    • 4th Mondays of the month at 5:30 pm: Mary Williams Community Center, 674 Hillsdale Drive. This is the new location for the Mary Williams Center, on the right side of the JABA building on Hillsdale. Plenty of convenient, free parking!

    We hope to see you soon!

  • Cookies for a Cause!

    Cookies for a Cause CharlottesvilleOn December 3, a slew of volunteer bakers will descend on Champion Brewery in Charlottesville, loaded with dozens and dozens of scrumptious homemade holiday cookies for sale for our first-ever Cookies for a Cause fundraiser. Want in?  Ha-ha — we knew you would!

    Sunday, December 3  2:00 – 4:00 pm

    Champion Brewery

    324 6th St SE, Charlottesville

    Come to Champion, purchase a bakery box and fill it up – creating your own assortment. We’ll have a gift-wrapping table with volunteers to get your purchases ready for gift-giving. Buy one box to share at work, another to snack on at home, one for the sitter, one for the piano teacher…. you get the idea.  And… *ahem*… you can enjoy a frosty beverage while you shop!

    Boxes are $10 each, and you can purchase in advance on our eventbrite page here.  When you purchase in advance, you get first pick from the incredible selection  – provided you arrive during the first 30 minutes of the event. 

    What does your purchase support?  Funds raised through this event will be split between the Cville TimeBank’s Repair Cafe program and the Urban Agriculture Collective of Charlottesville (UACC):  

    Urban Agriculture Collective of Charlottesville logoThe Urban Agriculture Collective of Charlottesville (UACC) is a non-profit organization utilizing urban farming as a method to connect community members across various racial, social and economic barriers.  Managed by members of the communities in which the gardens are located (South 1st Street, Friendship Court, 6th Street) and cultivated by volunteers from all across the city of Charlottesville and Albemarle County, the farm has the capacity to produce up to 17,000 pounds of fresh produce which it provides to low-income residences free of charge during the weekly Market Day distribution.

     

     

  • Explore All Offers!

    Once again, I waited until the last minute to clean up my garden for spring. Who knew spring would arrive in February? I looked under new offers for help, but I didn’t find anything. I posted a request, then I remembered that wonderful “Explore All Offers” index. Check it out here: https://hourworld.org/bank/SearchSvcCat.php?PR=Pro

    I sent a couple of emails requesting garden help—and I have already received one yes—then noticed some other offers for things that I needed done. I sent out requests for bike repair training and slipcover tailoring—both now lined up to happen.

    If you haven’t used the index, now is a good time to explore the offers out there. You might find something that you had forgotten you needed.

    Some random offers I found in the index: tutoring in French, Spanish, help with exercise training, partner for cycling around town, help with doctor’s appointments and understanding medical jargon, cleaning out closets, general household chores, baking gluten-free breads and goodies, every sort of sewing imaginable, transportation, help with computers, eBay sales, kayaking instruction (boat can be provided!), help with digital photos, dog training, pet sitting, home maintenance, the list goes on and on. All those things you’ve been procrastinating on—get that stuff done!

    While you’re at it, look at your own profile and see if it needs updating. Have a new skill you might teach someone? Or maybe a skill you didn’t think about when you first posted your profile? I’ve heard there’s a big market for lasagna baking.

  • Holiday Help!

    Does anybody else get overwhelmed by the holidays?

    This is a great time for exchanges—the perfect time to help each other. Besides all the expectations of doing everything and being cheerful about it, we have the added stress of tiptoeing around current political issues while noshing with colleagues and family who we might not agree with on topics near and dear to us. On top of helping hands, we could all use a little community therapy right now.

    Need help shopping, wrapping, cooking, decorating, getting the house ready for visitors, cleaning up after visitors? Parties anyone? Not to mention figuring out what to cook, gift ideas, baking—because we all have to have some yummies for the holidays (or at least have to offer them to our guests or take them to our hosts). Packing for travel, unpacking after travel, encouragement to get off our butts and lose the extra pounds from all the holiday cheer. I’m sure there’s something else, there’s always something else.

    Maybe a pet-sitter while you are out of town? Or encouragement on how to get through the visit with Aunt Emma? Post your request to fellow Timebankers!

    Are willing to bake cookies, (maybe a boozy fruitcake?), tidy a spare room, pick up some groceries, take someone to the airport, offer gift ideas for the dad who has everything? Please post your offers!

    In the spirit of giving—and receiving—lets do this one together. We all need a little support right now.

  • Fall Garden Cleanup

    Fall was a little late this year, but it is definitely here now. My flowers are telling me it is time for some serious cleanup. Not sure why I put these gardening chores off the way I do. I used to love working in the garden by myself, but over the last few years I find myself procrastinating more and more.

    But I love flowers in the spring and summer—and even in the fall when I clear out enough of the dead summer flowers to see the last of the mums. It finally occurred to me that I’m part of a wonderful community of people who might be in the same boat. It’s a lot more fun when you have help, and the work goes so much faster.

    So—gardeners unite! Let’s get together and enjoy these beautiful fall days and get our gardens spiffed up and ready for those spring bulbs. And if you have any plants to share, this is a great time to transplant!