TimeBank Seeks Crozet-area Members

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TimeBank volunteers. (Submitted photo)

Can you read music, teach sign language, repair a lamp or plan a party? If so, it’s like money in the bank.

That’s the theory behind the Charlottesville TimeBank, an organization that allows people with skills to provide an hour of service in exchange for an hour of the service they need. That doesn’t mean you have to find a plumber who needs a gardener, or a CPA who needs electrical work: the TimeBank keeps track of services requested and offered, and makes a match, valuing each hour equally.

“Everyone has something to offer,” said TimeBank coordinator Octavia Allis at a February informational meeting at the Crozet Library. Crozet residents make up a significant number of TimeBank members, and it appears that even more are interested. Allis said they were expecting eight or so people to attend the meeting, and twice that number showed up.

Demonstrating the wealth of talent available locally, attendees had skills in business, equestrian arts, homesteading, computer programming, quilting, pastry making, spiritual counseling and gardening.

One of the projects of the TimeBank is the “Repair Cafe,” It’s a simple concept right in step with the sharing economy: just bring your broken items to be repaired by volunteers for free. The next event is Saturday, March 17, from 12 to 4 p.m. at The Habitat Store on Harris Street in Charlottesville.

Joining the TimeBank requires only a commitment to the philosophy and attendance at an orientation. For more information, go to www.cvilletimebank.com.

The TimeBank operates occasional “repair cafes” to keep useful items in use. (Submitted photo)

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