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Sebastopol Time Bank Celebrates One Year Anniversary

By Gayle Bergmann

The Sebastopol Area Time Bank opened to the public in October, 2016 with a small, passionate group and great hope for changing lives in our community.

As of October 1st (our first anniversary) we have 140 members who are sharing their skills and talents on an equal hour-for-hour basis, regardless of the services provided and received.

We are grateful for this simple and elegant solution when faced with all the current uncertainties in the state of our world. We can do something. A very small investment of time might make a significant difference to someone else. Remember the old nursery rhyme?

For want of a nail the shoe was lost.

For want of a shoe the horse was lost.

For want of a horse the rider was lost.

For want of a rider the battle was lost.

For want of a battle the kingdom was lost.

And all for the want of a horseshoe nail.

Those small investments add up and the more you do, the more opportunities you find for not only taking care of things that might be stumbling blocks for yourself or someone else, but also for things that make life richer and fuller. Timebanking requires a shift in thinking but once you get the hang of it, the possibilities for feeling abundant are endless.

We have in our bank a richness of talent that had been lying dormant, waiting for an opportunity to make connections to those who might need it. In making those connections we are shattering stereotypes about need, empowering each other and creating a variety of new possibilities for all.

Imagine what you could do if someone gave you a little boost. Imagine the boost you would feel by sharing something you love to do with someone who just needs “a nail.” Imagine a bank that doesn’t lock its treasures away in a vault, but throws open the door and says, “Help yourself!”

Everyone has something to offer. Share the wealth. You’re invited to join us if you live in and around Sebastopol in areas 95472, 95473, or 95444. Learn more at www.sebastopoltimebank.org.

We are grateful for an abundance of support: locally, in addition to our members, throughCittaslow Sebastopol, and nationally through a network of hundreds of time banks.

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