What We Did Last Month
February was a cold and snow-filled month. TimeBank members still came out to support their neighbor on
February 9th by helping one of our members paint some of the rooms and baseboards in her house. The Garden Committee also met to start seeds to be planted this Spring, so look for more opportunities to participate in the growing season ahead. Tom and Tom had TimeBank members to their home for board games on the 2nd of March! It was a great time with food and fun! The Royal Oak Community Coalition held a Health and Wellness Expo at the Royal Oak High School on March 8th which was a great success! An orientation was held at Sue Fabian's "Outhouse" on March 9th. It was a great opportunity for new members to learn what is new with our online system and how to use the new features! Last but not least, Tom Giese, Tom Maclaney and Karl Dorn became the newest members of the Kitchen Cabinet Steering Committee on March 4th. When you have a chance, drop them a note of welcome! Our TimeBank is only as strong as our members and we are truly lucky to have such great cabinet members who put in time and effort to keep the exchanges going.
Cabinet Member Tom Maclaney plays a game with two other
TimeBank members at his home on March 2nd.
What We Are Doing Next
Great opportunities to engage with fellow TimeBankers and exchange hours are coming up!
/March 21st - Chili Cook-off: Join us at Jenn DePodesta's home for a chili cook off! Make up your best batch of Chili and see if you win! The contestants will be judged by their peers and the winner will be recognized as the Royal Oak - Huntington Woods TimeBank Chili King or Queen. The chili cook off starts at
6pm on Friday the
21st of March. You can drop your chili off ahead of time in a crock pot if necessary.
RSVP to Jenn and let her know you can make it and what type of Chili you plan to bring.
March 29th - Orientation (Huntington Woods)/Movie Night: Movie night will be at Wendy and Bob's home from
7pm to 10pm featuring "Lars and the Real Girl" a film about community and engaging others. This is an interesting movie that we will have fun talking about afterwards. Bring a snack and a friend if you like. We will be holding an orientation from
5pm to 7pm prior to the movie if you would like to get tips on logging into the HourWorld system.
Please RSVP to Rachel Reyst-Carroll if you will be attending orientation so that we can make sure there is enough space.
March 30th - Book Club Meeting: Join us at Sue F's home to discuss an interesting book at
2pm. You still have time to pick up your own copy of "An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth" by Colonel Chris Hadfield.
Let Sue know if you will be coming!
April 8th - Open Cabinet Meeting: If you have always wanted to attend a kitchen cabinet meeting to see how things work behind the scenes or maybe gather information on how you can be more active in the timebank, please join us for an open cabinet meeting on
Tuesday, April 8th. Please let us know if you plan to come! RSVP to
Nancy Chinn to get directions.
April 12th - Rabies Clinic (Royal Oak): The annual Rabies clinic is coming up in Royal Oak. In past years we have shown up to help with paperwork, organize the line and spread the word about TimeBanking by having a presence in the community. If you would like to participate, contact
Nancy Chinn and let her know to expect you. The goal of the rabies clinic is to provide low cost rabies shots to animals in the Royal Oak area to keep everyone and their pets safe. The event runs from
9am to 1pm and takes place at the DPS garage on Campbell just south of 12 mile Road.
April 26th - South Oakland YMCA Healthy Kids Day: The YMCA is hosting their annual event to support kids and families in making healthy choices. The event is chock full of fun stuff to do and information for everyone. It will run from
10am to 1pm and you are encouraged to earn hours by helping out! If you plan to help at the event, contact
Antonio at the YMCA and let him know! Either way this is a great community event that you won't want to miss.
April 29th - 2nd Annual Wine and Cheese Event: All TimeBank members are welcome to join us at the 2nd Annual Wine and Cheese event to be held at the Huntington Woods Library from
6pm to 8:30pm. This is a great opportunity for you to wind down after work, meet new people and learn more about timebanking. Bring a friend or engage in a quick orientation while you are there. Mark your calendar now and look for more information in the coming months.
June 8th - Member event at Star Jaycee Park: Bring the family out for a picnic and to see the miniature train at the park! More information is to come, but mark your calendars now!
July 4th - Huntington Woods Parade: This is a fun event that the timebank has participated in for a few years now. You and your family are welcome to ride your bikes in the parade, dress up, throw candy or sit at the table to hand out materials. The best part is that you will earn hours for participating! If you would like to participate, contact
Wendy and let her know!
July 27th - Annual Meeting: Join us at our annual meeting! The meeting is at Nancy and Vic's home, which means you can bring the family and take a dip in the pool while you are there. Bring a pot-luck dish and your bathing suits/towels. We will go over the timebank's accomplishments for the year and will enjoy some fun, food and fellowship. The meeting will be from
2pm to 5pm. Let
Nancy know if you can make it!
August 9th - Green Cruise: One of our newest cabinet members, Karl Dorn, has spearheaded a united event between the Royal Oak - Huntington Woods TimeBank and Ferndale TimeBank to participate in this year's Green Cruise! This event is sponsored by the Sierra Club and celebrates the many ways that we can get from one place to another with only people power! Join us at the informational tent to tell paraders about the joys of TimeBanking or simply come out and watch the festivities, go for a walk or participate in a bike ride. Let
Karl know if you plan to be a part of this fun event! More information about it can be seen on the
Sierra Club Website.
Items of Interest for YOU to Know
- The MI Alliance of TimeBanks has asked the Royal Oak - Huntington Woods TimeBank if we would be interested in participating in a joint fundraiser this fall. If you would be interested in donating an item or service for an online auction (i.e. an hour of gardening help, babysitting, cabin rental etc...) then please email or call Rachel Reyst-Carroll to let us know about your interest in participating in this event. This would take very little effort on the part of our members but could provide a much needed influx of fundraising dollars for our TimeBank.
- If you own a business and are a member of the Royal Oak - Huntington Woods TimeBank, you can reserve a space on our "sponsors" page. Let us know if you would be interested in having an ad placed on the sponsors page for a small fee. Your ad can also be featured on our monthly newsletter. Email Rachel with your thoughts and interest level on this new initiative.
- You can now offer and request exchanges GLOBALLY through the hOurworld software online! If you don't want to go global at this time, you simply do nothing and everything will stay as it was. Your information will not be shared with anyone outside of our local timebank. In the event you would like to start offering and requesting exchanges outside of Royal Oak and Huntington Woods, you can make any offer "Global" by clicking on the earth icon when you create the offer or request. If you would like to learn more, sign up for the orientation at Wendy's house in Huntington Woods on March 29th at 5pm or contact Rachel Reyst-Carroll to set up a time for an individual orientation. This is a great opportunity for us to exchange with other timebanks in Michigan and to see what TimeBanks are offering in other states or other countries. If you have any questions, let us know!
