Member Spotlight: Fatima Mahmud

Fatima Mahmud joined the Silver Spring Time Bank in September 2018 when she needed a long distance ride.   Fatima saw an SSTB flier in her downtown Silver Spring apartment building and a resident on her floor was a member who told her about the timebank.

Sometimes when people join the timebank they can be unsure about what to offer.  Fatima approached her offers analytically. She evaluated all of her skills and the tasks she enjoyed doing in her free time before she wrote any offers, and then decided what to offer.  

Fatima’s offers are a mix of in-person and virtual ways that she can help fellow timebankers. Some of her offers are computer based administrative tasks like organizing computer files and other offers involve helping people around their home or with events. Fatima offers a whopping 27 offers, and provides detailed explanations of each of those offers in her Hourworld profile, so make sure to take a look!

Of all that she offers, Fatima most enjoys taking care of a task that a timebanker is frustrated by.  For example, a few people felt frustrated by the status of various files on their computers and smartphones. Fatima helped them by remoting into their devices and organizing their files in a way that made them very happy.   

Currently,  Fatima spends about 2 hours a week remotely helping a sister timebank, the Ohio Simply Living Timebank (simplyliving.org) collect emails and notifications about local environmental events occurring in Ohio; and national environmental events relevant to the Buckeyes and then records them in a centralized calendar. That timebank taught Fatima how to use their calendar software once (Tockify.com) and shared their Google email account.  Fatima tends to be good with technology and so she picked it up quickly and now manages their weekly calendar data without supervision. Fatima shares that she is great at organizing data.  She created a digital inventory of 474 vinyl albums and 533 CDs for timebanker Kathy Napierala and Fatima couldn't believe that Kathy had 1,007 items until the end of the inventory!

Some SSTB offers Fatima has taken advantage of are car rides, especially longer ones as she doesn’t have a car in downtown Silver Spring. Building relationships with fellow timebankers is an added bonus of being a member of the timebank, Fatima says. Fatima shares that she has had great conversations with timebankers like Kathy Napierala, Sharon Englisch, and Fred Shuback, for instance. 

If you ever wondered what offers to solicit from the timebank, Fatima says she asks members to do things for her that she either doesn't know how to do herself; or solicits advice on topics that she is not knowledgeable about.  For example, Fatima solicited Mindy Shuback to cook for her, and Becky Sherblom, Claire Giammaria, and Mary Campbell to do sewing jobs.  Fatima says there are great people in the SSTB willing and able to help!

Fatima has had some very memorable exchanges. Robert Lawhead converted 20 plus VHS tapes into digital format for her. Lisa Jacobson successfully dyed a stained white  ¾ sleeve baseball shirt pink that had a permanent stain on it, thus bringing it back to life. The work was so good it looked like the shirt was originally pink!  Jennifer Okosun did a great job braiding Fatima’s hair (see photo).

Moving forward, Fatima anticipates continuing with the same 27 offers she currently has on tap. However, if someone knows Fatima and her skills and suggests she offer another of her skills then she would certainly consider that.

What Fatima has enjoyed most about SSTB is getting to know her neighbors, receiving the help she has needed when she needed it, and helping others with anything they may feel is difficult. 

A pearl of wisdom Fatima has to share is that when considering your offers, don’t undervalue all that you can do for others. An offer that may seem small to you may be very necessary for someone else. Also, take time every month or two to delete offers and requests that are no longer relevant. Finally, building a community of timebankers within the various Silver Spring apartment buildings can help increase the number and frequency of exchanges all around.

Timebank member Madeline Caliendo interviewed Fatima and wrote this lovely feature for the SSTB website and newsletter. In doing this, Madeline earned timebank hours. There are many ways members can do important work for the timebank and earn hours along the way: writing, social media, event planning, member support, website and newsletter help, etc. If you want to help, please write to silverspringtimebank@gmail.com, and we can suggest tasks that fit your skills and schedule.

Winter Socials

As the end of Winter 2024 neared, the Silver Spring Timebank offered two more socials, including our first in-person event in a very long time. The socials attracted many plant lovers and book lovers.

House Plant Swap in February

Freepik

Spring was starting to tease us by the end of February, but it was still too far away for outdoor planting, and some of us were getting tired of looking at the same house plants. So the invitation for a plant swap went out. Some dozen timebank members, and a few potential members, gathered at Mary Liepold’s house on Sunday, February 25, to share shoots and cuttings and indoor growing expertise.

We had a real expert in our midst: long-time timebank member Kathy Jentz, author, editor of Washington Gardener Magazine and several other publications, and president of the Silver Spring Garden Club. Others contributed from their own experience, and conversation flowed.

Two people brought mixed-plant baskets of the sort florists provide, in which plants had outgrown their space and were ready for independent living. The rest just had too many specimens of one thing and were looking for variety. Participants dropped their offerings onto the large table Mary provided and took turns choosing what to take home. After half a dozen rounds, everyone left with new green friends--and more human friends as well. Several people suggested they’d like to do it all again. But first, let’s welcome spring!

Book Lovers Unite! in March

At Book Lovers Unite! we learned how different book groups are run, and we picked up lots of ideas for “my next read”!

Fourteen people attended, and Anita Morrison and Tina Slater were co-hosts. Individuals shared the various genres they enjoy --- young adult, archaeology, mysteries, police procedurals, male-male romance, Scottish crime novels, historical fiction, science, historical culture.

It was intriguing to hear the variety of ways different book groups are organized! Some meet seasonally (4 times a year); others choose a book and divide it into four sections, then meet weekly to discuss each section (sort of like a college class).  Other groups collect book suggestions over the year, then at their end-of-year meeting they vote on the books they’ll read the next year.  One group is made up of members of a professional society who gather to read subject matter books, but include lighter reading material as well.  Anita and Tina’s book group (its been meeting more than 30 years) has yet another format and just two rules:  1) whomever hosts the meeting gets to choose the book (no arguing!!) and 2) there must be sufficient copies available on the library shelves (or library ebooks/eaudio) so that no one has put a hold on the book or go out and buy it.

At the social, we came up with a list of favorite reads, which was typed up and shared with the group.  If anyone else wants to see it, we’re happy to share.  Happy reading!!

Both Mary Liepold and Tina Slater earned timebank hours for hosting the socials in February and March. There are so many ways that timebank members can support the timebank -- and earn hours while doing so -- including helping organize events, writing articles (such as this one), helping with the timebank website and newsletter, and helping new members learn about the hOurworld timebanking platform and arrange their first exchanges. Please write to silverspringtimebank@gmail.com  to discuss how you may support the timebank with your time, knowledge, and talents. 

Member Spotlight: Saunya Connelly

Saunya Connelly has been a member of the SSTB since January 2017.  Saunya joined after fellow SSTB member, Kathy Jentz, told her about the Timebank, and then Saunya attended the Timebank’s January 2017 Repair Cafe and was hooked! 

Many of the Timebank hours Saunya has earned came from doing some of the work of running the Timebank. Up until 2022, she worked on the Timebank's social media and event planning team. Saunya chose these roles because there was a need for a Twitter administrator at SSTB, and her professional background is in marketing and advertising.  Saunya really enjoyed the Timebank and wanted to get the word out about it, so managing the Twitter account was a perfect fit for her.  

Planning and running events for the SSTB has provided Saunya a tremendous amount of joy.   Saunya was the lead for several Timebank events and fundraisers, including leading SSTB members to make baked goods and gather items for a bake sale/yard sale fundraiser and to arrange volunteers for various other fundraisers. Though the currency of timebanking is time, not money, there are some expenses which require money such as the SSTB website. Saunya helped to meet and exceed the Timebank's fundraising targets!

It’s not just a one-way street of service though.  Saunya has also taken advantage of some great offerings by SSTB members too.  For example,  Saunya says she’s not much of a cook so a majority of the exchanges she has enjoyed have been for soups, stews and baked goods. Timebank members have also helped Saunya with sewing and clothing alterations.  Also,  because diabetes runs on both sides of her family, Saunya has had nutritional counseling from an SSTB member.  In fact, Saunya credits the SSTB with helping her to look at the foods she eats and make better choices so her blood sugar remains within acceptable levels.  Another recent SSTB offering Saunya is taking advantage of and is finding very useful is the updating of her federal resume.

While all the SSTB offerings Saunya has experienced have been wonderful, among her favorites was the Reiki therapy she received from a timebank member.  Self care is very important to Saunya, and it is also important for stress relief so the Reiki was a perfect fit.  While Saunya had heard of Reiki before, she had never tried it before the Timebank opened an opportunity for her to try something new!

Keep your eyes on Saunya Connelly’s offers in the future.  Saunya is currently in a professional development program that examines her strengths and develops certain skills.   Saunya would like to take what she learns in social media and content development and design new offers for her SSTB profile in the future.

Saunya has really enjoyed being a SSTB member, and what she has enjoyed the most is meeting people who see the value of providing and receiving services, using time as opposed to money.   Saunya says she always thought she was born in the wrong decade–she should have come of age in the sixties rather than be born in the sixties!  We at the SSTB say whatever decade Saunya was born in, we are glad she is part of the Timebank!  

Timebank member Madeline Caliendo interviewed Saunya and wrote this lovely feature for the SSTB website and newsletter. In doing this, Madeline earned timebank hours. There are many ways members can do important work for the timebank and earn hours along the way: writing, social media, event planning, member support, website and newsletter help, etc. If you want to help, please write to silverspringtimebank@gmail.com, and we can suggest tasks that fit your skills and schedule.

Fall Virtual Socials

The Silver Spring Timebank continued its Virtual Social series this Fall with two terrific socials -- one on growing garlic and the other on preventing food waste.

"Love Garlic? Grow Your Own!"

In October, Silver Spring Timebank member Tony Sarmiento, a.k.a. the Garlic Guru, hosted a virtual chat about the benefits and the how-to's of backyard garlic growing.

He shared his "Top Ten Reasons for Growing Garlic in Your Backyard":

10. You plant garlic during the cool weather in the fall [and harvest it in July when you can still plant more summer and fall crops].

9. No pesky small seeds to handle.

8. You can grow gourmet varieties you won’t find in your grocery store.

7. It’s a great way to learn about gardening.

6. Frost or snow won’t kill garlic.

5. You can avoid eating garlic that might be older, with less flavor and be less healthy for you.

4. Only a few bugs eat garlic.

3. Deer don’t eat garlic.

2. You can harvest your own garlic greens or scapes in the spring.

1. Growing garlic (like gardening) is addictive!

Tony explained that there are only two varieties of garlic: Hardneck and Softneck, though there are 10 types (or cultivars). Only hardneck garlic produces scapes which are edible spiral flower stalks. It's important to remove the scapes in order to grow larger garlic bulbs. The bonus is that scapes are delicious -- sauteed, pickled, cooked in an omelette, or served atop a salad. Garlic grown at home has a more intense flavor than store-bought and can taste sweeter and more pungent.

Garlic is a fairly simple crop to grow; however, producing the largest, best-tasting garlic requires the right growing conditions, soil preparation, harvesting techniques, and storage methods. Tony shared in detail everything a backyard gardener needs to know in order to produce the most luscious garlic bulbs. And the "Garlic Guru" ought to know! He has produced blue-ribbon-winning garlic at the County and State Fairs.

Thank you, Tony, for all the wonderful information!

"Preventing Food Waste: Thanksgiving and Beyond" 

In November's virtual social, Silver Spring Timebank member Tanya DeKona shared ideas for how to implement thoughtful food practices that will help us waste less food, make the most of our food budget, and reduce our negative environmental impact. 

Tanya facilitated the group discussion, adding all kinds of tips to help us reduce food waste, such as:

*Keep a running inventory on the refrigerator and freezer of what's inside, so nothing is forgotten and found after it's no longer usable. 

*Use websites and apps that help you scale recipes up or down -- or help you come up with recipes to make with the ingredients already in your pantries and refrigerators, especially the ones that are at risk of going bad soon.

*When hosting a dinner or potluck with an abundance or over-abundance of food (such as Thanksgiving), provide -- or invite attendees to bring -- multiple small containers they can use to pack up serving size portions of all the dishes to take home.

*When buying grains, beans, or nuts, buy only as much as you need for a short period of time -- from bulk bins at stores like the co-op (Takoma Park/Silver Spring Co-op). 

*Make strategic use of your steamer for foods that have dried out and your toaster oven for foods that have lost their crispiness.

Tanya asked the group, "In your kitchens, what is most often wasted because it has gone bad?" 

"Lettuce!" was the group response. Tanya was prepared for this and whipped out some looseleaf lettuce and the items needed to store it properly for maximum longevity. Managing moisture and airflow are the keys to being able to use your entire head of lettuce.

A big thank you to Tanya for sharing her knowledge! 

Both Tanya DeKona and Tony Sarmiento earned Timebank hours for preparing for and hosting the socials this Fall. There are so many ways that timebank members can support the timebank and earn hours while doing so, including helping with events, writing articles (such as this one), helping with the timebank website and newsletter, and helping new members learn about the hOurworld timebanking platform and arrange their first exchanges. Please write to silverspringtimebank@gmail.com to discuss how you may support the timebank with your time, knowledge, and talents.

Spring and Summer Virtual Socials

The Silver Spring Timebank continued 2023 with two more wonderful virtual socials.

April Virtual Social: It’s a great big beautiful world, and it’s full of timebanks!

With spring in full swing, Maryland-style, the Silver Spring Timebank’s Daisy Birch and Laura Kranis hosted a two-hour Zoom social on April 23, 2023.  The social was all about inter-trading -- what it is, what the possibilities are, and how best to take advantage of this feature.

Most participants in the social were already timebank members. For the non-members, our hosts shared a brief explanation of the essence of timebanking and its benefits.

They then shared a map of timebanks. They are all over the world! An inter-trade is an exchange between members of different timebanks. Those timebanks may be in the same state, across the country, or on another continent.

Inter-trading opens up exchange options not only for local timebank members who can’t find takers for their offers nearby but also for people who want to expand the audience for their requests. In addition, members may want to make connections with timebankers in another part of the world, and responding to their offers and requests is a great way to do that.

Inter-trading can be helpful with any service that can be done at a distance (such as language practice via zoom -- but not lawn mowing!). Inter-trading can also work very well when traveling or when arranging help for family members or friends who live in other cities, states, or countries.

Daisy and Laura offered examples of inter-trading, including some exchange stories shared by Silver Spring Timebank members. One idea is to find lodging with a far away timebanker when traveling -- or perhaps find someone to show you around their city. One participant at the social mentioned another exchange that was a good way to illustrate inter-trading: Instead of being asked to paint someone's home in exchange for timebank hours, they were asked to teach someone how to paint their own home in exchange for hours. The teaching can happen on Zoom or any similar platform, with someone who is near or far.

Daisy and Laura explained the details of inter-trading within timebanking, how to locate the inter-trading area on the hOurworld platform, how to find the offers and requests from members of timebanks throughout the world, and how to list our own offers and requests in the inter-trade area so that members of other timebanks may see them.

By the end of the social the conversation covered other aspects of community-building such as when businesses, non-profits, and co-housing communities join a timebank or encourage their members and employees to take part.

Everyone got to ask questions and share their experiences and left the meeting ready to participate in inter-trade in addition to local timebank exchanges. For questions on how to record hours with inter-trade, check out this video from Time and Talents: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6MxMplA14bM

Thank you to all who attended for making this social an informative and pleasant way to spend a Sunday afternoon. 

June Virtual Social: Credit Scores DemystifiedI

In June, the timebank's Virtual Social focused on credit scores and reports -- and how to understand, build, repair, and dispute them. Host and Silver Spring Timebank member Christopher Cruise started out in the mortgage business more than three decades ago and has become a true industry expert. 

He shared that many people have questions and/or misconceptions about consumer credit. Not only is the system complicated, but it also wasn't designed to help borrowers understand it. It was designed to help lenders assess risk. As a result, it seems shrouded in mystery to many consumers. He feels that we can all be armed with the information we need, to get the most out of this system: Industry insiders shouldn't be the only ones with access to the most effective tips and tricks.

He touched on so many helpful facts such as:

*why it may be a good idea to freeze your credit and only unfreeze it when applying for loans or credit cards,

*how you may be able to get your timely rent or utility payments added to your report to see how they boost your score,

*recent changes in the consumer credit laws which may allow you to have late but paid-off debt removed from your report (rather than simply being marked as repaid).

He also talked about fairness in the credit industry, including what can and cannot legally be asked in an application for credit. He says we have a long way to go to make the process more fair to people from diverse groups, but some important advances have been made. 

Participants at the social had quite a few questions about their own situations, and Chris gave thoughtful, insightful responses to all. Many thanks to Chris for chatting with us! 

If you couldn't attend this session, Chris will offer another one on this topic in the future. In the meantime, timebank members may write to him through hOurworld.org to discuss doing an exchange with him regarding their credit scores or reports.

Opportunity: Earn hours for helping the Timebank! So many tasks or roles to choose from -- large or small, on an ongoing basis or one time only! Do you like to organize events? Manage schedules? Write short articles? How about hosting a social like this one? Sharing on social media? Posting to an online calendar?

Daisy, Laura, and Chris earned timebank hours for preparing for and hosting these socials. Timebank members Brikena Kay and Laura Kranis also earned hours for writing up these summaries. Several other timebank members promoted this social on social media and their neighborhood listservs and earned time for that, too. Please reach out to your Member Mentor to discuss ways you may enjoy helping. (If you're not sure how to reach your mentor, please write to silverspringtimebank@gmail.com.)

Colorful quilt exchange

This month timebank member Carrie Noel-Nosbaum, a Blair High School alum and former JFK and Wheaton High Schools Spanish teacher, will be attending the wedding of two friends she’s known since the three attended Oberlin College together.  The couple already has most of what they need, so Carrie wanted to give them something special. Carrie browsed the hOurworld website and saw that Mary Campbell sews quilts. The two met in early April to discuss making a special quilt. Carrie explained she’d like a quilt in Oberlin’s colors: maroon and gold but after consultation, they expanded the color scheme to add green and blue – a reminder of Oberlin’s open space.

Mary got to work cutting patches and laying them out. Before sewing the top, Mary emailed Carrie a picture of the layout. Carrie loved it, and Mary completed the quilt in late May. Carrie got a surprise when she picked up the quilt. The back was maroon with a four foot high gold “O” for Oberlin  in the center!

The 48 x 60-inch quilt took 32 hours to make, and Mary charged Carrie for the cost of the fabric which cost less than current retail, because Mary belongs to a quilting guild and visits their yard sales to find interesting fabric.

Mary really enjoys sewing these quilts!  She specializes in small to medium size (60” is largest size she’s comfortable quilting), and especially likes making baby quilts. So if you’d like to commission a handmade-quilt, think about which colors you might like, reach out to Mary on hOurworld, and you could soon have a lovely gift for someone else or just to enjoy yourself.

Carrie is now a full-time professional organizer.  She was featured at February’s SSTB virtual social where lots of members participated and benefited from her talents. Carrie offers up to 2 hours via the Timebank and then further hours through her business: www.carrieitaway.com. 

Winter Virtual Socials

The Silver Spring Timebank began 2023 with two Virtual Socials on the theme of Beginnings.

January 2023 SSTB Virtual Social

A diverse but harmonious group of 16 current and prospective members met on January 8th, 2023 for a New Year's planning session. Our gracious host Madeline Caliendo and capable organizer Laura Kranis created a warm and welcoming atmosphere, physical distance notwithstanding. This was an excellent opportunity to welcome the new year by taking a couple of hours to breathe in, introspect, share thoughts, and plan a fruitful year ahead. 

The meeting started with introductions and sharing our experience with the timebank, what skills we are looking to share, and what kind of help we are looking for. Participants then found a few potential and exciting exchanges with one another.

Madeline then led the group through a relaxing and centering body-scanning meditation that promoted present focus, tranquility, positivity, and gratitude. After the meditation, everyone had a chance to share their favorite New Year's ritual. 

Then Madeline used several questions from author Caroline Myss to gently guide participants into a self-assessment of the previous year and a goal-setting session for 2023. Madeline also touched on the topic of "vision boarding" -- how she goes about constructing vision boards, what she includes on them, what inspires her, and how everyone can use vision boards as a self-development and goal-reaching tool. 

The group closed out the session with a discussion on a range of topics such as unusual timebank exchanges, inter-trading, and even tool libraries. The dynamic felt as comfortable as a gathering of family and friends, and we all thanked Madeline, our host, with smiles on our faces.

February 2023 SSTB Virtual Social

Despite the capricious weather throughout the DMV at this time of year, there is something we can rely on, and that is the beloved Silver Spring Timebank social. Ten ladies gathered on zoom on February 26 from 4 - 6 pm to exchange tips and tricks and encourage each other to prepare for the fast-approaching spring season with a good Spring Cleaning. As is often the case, most participants at the social were timebank members, and those who weren’t members were intrigued by timebanking and glad to learn more.

Similar to other Silver Spring Timebank socials, this one had a definite theme and was guided by a timebank member with expertise in the field. This social was led by Carrie Noel-Nosbaum of “Carrie it Away." Carrie has been a member of the Silver Spring Timebank since 2016 and a member of the National Association of Productivity and Organizing Professionals since 2021. 

Carrie started the first half of the meeting (the Presentation section) in a fresh and interactive way: Participants were invited to answer icebreaker questions about Spring Cleaning. It turned out most participants had tried their hand at spring cleaning with varying degrees of success and reliability. The rest of the first hour was dedicated to a well-structured method for carrying out spring cleaning in an efficient way. 

Carrie unfolded her favorite method while allowing participants to chime in with their tips and secrets. Her method is as easy as 1 , 2 , 3: make a plan, execute it, celebrate. Carrie did a wonderful job of explaining creating "S.M.A.R.T. goals," especially as this method pertains to spring cleaning, decluttering, and freshening up one's living space. She taught participants the steps to planning two levels of cleaning/organizing:  basic and deep cleaning -- as well as planning how the progress can be maintained once achieved. She went through the details and steps for planning each level of cleaning for optimum success.

The section on Planning was very useful, but the next section on Execution was a godsend. It was filled with actionable steps, advice for including support, accountability partners, and expert help as needed. Most importantly, Carrie beautifully articulated the need to Celebrate Success. It was the most vivacious portion of the meeting: Everyone got to share their favorite way to celebrate success. 

Participants had the chance to ask questions or ask for Carrie’s advice and guidance before she ended the Presentation portion of the social with a few questions that urged everyone to think about the takeaways from the meeting as well as how they might help one another through the timebank.

In the second hour of the social, Carrie led participants through practical steps of practicing the lessons learned. She answered questions and gave guidance while everyone had the chance to apply Carrie’s secrets and get their own decluttering, organizing, and spring cleaning done while still chatting over zoom. Participants left the meeting with new knowledge, resources, and a sense of satisfaction at having begun the process.

Thank you to SSTB member Brikena Kay, for reporting on these Virtual Socials! Brikena earned timebank hours for her efforts. You, too, can help your timebank and earn hours for doing it. Please write to silverspringtimebank@gmail.com to discuss which needed tasks are a great fit for you!