Resources from our 2019 Skill Share
/Below are downloadable presentations and resources from some of the experts that participated in our 2019 Skill Share!
Variety of expertise featured at the Skill Share and Repair Cafe 2019
/Basic crochet and knitting instruction, proper use of kitchen knives, and bicycle maintenance and repair are just a few of the many skills highlighted at the third annual Silver Spring Timebank Skill Share and Repair Café held Feb. 10 at the Silver Spring Civic Building.
The free event, open to the public, featured talks and demonstrations by timebank members, as well as opportunities to ask questions and to have small items repaired. Talks on green living, gardening, food preparation, and social media marketing were very popular.
In addition, Dale Brown gave helpful tips on how to find new homes for things you no longer want, as she described creative ways to do this beyond donating to a generic charity.
Other talks included Edward Constable, an experienced home cook, who shared knife skills and tips, with a reminder to keep your knives sharp. He advised, “Sharp knives slice food, but dull knives are the ones that cut fingers.” A talk on art journaling for your health by Madeline Caliendo also included useful information.
At one repair table, Karl Kosok, aka Mr. Fixit, repaired an heirloom lamp for Karen Onthank—it was a lamp she had received from her grandparents when she went away to college. She said, “It is wonderful to be able to use the lamp again because it has such good memories.”
At other tables, Tanya DeKona helped visitors with pottery repair for several types of items; Fricka Ling answered diverse questions about bicycle repair and offered tips on where to ride in the metropolitan area; Simon Mauk, who also can do book repair, gave advice on furniture repair; and Jennifer Okosun, director of a babysitting service that goes onsite for special events, offered suggestions for successful babysitting.
Eleni Barber, a licensed social worker, was helpful to quite a few people seeking information about elder care. She said, “This is a unique opportunity for other people to get free advice on elder care. It is also very satisfying to me to share my skills and to make connections with the people I meet here.”
Other areas where attendees could find expert advice were houseplant care with Lisa Jacobson, and how to make sauerkraut in your home kitchen by Linda Andrews.
SSTB is a timebank in which people exchange their services for hours of credit that are “banked” so they can use the credit later for other services they may need. No cash is exchanged. In addition to the website linked to above, more information about the timebank can be found on Twitter and Facebook.
This article was written by SSTB member Donna Sasser and posted on Source of the Spring at
https://www.sourceofthespring.com/general-news/events/skills/#.XG1rMpNKii5. Photos courtesy of SSTB members Mark Paster and Laura Kranis.
It's time for our Skill Share and Repair Cafe!
/The Silver Spring Timebank is hosting its 3rd annual Skill Share along with an added Repair Cafe new this year!
Sunday, February 10
2-5pm
Silver Spring Civic Center
One Veterans Plaza, downtown Silver Spring
This event will promote our timebank's talents to the entire community. It is FREE and open to the public.
If you're not sure what a Skill Share or Repair Cafe is, check out the video from our January 2018 Skill Share and our May 2018 Repair Cafe at the Montgomery GreenFest.
We have all NEW speakers and expert table topics for our February 2019 event. See below for the line up* of all including several repair experts. You can pop in for one or two talks and visit a few ask-the-expert/repair tables or stay for the entire event to absorb it all.
We hope you will be inspired to join the SSTB, but there's no pressure to do so. We just want you to enjoy yourself and learn something new for the New Year! Bring your friends and family and please forward this email to others.
Also new this year: babysitting for up to 12 children. We’ll have childcare provided by Black Tie Babysitting but advanced reservations are required. Click on this link to reserve your spot.
2019 SPEAKER SCHEDULE
2:05 Kathy Jentz – Welcome and Announcements
2:15-2:30pm Tanya DeKona – “Green Living/Money Saving Hacks”
2:35-2:50pm Dale Brown – “Turning Your ‘Trash’ into Someone Else's Treasure”
2:55-3:10pm Lisa Silverman – “ Feeding the Hungry Crowd with Delicious Casseroles”
3:15-3:30pm Adrienne Butler – “Vegetarian Meal Prep Tips “
3:35-3:50pm Edward Constable – “Knife Skills for the Home Cook”
3:55-4:10pm Madeline Caliendo – “Art Journaling for Wellness and Personal Growth”
4:15-4:30pm Elise Stigliano – “The Many Life Benefits of Gardening”
4:35-4:50pm Pete Tan – “Social Media Marketing for your Side Hustle”
2019 Repair Café & Ask the Expert TABLING ROOM
Silver Spring Timebank Help Desk ~ Tina Slater and Mary Murphy
Fixing Lamps and Home Repair Project Advice ~ Karl/Mr. Fixit
Furniture Repair ~ Simon Mauck
House Plant Diagnosis and Care ~ Lisa Jacobson
How to Make Sauerkraut ~ Linda Andrews
Bringing Old Computers Back to Life with Linux ~ Phil Shapiro
Navigating the Eldercare System (Ask the Social Worker) ~ Eleni Barber
How to Repair Broken Pottery ~ Tanya DeKona
Bike Repair ~ Fricka Ling
*As with all live events, final details may change. Check our Facebook page, Twitter page, or event signage for any last-minute adjustments. We will have a childcare room available. Watch for more information about how to reserve a spot for your child on our Facebook page.
The Silver Spring Civic Building is at the corner of Fenton Street and Ellsworth Drive. It is an eight minute walk north from the Silver Spring Metro Station. Many bus routes can take you to and from the building -- Metrobus F4 and Ride-On #16, #17 and #20 pass by on Fenton St. Metrobus J4 and Ride-On #15 and #19 stop at the corner of Wayne Ave & Fenton St. Metrobus Z6 and Z8 and Ride-On #9 and #12 stop nearby along Colesville Rd. The Metrobus Q and Y lines stop on Georgia Ave and Wayne Ave.
If coming by car, plentiful evening parking is available at the Town Square Garage just across Ellsworth Drive from the Civic Building. Do NOT park in the Whole Foods parking lot or you risk being towed.
Promo video for Skill Share and Repair Cafe is here!
/Here's our promo video which celebrates the Timebank's 2018 SkillShare and our first Repair Cafe at the 2018 Montgomery County GreenFest. Join us for the 3rd Annual SkillShare & Repair Cafe on February 10, 2019.
Celebrating the holidays with timebank members
/We had a wonderful turn out for our annual holiday social in December. Many thanks to Not Your Average Joe's in downtown Silver Spring for offering us a great space and some delicious appetizers too. Nearly 30 SSTB members enjoyed connecting with each other and sharing unique white elephant gifts.
Best wishes for a happy and healthy New Year from the Silver Spring Timebank!
Calling for Proposals for our 3rd annual Skill Share PLUS Repair Cafe
/We are now calling for proposals for our next Skill Share/Repair Cafe on Sunday, February 10 from 2-5pm at the Silver Spring Civic Building located at One Veterans Plaza in downtown Silver Spring.
The deadline to submit proposals is December 31.
This year, in addition to talks and Q&A tables, we will be hosting a Repair Cafe at our Skill Share. We did our first Repair Cafe at this year's Montgomery County Greenfest: http://www.sstimebank.org/news/2018/6/4/our-first-repair-cafe-is-a-hit?rq=Repair%20Cafe).
At Repair Cafes, volunteer repairers with particular skill sets (this could be you!) will be available to help members of the community fix items that are broken, or help them assess what needs repair, or how to re-purpose if it is beyond repair. Are you a tinkerer or fixer? Could you help hem a pair of paints, or re-glue a wooden box? Can you restring a necklace, or help fix a small appliance? Do you have another skill to share? If so, please let us know! Based upon the skills of our fixers, we will publicize what types of items folks can bring to the Cafe!
Please fill out this form to register your interest in sharing a skill or serving as a repair person at the event. You may submit more than one idea, but please only submit one at a time. After submitting this form, click on "Submit another" to begin your second submission.
Check out our photos and comments from last year’s Skill Share!
Toys/Games/Puzzles, Sporting Equipment and Musical Instruments SWAP!
/I took some toys, small cars, puzzles, and other things. I'm sending them to the Jose Castro Lopez School in Cortes, Honduras. For the children in Honduras, they're easy to play with and help them learn, especially the puzzles. Thank you! -Edilson
Here's a game called Arrogance -- a set of cards, so it's portable which is always good. Here, it's got a question on how many countries are in the European Union. I love games that challenge your mind to gather information. It pushes the limits of knowledge, and if you don't know an answer, you're set to go learn it. -Tanya
I found a really nice puzzle for my mom. Her nursing home burned down a couple of weeks ago. They're all staying in a hotel now, so I'm bringing them lots of puzzles to give them something to do. -Alisha
We brought a lot because our kids are older, and it's time to declutter. In fact, my son just went to college, and he finally let us get rid of some of his things from when he was young. -Laurie
I found some things like Jenga for an after-school program. And I also found something for a friend who just had a baby. For Zev, I got some board games and an airplane-making kit. He found some things I didn't even know he would like, like this vintage Uncle Wiggly game from 1956. I'm excited to play this with him. -Gargi
I was so happy to get rid of what my kids have outgrown. They have a lot, but they get used to it, and then they're not interested anymore. My daughter was really looking forward to today to find something new. -Olga
I found a recorder here for my daughter who also wants to play the ukulele. They all play the recorder in music class. I did when I was young, too. -Shannon
I'm taking home less than I brought, so that's good. It's a great way to clean up the toy room. -Cynthia
I have a friend who works at Infants and Toddlers, part of MCPS. They are always looking for puzzles with knobs to help with coordination. And other things for special needs students. I was looking for farm animals, and I found one cow. -Emily
I got a clarinet and this guitar. I'll bring them on my mission trip to Jamaica. We'll be doing all kinds of arts at a school in Kingston. I am so excited I found these here. Thank you so much. -Chevella
Our society can be so striated, but what we've noticed about the timebank swaps is that it attracts and unites people from all around the community in an informal and uplifting way. -Jonathan
Any leftover toys, games and puzzles went to A Wider Circle. Any left over sporting equipment went to Level the Playing Field, and any leftover musical instruments went to the Washington Revels. Many thanks to the Washington Revels for hosting the Silver Spring Timebank’s swap!
