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Community Corner

Royal Oak TimeBank Makes it Simple to Pay it Forward

Members interact by exchanging their time for the promise that the other members will help in return.

Picking up a guitar and learning to play isn’t easy, neither is footing the bill to pay for the guitar lessons; this is just a small example of why the Royal Oak TimeBank (ROTB) was created.

The idea behind the time bank is community involvement and neighbors helping neighbors. Instead of providing a service for money, members are helping others fix or learn something at no monetary cost. The only expectation is that the person does the same for another member of the community — in this case, someone within the group.

“It takes a bit of a mental shift to think about accomplishing tasks in a different way,” said Miriam Nemeth, ROTB membership coordinator. “You’re thinking ahead and thinking about how can I get these neighbors to help me with accomplishing my daily tasks?”

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Paying it forward is a valuable concept, one with which members of the ROTB, which started accepting members in November, are quite familiar. In order to become a member of the organization, Royal Oak and Huntington Woods residents may simply contact the time bank to set up a time to discuss the club or attend an orientation. The annual membership fee costs $25 per person or $40 per family.

ROTB uses Community Weaver software to facilitate members' exchanges; it's a lot like Craigslist, except there is no money involved. For example, a photographer might post an offer for a one-hour photography session; that service might earn a TimeDollar credit, which the photographer may then apply to having a lawn mowed.

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According to Tameshia Bridges, secretary for ROTB, every member starts with two TimeDollars to use toward receiving services. Members can go into the negative and still receive help, but ROTB cabinet members do try to keep that to a minimum.

“Right now, I think we are getting more offers than requests because I think people are still trying to get used to asking for help,” Bridges said. 

Member Laura Chinn, who joined in November and has since decided to volunteer her time as a cabinet member, offers expertise on medical billing to other ROTB members.

“I was excited to join because there are things around my house that need to done, and I don’t know how to do them and don’t have the money to do them,” Chinn said. “Now I can get help from members of the time bank.”

Each member's TimeDollars balance is shown on the Community Weaver site and is adjusted according to exchanges taking place.

The ROTB currently has 26 members, and the group's cabinet encourages members of the community to join. Chinn stresses the need for diverse people with different areas of expertise. Nemeth agrees.

“One of the beauties of a time bank is its core value, which is that every person in the world has value,” Nemeth said. “A 5-year-old child can rake leaves for someone, a doctor can do a heart surgery, and they’re both paying it forward and helping someone.”

Until now, there have not been many gatherings for members of the ROTB, but that is something the cabinet members plan to change in the near future so members can grow comfortable enough with one another to seek help.

“We’re a new organization in Royal Oak with a lot of potential to be a really great asset to the community,” Nemeth said.

For more information on the Royal Oak TimeBank, visit royaloaktimebank.org.

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