To the editor:
Something beautiful is taking root on Cape Ann and in the surrounding communities.¬ The Cape Ann Time Bank is creating a way for people to take care of each other.¬
"I moved to Gloucester on Aug. 12 and have experienced loneliness and fear ... I have been disabled since April with a severed tendon in my foot ... And then, I joined the Cape Ann Time Bank where one offers what he or she can do for another, and, as in older, kinder days, someone else offers what he or she can do for you.¬ All without money.¬ All are welcome."
For Laura Driscoll, who recently wrote the above letter to the Times, the Cape Ann Time Bank (CATB) has brought people into her life to support her recovery from surgery.¬ "Others have called and offered and visited from the Time Bank, and I am simply amazed."¬ Many people reserve their generosity for family members, close friends and neighbors.¬ Laura's experience shows that CATB members treat each other as part of one extended family.¬
"This is no small mission that you folks are undertaking. Imagine if there was an economic disaster. A well-established Time Bank could sustain an entire community," wrote Time Bank member and donor James Auditore, director of sustainability for Allegheny Contract Flooring Inc. "Keep up the good work."
We are now in our third year of trading services, and we write first and foremost to invite any member of the Cape Ann community to join us.¬ Whether you use the Time Bank once a week or once a year, it is a resource to you when you need a service.¬ Visit www.capeanntimebanks.org to learn more.¬
And whether you become a member or not, you can help make this growing network of support available to more Cape Ann residents by making a tax-deductible contribution.¬ Your donation will be turned into many opportunities for service.¬ It's more than giving someone $25 for a taxi ride to the doctor.¬ Through the time bank, your gift enables someone to get free rides to the doctor whenever they need them.
The Time Bank operates on a very low budget of $16,000 per year.¬ We can raise about $3,000 from membership dues, $3,000 from fund-raising events, and $10,000 from private donations and grants.¬ Any contribution you can make, no matter how small, will help us build a supportive community-wide network.¬ To allow your donation to be tax-deductible, the Cape Ann Business Incubator (CABI) continues to serve as the Time Bank's fiscal sponsor.¬ Please send your check, made out to CABI (with CATB written in the memo line).
Wishing you health and prosperity in the year to come,
Nancy Goodman
Caleb's Lane, Rockport
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