You can't find a friend in the yellow pages.

So I went to a training for a community program the other day. It combines some of my favorite things.

1. Volunteering/giving back

2. Meeting new people.

3. Getting free stuff! Whoohoo!

To put it another way, how would you like to get paid for volunteering? Isn’t that an oxymoron?

Well, no. It’s possible through a program called a timebank. Timebanking is an alternative currency in which you “bank” time doing one service, for another. These are usual in hour-long increments which equal one time dollar.

This idea isn’t new – it was spawned in the 1980s, when a prominent lawyer named Edgar Cahn, suffered a heart attack. After seeing 14 different specialists in one day in the hospital he asked a nurse, “If I didn’t have health insurance would I have seen these 14 people?” She laughed in response – “No.” He thought this was appalling that someone would be denied essential services just because they didn’t have the ability to pay. Once released from the hospital he spent his time off speaking to less fortunate people, homeless and people he encountered in the subway. He found that these individuals had skills to share, even if they didn’t have money to and thus the idea of the timebank was spawned.

The idea slowly gained traction, which has snowballed in recent years spurred on by the economic downturn, and people’s desire to reconnect with community. There are now timebanks throughout the United States and in more than twenty countries.

Our local time bank here in the Lehigh Valley is called “Community Exchange” and began in 1999 as a program geared toward elder care. The program has drastically expanded and grown however and now includes nearly 600 people in my region aged 12 to 94.

I had a lot of preconceived notions about the program. I thought it would primarily be manual labor type jobs like pulling weeds, painting the house, or transportation – and these are certainly included. But what was surprising to me was the vast breadth and depth of the services offered. I can get legal advice, get my hair cut, get my nails done, take yoga or tai chi or go to a certified chiropractor all on timebank hours that I can earn doing marketing, cat sitting, calling a friend, taking someone to a doctor’s appointment or entering data. Pretty amazing huh? And that’s not even scratching the surface. One industrious timebanker had her entire wedding paid for in time dollars from the cake to the dj.

In addition to all of those things, not just individuals, but organizations participate in the time bank too. So by volunteering with them you can earn free tickets to arts and entertainment things all across the Lehigh Valley. (Not to mention some members open up their private pools to other members – sweet!)

Being the business-minded person that I am, I thought the program would be especially helpful to those trying to build a community presence, or gain experience. You could create buzz in the region by having more clients. In addition it’s a great way for a laid-off person like me to keep their skills sharp.

But perhaps the best part about the program is knowing you are helping another individual. When one gentleman was asked why he participates in the program he said, “You can’t find a friend in the yellow pages.”

The program is run by Lehigh Valley Health Network – the largest hospital (and employer) in my region. The program is so well established they were recently interviewed for a New York Times article on timebanks. And it is quite extensive. To participate you need to take a two-hour orientation, fill out several pages of paperwork, and go through a thorough background check including references. This assures the safety and commitment of participants.

As I mentioned, timebanks are all across the country – so seek them out. It’s a great way to help someone out and receive some awesome perks in return. And in most cases, timebanks are reciprocal region-to-region, so you can earn that massage on vacation in California while you’re at home.

I’m just getting started, but will be sure to blog again about my timebank experience. So excited to have found it! I estimate I can save $200 easily per month this way. So there you have it – the best kept secret in the Lehigh Valley.

Fore more on time banking watch a video on a program in Portland, ME or listen to timebank founder Edgar Cahn on NPR.

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