Members’ Stories
ORE Member Marj knits a baby sweater.
“I’m thrilled and grateful to the member who comes and shovels snow for me. She is reliable, fast and efficient. I couldn’t ask for better help to get me through the winter. I’m so happy to be a member of ORE.” ~Joan Black, ORE Member
Members of the ORE Craft Circle work on projects with other exchangers!
“I bought 6 boxes of Morgaine’s chocolates and commissioned a dessert as well. Boy, were they good. I didn’t get any of the chocolates. I gave them all as gifts like a good girl. But the dessert was too good to pass up.” ~Marj Power, ORE member
Case Manager Chloe listens to the musical stylings of Town Wide Yard Sale at the ORE Meet and Greet in March of 2010. Band members Ben and David earned hours for their performance!
“There are a number of great exchanges I requested from getting vegan brownies with lots of nuts…..yum!…..to a private yoga session with my own set of postures designed just for my situation, a shampoo and brushing for my little papillon dog and best of all, regular monthly help with house work. this was a godsend last winter when I was on crutches and couldn’t get around at all and still is. It helps me get going and keep on top of things. When I see the floors looking great and the bathroom fixtures shining, it helps me do all the other things in my apartment. Actually, just knowing someone is coming to help makes me get more organized before and then continue with that organizing afterwards. During the last year that I have had these services I have been able to downsize. Though I will probably never be a minimalist, having this service has energized me so that I have come a long ways in decluttering my place and making it a comfortable living space.” ~Joy Kirby, ORE member
“My spa was in need of a website, an integral part of doing business these days. However, as a small and fledgling business I couldn’t find a way to pay for it. I found Jen on ORE and she created a beautiful, informative, professional website for my spa at www.holisticafacials.com. Thank you Jen you are amazing! ” ~Eros Bongiovanni, Holistica, ORE Member
ORE members trade stories and enjoy delicious chaga chai at the farmers market.
“Thanks to ORE member Morgaine Bell, this Christmas I was able to find a great gift for my mom without spending any money! I placed my order for delectable hand-dipped chocolates (made by Morgaine) just before Christmas, and the next day, I was looking at a box of 10 beautiful chocolates, complete iwth a tag listing each chocolate’s flavor. My mom loved the chocolates, as did I (how could I resist?)! Thanks, Morgaine, for sharing your talent for chocolate-making with ORE members and helping me find a great (cheap) Christmas gift for my mom!” ~Krisin Feierabend, ORE Member
“I wanted to tell you how much I love ORE. The best part is getting the opportunity to meet people while working for them. I have met wonderful people and made many friends. Thank you for keeping this system going. It gives me the opportunity to connect with community members in a special way when my life seems so busy!” ~Jan Ruta, ORE Member
“Last Saturday I went to an open house at Beauty & Wellness, formerly Green City Spa, at 4 State Street. Eros, Vivian, and Stephanie are all ORE members who have provided their spa services on the Exchange and have had some frustration because they’ve earned lots of hours, but, until recently, hadn’t found services they needed. At their open house, though, Eros happily informed me that she was in debt for the first time, thanks to Perry, who offers photography, Jennifer and Jen, who have developed the spa’s and Eros’ websites respectively, and Jane, who helped her create a marketing strategy. It was great to hear about their successes in the Exchange!” ~Monica Kimball, ORE Member
“I just taught someone how to crochet for an hour and a half, and it was so great. I got to share a skill, make a new friend, and earn hours. This is so much fun, I love it.” ~Martha Wales, ORE Member
“Some of the exchanges which resulted from my offers were as follows. I did conversational French with someone who spoke French well and just wanted to increase his fluency. We met at Capitol Grounds each week, had a hot drink and enjoyed speaking, learning new vocabulary and the fun of discussing all kinds of issues from politics to vacations to pets en francais, bien sur. It was great while it lasted and ended because the ORE members was going to France for a few months and then moving away from the area. I also did some Life Coaching with several ORE members, did some editing of resumes and cover letters, attended a VCIL meeting and joined the ORE Membership Committee, doing phone calls to check in with people to find out how exchanges were going and also how we might improve services.” ~Joy Kirby, ORE member
“I’ve been on the receiving end of two great exchanges! Colin & Stan at the Freeride Montpelier Bike Coop gave my bike a much needed tune-up, even shined it up a bit, and now it runs like a top. And Tina, with her hands-on animal reiki has been an invaluable source of comfort & healing to my dog. ” ~Jen Dole, ORE Member
“I never thought I’d have my own personal fashion consultant, much less need one, but after I was asked to be a bridesmaid in my friend’s wedding, I realized that I could use some help in finding accessories to match my fabulous blue dress. ORE member Vivian Infantino came to the rescue and helped me find the perfect accessories for the dress at a very low cost! Vivian had great advice about what would and wouldn’t work with the dress. She gladly went shopping with me on several occasions, and she even did some bargain hunting on her own and found a great necklace for me at a rummage sale. I had a wonderful time exchanging with Vivian and think my shoes and jewelry looked great! Thanks, Vivian!” ~Kristin Feierabend, ORE member
“I want to let you know how excited I am to be a part of ORE! It really is fun so far, and I am amazed to be offered calligraphy help for my acupuncture clinic by Dorie, library help to create a working list of all the health care books I could lend from my clinic/list on a future website! I love this process, and love all of you who helped make this happen, and who work to create its healthy future!” ~Cynthia June Christensen, ORE member
“Wow! ORE members Pat and Britt made my birthday party easy and lots of fun! Pat shuttled guests who said they loved the valet service and friendly driver, and Britt made magic happen with her artistic eye for making even an apple look fun. She also made dirty dishes disappear, and guests enjoyed her smile, too. Can you tell by this picture of us “getting close” to fit into the lens that we were having fun?
Jeremy, comedian Chet, Bernadette (me), Britt, and Pat! Thank you, thank you. My friends are still calling to say what fun they had, and we couldn’t have done it with our new ORE friends, Britt and Pat.” ~Bernadette Rose, ORE Member
“Bon Appetit to Elaine Cohen, she made a broccoli cheese soup for my family and my 18 year old daughter loved it. If you’re in the market for good home cooking at an excellent price, contact Elaine. You can’t go wrong. Thanks Elaine!” ~Jan Ruta, ORE Member
“This past week, when I was working with Cynthia to organize her extensively library, Dorie stopped by to drop off her beautiful, hand calligraphed genre labels for Cynthia’s bookshelves. It was great to see three ORE members working on the same project–especially one that will benefit the rest of the ORE community, since one of Cynthia’s Exchange offers is the use of her library.” ~Lesley Chapman, ORE Member
“Today I had a great exchange with Irvin. BUT, I decided I didn’t want to take a picture of it because he gave me a massage and ORE is a family friendly exchange!!! I knew it was going to be a good massage for me because Irving had volunteered chair massages at the ORE 1st Birthday part and I was happy to receive. Irvin listened to what difficulties I was having with my breathing and leg pains. Tonight I feel relaxed taking deep long breaths, and my legs feel ready for bed. I hope you consider giving Irvin a call for a massage soon. He also comes to do chair massages at your office or event! Breathe and relax. You’ll be in good hands. Thanks, Irvin!” ~Bernadette Rose, ORE Member
“Every week, I get paid Community Credits to drive a twelve-year-old to gymnastics, but it’s the highlight of my week. I’m getting to know someone new, who I never would have met otherwise. It’s so great to be a part of this and see my own community grow.” ~Ginny Catone, ORE Member
“Joanna has been coming to my house most Friday afternoons since mid September to provide piano lessons for my grandson, Bill. They are relaxed and friendly and he has learned so much from her. I especially enjoy the end of the lesson when they play their duet. We were saddened to hear that Joanna is moving back to New Jersey with her parents for a while. We will miss her greatly.” ~Ruth Beard, ORE member
“I’ve lived in my house for over 32 years, and there’s been a wiring problem for that entire time. Jan, a licensed electrician, came to my house and fixed it the other day. She was so efficient and knew just what she was doing. Three hours of electrical work? That paid for my membership right there!”
~Joan Clack, ORE Member
“I wanted to get something special for the twins that were about to be
born. Two gifts? Such expense. Then I saw Polly’s offer to make
quilts. They are beautiful – twins and quilts – and I didn’t break the
bank.” ~Elaine Cohen, ORE member
“Thanks to Marj and Esther, I was able to fly home to Tennessee for the holidays. I’m an AmeriCorps volunteer fairly new to the Montpelier community. Since I have a low budget, I wasn’t eager to pay for parking at the airport. Even if I had decided to pay for parking, I wasn’t sure I would be able to make it to the airport in bad weather—being from Tennessee, I don’t have snow tires on my car. Thankfully, Marj got me to the Burlington airport just before a snowstorm (and offered to take me home if my flight was canceled) and Esther was there, ready to pick me up, as soon as I returned. I’m so glad to be a part of ORE!”
~Kristin Feierabend, ORE Member
“When I saw a request from Bernadette Rose for an afternoon of shuttling guests, I thought that was something I could do, but I couldn’t really picture how it would work. Since Bernadette lives on a street with no parking and a small driveway, she conceived the idea of people parking in a downtown Barre parking lot and having them driven up the hill. So that was my job – check the specific parking lot for people waiting for a ride. My car was decorated with flowers on the antenna so they could recognize their ride. Between and 1 and 4 on Saturday afternoon various people stepped into my car and we drove the short stretch up the hill and a jog to the left and I deposited them at the house – most times returning down the hill to look for more folks.
There were gaps when no people were expected to arrive so I got a break and stopped in for some great food and drink. (Food was also served by an Onion River Exchange person.)
At various points in the afternoon the process was reversed and I drove people back down to their cars.
How clever of Bernadette to come up with this plan. It made things easier on her and the guests seemed to enjoy the idea of being chauffeured. I enjoyed being part of a lovely flowing process, met some great people and fulfilled an exchange request.” ~Pat Carteson, ORE Member
Ruth installed new gutters for Liz:
It was a “two drill job!”
Andrea helped Linda hang a towel rack:
She inaugurated them immediately:
There are lots of great offers and requests floating around in our database. If you’d like to see a hard copy, stop by the Onion River Exchange office at 138 Main Street in Montpelier.
If you’re already a member and would like to share your experiences with us (and we hope you do), please email them to info@orexchange.org or give us a call at (802) 552-0082.
