Nevada County’s first time bank officially opened yesterday. (Thursday.) Reinette Senum founded Hour Nevada County in hopes of encouraging helpfulness and community support. Time Banking works around the idea that no good deed should go unrewarded. By turning donated time into a currency, time banks make sure volunteers get back an hour for every one they spend helping someone else. That means, if you were to help someone do an hour of yard work, for example, you would get an hour’s credit good for any other time bank member’s service. You can use that time towards child care, to help with errands, book keeping, or even have a volunteering mechanic take a look at your car.

Click here to listen to Reinette Senum

With so many volunteers doing so many different jobs, it can be confusing or even dangerous. Hour Nevada County’s job is to make sense of the confusion and keep order. Senum says that means making sure volunteer account holders are protected.

Click here to listen to Reinette Senum

Insurence can be expensive, especially for so many volunteers. That’s why Hour Nevada County asks those signing up for an account to make a suggested annual donation of 25 dollars to pay for their insurance. She says anyone willing to pay more than that is greatly encouraged, to help cover the expense for those who might not be able to afford it.

Hour Nevada County will also be donating hundreds of hours to Nevada City to help out with their three day Spring Cleaning from Tuesday, March thirty-first, to Thursday, April second, from eight to noon. Anyone who signs up to help out will get free hours credited to their account.

For more information or to sign up, go online to Hour– spelled H-O-U-R– Nevada County dot org.