Welcome To Whidbey Community eXchange

The WCx´s Founding Committee, composed of Ron Ward, Mark Wahl, Britt Walker, Derek Hoshiko and Bob Burgess have been meeting weekly (and sometimes more often) in the past months to consolidate the work done since our launch in August 2009. This has been a long-term volunteer effort, a 'labor of love', that started with Transition Whidbey 'Local Economy Action Group' (affectionately know as the 'LEAG') meetings in the spring of 2008. This work will culminate soon in a business model that provides paid employment opportunities in addition to the increased benefits to our community of our sustainable local currency.

The community support, and the participation of some special members in particular, have been a continued source of help and encouragement. We are grateful for the recognition given at past potluck events for our efforts. But we would be remiss to not acknowledge a host of other community members whose contributions have helped create and sustain the WCx initiative. We are especially grateful to the following individuals who have given of their time and expertise during the past two years to bring our efforts to fruition.

Thanks to early LEAG members Rob and Kim Wickman-Larson, Beverly Rose, Duke and Kate LeBaron, Jim Hyde, Mary Jane, Eileen Jackson, Britt Walker, and Eric Conn for beginning to explore local bank and credit union possibilities and to study local currencies as a key to the long term resilience of our local economy.

And thanks to later LEAG members Rebecca Collins, Hannah Varieur, Francis Kenny, Kim Norton, Anne Hayden, Hank Nelson, John Hurd, Mary Jane Miller, Robbie Cribbs, Adam Bierschenk, Christofer Diggins, Mike Nichols, Mark and Sofia Lowder, Lynn Parr, Larry Dobson, Mark Wahl, Susan Sawyer, Adam Wundrow, Peter Martin, Rick Zapata, Steve Blackburn and Bob Olin for council, suggestions, advice and the contribution of their prescious time.

And a very special thanks to Rebecca Collins for her patient attention to detail in many LEAG meetings and her expert graphic arts skills in designing the printed Terra´s and other Terra-related artifacts; to Hannah Varieur for her organizational skills and dedication to the clear and precise documentation of many LEAG meetings and presentations; to Eileen Jackson for her enthusiastic participation in many LEAG meetings and work-sessions; to John Hurd for his enthusiastic participation in LEAG meetings and his energetic commitment to doing business in Terras; to Vicki Robin for her passionate promotion of the Terra; to Mark Wahl for his continued commitment to educating and working with WCx membership to make our local currency a success; to Britt Walker for giving the initial impetus for the formation of the LEAG and for her tireless positive energy and the community-focused perspective she brings to all solutions; to Derek Hoshiko whose brilliant web expertise and process management skills have made our Founders´ meetings so productive and enjoyable; to Bob Burgess whose expert programming skills and countless hours of dedication got our Web application online and keep it sound and reliable; and to Ron Ward for his dedication to a sustainable local currency for Whidbey Island and the tenacity to carry WCx through to implementation.

And, not least, heartfelt thanks to all of the following who have given financial support as well: