MEMBER PROFILE

Tara Lambert

Tara Lambert started Getting Down to Business class one month after she moved to Ithaca. “I was planning to open my nutritional counseling practice and this class was invaluable…I don’t think I would have been prepared to open my practice without it. The class taught me everything. I learned profit/loss analysis, break even analysis and how to record and track my finances…”

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In the spring of 1999 Alternatives was asked to be part of a documentary project funded by the Pew Charitable Trust. The project, called Indivisible, tells the stories of 12 community organizations, highlighting diverse, sustainable grassroots projects that promote strong communities across America.

"I thought credit unions was an obvious choice to show grassroots activism in the category of economics," said Trudy Wilner Stack of the Center for Creative Photography at the University of Arizona. "Looking for an example of grassroots community development, all roads led to Alternatives."

The Center for Documentary Studies at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, sent a highly respected photographer and oral historian to each site to document their stories. The outcome is a photography book with an audio CD of those interviewed; a web site; small exhibits to appear in local gathering places; and a major museum exhibition to tour the country.

Joan Liftin came to scout us out. She came on one of those incredible rare spring days where the whole town is out and about and smiling. Our tour was totally spontaneous; we ran into person after person associated in some way with Alternatives, and proud to sing the praises of the Credit Union. Paul Glover was on the Credit Union steps with journalists from Japan here to find out more about Ithaca Hours. Carl Feuer, from the Labor Coalition, spoke about our work on the Livable Wage. At the downtown Farmer’s Market, Sisay Sisouphone told about how the CEO program helped him start his food booth. Friends at Oasis and Handwork spoke about the early days when we were all starting coops. Joan had two comments I remember well. One was that Alternatives seemed to be at the center of a large web, with everything seemingly interconnected. The other was that Ithaca was "the ‘60s, grown up." She said that we had taken what was good about the 60s and used it to the advantage of our community.

We were selected. Our photographer was Bill Burke, an instructor at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston who is perhaps best known for his extensive photography in Southeast Asia. Our interviewer was Joe Wood, an editor at The New Press. They worked separately, never meeting. Bill came with his cameras and handsome German Shepherd, Earl. Joe came with his tape recorder. They each went into the community to find out more about Ithaca and Alternatives Credit Union’s role. They enjoyed Ithaca, and were embraced by everyone they met. Over the course of several visits, they compiled many photographs and hours of interviews.

On a very sad note, Joe Wood died after submitting his tapes. He went day hiking on Mount Rainier near Seattle while at Unity ‘99, a national conference of minority journalists. He never returned.

The launch of Indivisible was October, 2000. The book, Local Heroes Changing America is dedicated to Joe Wood. The traveling museum exhibition, Indivisible: Stories of American Communities is traveling to larger cities. (See www.indivisible.org for the schedule.)

Indivisible documented our impact in photo and word. We are honored and proud to have been selected to showcase our grassroots activism nationally.