- Archives -
David W., Chairperson
-
Cooperation with the Professional Community (CPC) - Charlie
S., Chairperson
-
Corrections - Cathy B., Chairperson (reported by Jason R.)
- Grapevine -
Joe O., Chairperson
-
Kentuckiana Newsletter - Amy B., Chairperson
-
Literature - George J., Chairperson
-
Public Information - John A., Chairperson
- Registrar
- Chris T., Chairperson
-
Special Needs - Debbie C., Chairperson
-
Treatment Facilities - Brian S., Chairperson
- Website - Jon
S., Chairperson
Other Reports
I have, once again, only included groups on the contribution report that have made a contribution. If you know that your group has sent a contribution and it is not on the report, please see come see me and we can research the situation. The beginning balance on January 1, was $6,643.97, the total group contributions this quarter were $10,356.70 - so the groups are stepping it up a bit from last quarter. We also received $5.00 cash from Amy, our Kentuckiana Newsletter Chair, for a subscription, and we received $2.00 cash from Cathy, the Corrections Chair, for overpayment of post office box. This brings the total income for the 1st quarter to $17,005.067. The total expenses for the 1st quarter were $8,267.64. This leaves an ending balance of $8,738.03 - this is still below our suggested prudent reserve ($6,261.97), but we are getting there. You will notice, at the bottom of the contributions report, that there are 4 contributions that I do not have information on - if you know anything about these please let me know where they should go. Once again, I would like to remind everyone to please include your group name, group number and district number with all contributions, please tell your treasurers - this is very important if you wish for your contribution to be allocated correctly. Also, you need to remind the groups in your district that there is a new mailing address: Area 26 Treasurer - P.O. Box 517 - Simpsonville KY 40067. I do have envelopes and contribution forms available for you to take back to your groups.
Thank you District 5. What a weekend. The food, and of course just having done it six months ago, they were quick on their memory. What a fantastic job! I had the wonderful opportunity to go to the Southeastern Regional get-together in early February. That is a great experience. I hope that I am able to provide some experience, strength and hope to the new Delegates. Not just to the Area 26 Delegates, but to all of the Southeastern Regional Delegates when I attend. It is a good time of fellowship with those we served with previously. I was unable to attend the State Convention this year due to the death of my father. I appreciate all of the prayers and the kind words from folks during that time, as well as, here this weekend. In March I went down to Somerset, KY in District 7 and gave a workshop on Welcome to Service. It was very well attended. We went over all of the Standing Committees and what they do and how they can be effective at a local level. People were really interested to find out there were other opportunities for service beside the regular General Service structure of GSRs and DCMs.
February was a busy month. It started off the weekend of February 4th with a road-trip to Atlanta with Barbara and Joy for the Delegates Get-Together. Many thanks to Barbara for driving and to Joy for sharing her room with me. The weekend was filled with informative reports from some of our Trustees and our Chairman of the Board, as well as sharing of experience from our Delegates, both past and present. It was a pleasure getting to know all of them a little better. I'd like to thank the Area for allowing me the privilege and the opportunity to attend this event. There's nothing else quite like it. I found there the same sense of community, love and support that I find in my home group. I loved seeing our 9th Tradition in action. It was evident everyone in the room was guided in the spirit of service. Our leaders in the Southeast truly are principled and trusted servants of AA. I left with my batteries recharged and feeling that the future of A.A. is in loving, capable hands. I had the opportunity to attend the Kentucky State Convention in Ft. Mitchell, Kentucky. The Convention was well attended and I thoroughly enjoyed the speakers. I'd like to thank the Northern Kentucky Host Committee for their hospitality. They provided a large room for our Standing Committees to exhibit their displays and regularly announced that our Area Officers and Committee Chairs were available to answer questions. Every time I visited the room there were several people there checking things out - especially the Archives display. I'd like to thank all those from the Area that participated at the Convention. And my thanks to Joy for again sharing her room with me. I'd like to thank District 17 for inviting me to Owensboro to take part in their workshop on the Traditions on March 26th. It was the coolest thing walking into that room about an hour before the workshop was to start and finding several people fellowshipping, talking about service and thumbing through Grapevine magazines. The workshop was very well attended and your questions and comments were great. I thoroughly enjoyed the afternoon. I hope you all had as much fun as I did. And thank you for treating me to a fabulous barbeque dinner following the workshop. A lot of my time this quarter was devoted to reviewing the agenda and background material for the General Service Conference. As always, it was interesting and informative reading. I'm looking forward to participating in District 3's workshop on the Home Group later this month and I hope to see a lot of you at Howling at the Moon in June.
Calendar General Service Conference: May 1-7, 2011 Southeastern Conference: August 11-14, 2011 North Carolina First SSAASA will be held --November 4-6, 2011-- Fairfax, VA-See Flyer
DON"T FORGET TO SCHEDULE A DELEGATE'S REPORT AFTER THE CONFERENCE IF YOU WANT ME TO COME TO YOUR DISTRICTS
Thank you - Thanks to District 5 for stepping up to host this Area meeting again so soon. We're glad to be back here and really appreciate your efforts. Your willingness is a great lead-in to the discussion of the next Conference because the theme this year is... WE ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR AA'S FUTURE-Let It Begin With Us
The 61st GENERAL SERVICE CONFERENCE - As I get ready to attend the 61st General Service Conference in May, I am overwhelmed with gratitude for the opportunity you have entrusted to me. The General Service Conference of Alcoholics Anonymous allows the fellowship to have a voice and to reach a group conscience on issues that affect AA as a whole. I will forever be humbled and changed by this experience. I know I am only a very small part of a great whole and I pray that we will place principles before personalities as we try to reach consensus on important issues. I have faith that a loving God will direct my thinking and guide my actions "if only he is sought.". Also, thank your groups for their contribution to GSO and Area 26 which help support the cost of the General Service Conference. (A little aside...It is suggested that each Area send $1200 to help defray costs of the Conference, but it actually costs closer to $5800 per person! Area 26 sent in the $1200. Thank you.)
GSB Weekend - Speaking of the Conference, I had the opportunity to attend the General Service Board weekend in NY City to prepare me to better serve as Chair of the Conference Finance Committee. The weekend was an orientation for all the Conference Chairs. It was also a great opportunity to see how the Committee Process works all year-long . It was amazing to watch as the various committees decided which issues would make the final Conference Agenda and to see how smoothly the committee meetings ran under the efficiency of a good chairperson. Since January is the last Quarterly Board meeting before Conference, it's the last opportunity for the committees to meet. Each committee, continued to make progress on Advisory Actions that came from last year's conference. I was impressed with the desire of the committees to be accountable to the Conference. Possible agenda items came from individuals, districts, Areas, and groups. They are assigned to the committees where they belonged. If they decided "not to take any action" then there was an effort made to explain why.
More about the Committee Process - The decision was made on the Literature Committee, for example, to continue seeking stories for the Armed Forces pamphlet. (Please continue to get the word out to your districts!) A subcommittee reported their progress on last year's advisory action for -- "literature that focuses on spirituality that includes atheist and agnostics that are successfully sober in Alcoholics Anonymous". A decision was made to send one Area's request "to reconsider" that Advisory Action from last year. So after a lengthy discussion the item was placed the final agenda. We'll see what happens this year.
On a side note, at the last Area meeting, an item was given to me by our Area Literature Chair to send to NY for the possible inclusion as an agenda item. I sent a letter via email that day, but unfortunately we missed the deadline. I got a letter explaining this from GSO saying that it didn't make the deadline and so the item is not going to be on the agenda. It's great that we participated in the process though and I thank you for wanting to be a part of it. If we have this item or any other item that we think is important to AA for the conference agenda for next year, we can send those things all year long.
All in all, it was a very enlightening experience to see how the process works all the way from the group level at the top of the inverted triangle to the bottom. I was also impressed with the experience of our trustees to have "thoughtful and complete" discussion on issues where there was not substantial unanimity. Also, lest anyone think that the Board is trying to out maneuver our groups' authority, one Trustee put it like this..."There's very little chance of 'harmonious' conspiracy" on these Board weekends." I got to see what he was talking about during the final meeting where all the committee reports came together and are approved (or not) by the full Board of Trustees. Just like the thoughtful and passionate discussions that we have on issues, so did the Trustees on the Board. I saw the principles of our Traditions and Concepts at work as they sometimes "hotly" debated an issue like the make up of the Grapevine Board for example. All in all it was a great experience for me and I hope that it will help me to better understand actions that take place at conference so that I can better communicate it to you.
I was an observer on several of the committees, but I was really excited to be invited to sit at the table with the Finance Committee. This committee took several hours longer than the others since everything involves Finance in some way. It was very interesting because I saw the General Manager give a presentation about the short term and long term strategic plan for the General Service Office. I also saw a presentation given by the new Grapevine Editor about the future of the Grapevine and LaVina in this quickly changing digital world. I heard discussion and some differing opinions on budget issues and the long term view of our policies as well as debate on the accountability that the Board has to the fellowship to be responsible for the financial troubles of the Grapevine. At the end of the day though, I saw them walk out of the room and go have a meal together even when they didn't see eye to eye during the meeting. I was very impressed with the principles that I saw over the weekend, and I know I will always have that gift to carry with me in the future as well as the belief that our Service Structure works.
Southeast Region Delegate's Get-together - In February, I also attended the Southeast Region's Delegates' Get together, along with Lynda and Barbara in Atlanta. I always find these weekends so encouraging as current and Past Delegates and Trustees come together to help the "newly elected" Delegates be more prepared for conference. It's nice to have place where informed Past Trusted Servants can offer insight and historical perspective on issues too. It's also rewarding to make those personal connections with the other Delegates from the Southeast Region. On a sad note, Past Trustee, Gay Garner from GA died right before the get together. She was always a bright spot during those weekends and anytime she was present. She brought strong experience both in recovery and service to all who spent time with her. She was the one that organized the weekend, so I know she was greatly missed by everyone especially Past Trustee Dick Gallagher. I'm so glad I went to the Southeast Regional Forum this year and heard her talk during the Past Trustee's panel. She reminded us that we can't get folks involved in Service by shaking a finger at them, but rather by example. (You can read her comments in the Final Report: Southeast Regional Forum) You can read this report on the Alcoholic Anonymous website at www.aa.org
Kentucky State Convention - I also attended the Kentucky State Convention in Northern Kentucky. It was great seeing so many of you and to have Area 26 be represented. While we didn't do any formal workshops or presentations, I think our presence there was useful and well received by anyone that came by to see our displays. I was able to meet some younger folks who had an interest in service and it was nice for all of us on the Area 26 Committee to spend time together in the room. The host committee did a great job putting it all together and had a great panel of speakers. "There was a bit of fun about it all!" I'm looking forward to Area 26 working with the Host Committee next year!
Hispanic Group Anniversary Celebration - I was very pleased to attend the Hispanic Group's 18th Anniversary celebration in Lexington in March. There were speakers, great food and good music. Folks came from other states for the celebration. It was a big deal and I'm so glad I was able to attend. One thing happened by accident that made it very special for me too. I went over to tell a gentleman how much I enjoyed his singing, and found out the man next to him, who was translating for him, was the Past Delegate from IN. We had a very insightful conversation about the issues facing the La Vina, and the challenges of reaching the Hispanic population. At this event, we were the ones who didn't know the language, but I was reminded that it is the "language of the Heart" that we speak in AA. It crosses all borders. It also reminds me that I'd like to see us to a better job communicating with our linguistic district here in Area 26. This is a growing challenge for Areas all over the country so perhaps we can continue to improve and learn from them as well.
World Service Meeting - On that note of crossing all borders, I wanted to mention something I got in the mail from GSO. It's the first time I've ever seen it, so it got my attention. It's the report from the World Service Meeting which took place in Mexico City. These worlds service meetings provide a place where AA's from all over the world can come together and share their experience with each other. The theme was on Sponsorship, both individual to individual and country to country. I was very moved as I read the articles and presentations discussed at the meeting. It's clear that many of the issues are the same everywhere...topics like "singleness of purpose, inclusiveness, the digital world, and the seventh tradition" were discussed. This is a place where our Trustee's at Large, US and Canada can represent us internationally. It's also a reminder of the services provided by GSO. When we put money in the basket, we're helping to carry the message to others not just here in our country, but around the world. Even though they have their own Service Structures, we're kind of the "old-timer" who shares our experience.
Other activities - I also had the opportunity to attend the anniversary dinner in Liberty, the birthday celebration in Somerset and I'll be in Springfield next week. Thanks for all your hospitality in those areas, it's always great to get out in the state and meet new AA's. DON"T FORGET TO SCHEDULE A DELEGATE'S REPORT AFTER CONFERENCE IF YOU WANT ME TO COME TO YOUR DISTRICTS
Workshop-Anonymity in the Digital Age - One item that we will be hearing a lot more about was the very timely topic of a Workshop recently in Lexington-Anonymity in the Digital World. Thanks for giving me the opportunity to participate. You asked for it, and it's coming....the Big Book and other literature available to download digitally. I'm going to include this communication from GSO regarding the subject with this report. I want to assure everyone though...the BIG BOOK in print is NOT disappearing. The digital world will however, allow another avenue to reach the alcoholic. It's also something that we can't afford to ignore, as we're already behind the curve in e-publishing. I'm sure I will have more specifics to report after the General Service Conference, but it's something that's already affecting our literature sales. Stay tuned...(or "log on" if you prefer)
BE RESPONSIBLE: STAY INFORMED-Digitally - WHAT PUBLICATIONS AVAILABLE VIA WEB SITE: You can help your groups stay better informed about what's happening in AA with a few publications available already digitally. Markings on the Journey, Box 459, About AA, Newsletter for Professionals, Regional Forum Reports, and lots of the AA Literature is available on aa.org. If you (or your groups) don't already subscribe to Box 459, I encourage you to do so. It's free if you get it on the web site and it's full of great stuff. Or you can order multiple copies for your groups at a very reasonable cost! Use the publications to help you keep your groups more informed.
NEWS FLASH FROM AA GRAPEVINE "Grapevine is not a sinking ship."..(Dateline Grapevine newsletter, March) - As a mater of fact...If every AREA would order just 48 additional print subscriptions, the Grapevine could become fully self supporting this year!!! OR at $19.97 per year, about 65 NEW digital subscriptions per area would close the budget gap as well!!!! Let's support our meeting in print as it goes through this transition period in digital publishing! Thanks for allowing me to serve!
DON"T FORGET TO SCHEDULE A DELEGATE'S REPORT AFTER CONFERENCE IF YOU WANT ME TO COME TO YOUR DISTRICTS
7th Tradition Poem by Joy F.
If you've NOT had a drink in a number of days... or years
Had a family restored...a home...and sober careers
Then it's time to think of gratitude ...instead of tears.
If self esteem is on the rise, while complacency still denies
It's time to give back what's been given to you.
The seventh tradition basket is being passed, it's true
But remember AA's been hit with inflation too!
A dollar a day ...may no longer keep the "four horsemen" away.
On the other hand, ..if you use to drink in a dive... then by all means, put in a five!
If you slept under the stars, in a car or a tent, ...maybe you couldn't pay your rent,
or perhaps some folks just thought you had no sense... put in a ten!
If you got a nasty divorce (or two)... then a twenty of course, is what you need to do!
Spent time in jail?...Put the check in the mail!
Or make it easy and contribute online, and chances are you'll serve no more time.
Birthdays, anniversaries, any old sober-day will do
It's a day to be grateful, carry the message, and be self supporting too.
After all many folks are still "out there" counting on you.
Whatever the amount, be RESPONSIBLE and step up.
PUT YOUR MONEY IN THE BASKET, INSTEAD OF THE COFFEE CUP
Stay sober today. Participate. And be of maximum service when you can.
When we ALL do our part, it fits in GOD'S plan!
I have been looking forward to having a great time here in Campbellsville with all of you. Sorry I was unable to be with you all when you were in Louisville in January, because I was looking forward to seeing all of you there. But right now I want to take this moment to thank all those that participated with the January Area meeting in Louisville, you guys did a beautiful job. District 1 is doing fine. Our attendance has greatly increased. At our last meeting we had 18 GSRs. I am planning to visit more of our groups in the next few months prayerfully we can raise our attendance even more. District 1 has been having a series of workshops; the next one we have scheduled will be on April 17th. The topics of this workshop will be "The 4th Tradition" and the AA Group pamphlet "Where it all begins." If you are in the area of the Ice House, please feel free to stop in and join us, we would love to fellowship with you and we will even feed you too. District 1 still meets at the Ice House located at 1400 South Shelby Street on the 2nd Sunday of the month at 4:30 p.m.
District 2 continues to have regular business meetings every two months. At our last business meeting, 4/02/11, 18 of the 22 groups and committee chairs for Corrections and Treatment in the district were represented. Both Corrections and Treatment are planning a fund-raiser for the purpose of purchasing literature. Dates will be forthcoming. District 2 voted 16 to 4 to pass on the upcoming Kentucky State Convention, citing no appropriate forum to hold the convention as its rationale. Therefore, District 2, respectfully declines to host the 2012 Kentucky State Convention.
First of all, District 3 is excited and looking forward to hosting the July Area Quarterly Meeting on the 16th & 17th. We have been approved to hold this event at the Greenwood High School where we met two years ago. Many volunteers have stepped up to work on the various committees, especially those on the coffee committee. They know how important coffee is to a bunch of recovering alcoholics. There are fliers on the registration tables. I do want to let you all know that the host hotel is giving us a great rate, $69.00, for any room - single or suite. And that the deadline for this rate is June 15th. So I hope you will make reservations as soon as possible. The hotel has been recently remodeled and has an indoor pool. District 3 is down to 24 groups in the five county area. One group in Franklin lost their meeting place and decided to join another small group in Franklin to support them. Group officers and meeting places seem to change on a regular basis. But all of the groups seem to be growing, not by leaps and bounds mind you, but growing. GSR/Business meetings are held the first Sunday of every month at 1:00. Perhaps a third of the GSRs attend and most of the committee chairs and we have some lively discussions. The Sponshorship Rally will be May 27th thru 29th, 2011 at the Holiday Inn University Plaza & Sloan Convention Center in Bowling Green. A flier with a registration form can be downloaded on the Area's website. This is a great weekend of fellowship, great speakers, food and fun. Hope to see you all there.
Since the January Area 26 meeting, our District meetings have taken a NOSE DIVE. Our February meeting was cancelled due to icy roads. Our March meeting attendance dropped drastically. I was sick and unable to attend. Our April meeting started getting us back on track.
The GSRs and Officers informed of WHAT is going on in the District.
- The Alcohalt House went non-smoking in February.
- The Acceptance Place went non-smoking in February, but returned to smoking meetings in March.
- The CPC Chairperson is sending letters to Lawyers in our District. Hopefully, the responses will be better than it was with the medical professions in our counties.
- The Corrections Chairperson has contacted the Breckinridge County Corrections, the jailer has put us on the list for the next available opening. We have six women to take the meetings in.
- The Meade County Corrections is being worked on.
- The Hardin County Corrections is also being worked on.
We of District 5, have been busy getting together this Area Assembly. I want to thank Rod L., for his service and thanks to Cindy for practicing "the power to help him carry it out." We now have a District 5 website. You can log on at www.aakyd5.org. Thanks to Cindy T. We also are having a "Why does it work" Workshop on Saturday May 14th at St. Monica's in Bardstown. We have been placing meetings in Nelson County Jail and Merion Co Adjustment Center. Mostly I want to thank all of District 5 for all of their hard work and great service attitude. District 5 please stand. Area 26 this is How It Works.
Group Reports - Northern Ky District 6 has sixteen Home Groups and our monthly GSR attendance has been averaging 8 to 10 GSRs every month and we continue to reach out to the groups not represented at the District level. Committee Reports - Treatment - District 6 has two Treatment facilities, the Grateful Life Center and Brighton Center that we work with to bridge the gap between ending treatment and continuing recovery. Corrections - In January, the Northern Kentucky Central Office hosted its annual Corrections Dinner to raise money for purchasing Big Books to help carry the message into correctional institutions. In February, District 6 had two home groups volunteer to chair marathon meetings at the Kentucky State Conference.
Things are going well in South Central Kentucky, and there isn't a lot of change to report. District 7 has 8 groups with 25 meetings that are in Somerset, Burnside, Monticello, Whitley City and Albany (the best home group in the world.) We've had one District meeting this quarter and have another planned for next week. We also had an AA workshop and pizza party two weeks ago that I hope will turn into an annual event for us. Barbara F., came down to Somerset and did a great Welcome to Service presentation. We learned a lot and had a good time doing it. Thank you Barbara. We're still working on a history of the District, trying to get new people involved in Service Work and counting our Blessings. If you're going to be visiting Lake Cumberland or Dale Hollow Lake this summer, come to visit us at our meetings. We'd love to have you.
Not present. No Report
We are very excited in District 9. District 23 and DCM David K. has asked our District 9 to join them in bidding to co-host this years fall election assembly in Ashland KY. Jointly, our 2-Districts have formed an exploratory committee and we are extremely grateful to bid to be of service to Area 26. District 9 annual summer/fall picnic has already been scheduled for Saturday, September 17th. We have reserved the same are in Jenny Wiley State Park as in the past several years and we will have information to hand out at our next quarterly. We have been very fortunate to have many visitors from Louisville and Lexington come to spend a weekend in the mountains with us for the picnic! Once again, Bruce L. from Louisville AA will come up with a surprise guest speaker for the picnic.
District 10 is growing and it maintains an attendance of approximately 15 members each month. Our PI committee person is attempting to work closely with Louisville Intergroups PI Chair on local projects. Our Corrections committee person is busy collecting Grapevines to take to jails and prisons. Speakers are needed to carry the message to a local women's correctional facility in Metro Louisville - Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. If interested, please contact Nick S. or Joy Mc of District 10.
District 11 is alive and doing well. The annual workshop was a success this year with 80 people or so in attendance. We think that the difference was we moved it out of the Derby activities. Several home groups have celebrated anniversaries with great turn outs.
District 12 had a Mardi Gras event that was held in February with Bruce H. giving his recovery lead. 60 people were in attendance. Participation in District 12 has increased over the past year, which is good to see. We have begun planning for our next event which will be an ice cream social in July. This will include a lead on either service or the Traditions.
We still enjoy good attendance at our district meetings, which are normally held on the second Sunday of the month at the Pigeon Roost. We have an average of 16 members attending. District 13 Corrections Chair Ed M., sent a letter to the The Kentucky State reformatory warden concerning some difficulties having meetings at KSR. These meetings have now resumed. Ed also wrote an article for the Kentuckiana Newsletter. We thank Ed for his dedication to AA. District 13 Special Needs Chair Jo Ann M., is working with Meetings on Wheels in the Louisville area. Thank you Jo Ann for your service. I also would like to thank all of our committee chairs, officers and District 13 meeting attendees.
The Northern Kentucky districts that hosted the State Convention did an awesome job of bringing so many fellow trudgers together and sharing a truly unforgettable 3 days of AA fellowship. Our district held a workshop the last Saturday in March on the topic of "Unity." It was a panel discussion with Steve W., George & Rita J. sharing their experience of how the AA design for living has created Unity in their lives. There was an open discussion following their presentation and all attendees present participating. District 14 is happy to welcome Denny L. as our newest GSR representing the Cynthiana group. Our next district meeting is scheduled for May 14th. We will begin our planning for our 2nd fall festival with flyer details available at the July Area meeting.
In District 15 we have had good response from some recent workshops put on by our workshop chair Peggy S., in cooperation with the Bluegrass Intergroup and District 28. In February the workshop was on Sponsorship. It was well received and well attended. March was on Anonymity in the Digital age, and it went very well. On April 30th it will be on "I've been sober awhile, now what?" All these workshops are on the last Saturday of the month at 1:30 at the Alano Club. May will be our Delegate's post conference report to the Districts. More will be revealed. For coming months, June is tentative on Carrying the Message with Literature. I should mention that all of these workshops have been a cooperative effort between District 28, 15 and the Bluegrass Intergroup, which I am very excited about.
District 16 continues to carry the AA message of recovery. In March the district treatment committee sponsored a Traditions workshop at the Liberty place, an all women's treatment facility in Richmond. That workshop covered the first six Traditions. Last weekend Traditions 7 through 12 were covered. The workshops enjoyed good participation, many questions, and the sense that much was learned about the AAs Traditions and not just by the Women in Liberty Place. This is the second year the workshop was held and we definitely plan on doing more in the future. In recent months a few determined women have generated a lot of interest in carrying the message inside the jails in our district. It's remarkable to see the level of participation in this endeavor grow by leaps and bounds. Last Thursday a meeting was held attended by 8 or 9 women interested in doing this work along with the Madison County jailer. To my knowledge, this was a first in our district much was discussed, and the jailer seemed very receptive to bringing meetings into his facility. A very strong and exciting beginning has been made in this effort. Our Literature committee chair will be ordering a stocked Literature rack to display and distribute all of our district functions, and will be visiting the groups in our district to make them aware of the resources of AA literature available. It is an exciting time to be involved in service work in District 16. I feel a great sense of gratitude to those men and women in our district who so willingly commit their time and energies to carry the message of AA. What a fine example to me of what sober people do in AA.
In March our district hosted a "Why it Works Traditions Meeting." Linda R. and Terrie G. were our guest speakers. Over 50 AA members showed up. We had a blast, there were so many questions asked about the Traditions. District 17 would like to thank both of these ladies for a job well done. We are fortunate to have people in service with their level of commitment. I am happy to report the growth that District 17 has experienced in the last several months. The growth hasn't been so much in numbers but in participation. We usually have around 50-60% of our groups represented at the district meeting. The GSRs that have been attending these meetings regularly have been actively participating. They have been taking the information from the district to the groups and bringing the group conscience back to the district. Lately it seems that my only responsibility at the district meetings has been to open the meeting, read the agenda, and close the meeting. It is easy to see that our GSRs are realizing they can make a difference through service work. In February, our district was able to meet our prudent reserve fund, as well as, contribute to our central office, Area 26, and GSO. We now have several groups in district 17 that contribute to the district on a regular basis. Our newly elected treasurer Johnny M. has done a great job of organizing that office. We also have elected a new secretary since the last time I came to the area meeting. His name is Jerry N. and he has been very thorough taking notes, and being responsible in his other duties. Our district committee is so grateful to have these two AAs serving with them. In May the Left Over Group of District 17 will be hosting their second annual hog roast. Fellowship will start at 9:00 am with an Al-Anon speaker at 10:00 am. There will be games and fun till 1:00 when dinner will be served and an AA speaker at 2:00. Finally, I would like to thank everyone that serves on our Area 26 committees as well as the members that serve on this panel. The work you do means so much to all of us.
Not present. No Report
District 19 now has several meetings who have been making contributions to the district. We believe this is due to the packets that were taken to the groups with a sticker that contained the treasurers address for the district, area and GSO. We are quite pleased that this has increased contributions and we are now discussing plans to utilize the money, prudent reserve, area, GSO contributions etc. We are also still working on ways to increase district participation.
Most groups have been notified of the need for a DCM for the district. At this time there seems to be an overall drop in attendance for the district. The WEDNESDAY NIGHT GROUP (176128) in Mt. Sterling has moved. They are now at the Episcopal Church at 48 W. High Street in Mt. Sterling. The phone # for Nate A. is 859-473-5116. The SOS RULE 62 GROUP (629633) in Winchester is no longer meeting. The STANTON GROUP (613860) does not appear to be meeting any longer - the phone number listed in the 2010 AREA 26 directory is incorrect - Mark C. listed in the 2010-11 Eastern US Directory is no longer involved with the group. The MOREHEAD INTO ACTION GROUP (602280) has a different GSR; he is JD R. 606-831-1409. David G. listed in the 2010-11 Eastern US Directory for the WINCHESTER SERENITY GROUP is no longer involved with the group. The 12 AT 12:00 GROUP (691529) in Mt Sterling only meets on Tuesday and Thursday; AA no longer meets on M, W, or F. Thank you for allowing me to be of service between October 2008 and October 2010.
Since the January area meeting, District 21 has met, discussed, and made minor revisions to our District Structure. Most of the changes made were updates to the information in the document - for instance the term "email" was added as a possible mode of communication between the District Secretary and GSRs. We are in the preliminary planning stages of a Service Workshop. We have one presenter who has given us a commitment, and we will be approaching some of you here this weekend to participate in the workshop as well. Laurie R., current GSR for the TriCounty Group has started a new meeting in Shelbyville, tentatively called "Monday Night Open Discussion Group." It meets at 6:00 pm at St. James Church. Laurie tells me that, although they have only been meeting for 5 weeks, they have a steady attendance of 20 people each week. Way to go Laurie! We also have 2 new GSRs, Bob P. is representing the TGIM Group in Louisville, and Patrick S. is the GSR for the Taylorsville Group. Welcome Bob & Patrick.
We have had an average of either 10 GSRs or visitors to attend our District meetings in the past 3 months. We have 4 new GSRs since our last area meeting. We have one home group that have transferred from one district to our district due to their home group moving location from Clarksville in District 11 to Galence in District 22. We have a possibility of adding other new home groups to our district in the future. We are planning a workshop on the ABC/123s of our AA program that will be on June 12th between 1:00 pm thru 4:00 pm at the Next Step building in Corydon, IN. We have elected a new treasurer as our former treasurer wanted to step down in the spirit of rotation. We have one GSR present from District 22.
We have had an interesting quarter. Meeting attendance fluctuates depending on the weather and when the 7th Tradition basket is passed often court papers outnumber the contributions, but we continue to carry the message and focus on our primary purpose. A "recovery house" called Life's Second Chance has opened in Greenup and several AA's are carrying the message to the men in residence, encouraging them to study the Big Book, and by sponsoring those that are so inclined. There are plans for a 2nd house to open in Boyd County, closer to meetings, transportation and opportunities in the near future, providing additional opportunities for individuals to become involved in service. Two anonymous subscriptions to the Grapevine have been donated. Our message continues to be carried to the Boyd County jail and the Federal Prison with much success. Several members of the District are looking in to carrying the message to the other counties if we are welcomed. Several cases of the Big Book and the 12 & 12 have been purchased for sale to meetings within the district, as well as, to be given to the jail for their use. Since several groups, for whatever reason, don't have a supply of conference approved literature this has proven to be a valuable resource. Financially we are like many other districts. We have 3 groups supporting the district, Area and GSO. Ensuring the autonomy of each group, I have been delicately explaining the importance of supporting our continued work on the District, Area and GSO levels. At times I have been uncomfortable addressing this issue and I am reminded that I can only carry the message. The Beginning Again Group is making an effort to bring back the Saturday night dances at OLBH. Their first one was held April 2 and included a speaker, light refreshments, a raffle and a DJ'd dance. Hopefully, this will continue and offer an option to those looking for something to do on Saturday night, and get people involved. That's about it. We're doing the best we are capable of and enjoying the Sunshine of the Spirit.
I am continuing to visit home groups in our District to encourage service work and GSR involvement. We have cleared up a problem with 1 home group for contact information because our Treasurer did not have their contact information to send them their receipts for the money they sent to Area 26. At our last District meeting we had about 15 GSRs and others to attend which is almost twice what we normally get. We have added 3 GSRs and 1 alternate to our group. At our last District meeting we changed our structure to include the chairmanship eligibility, committee chairs and Intergroup liaison to be opened to all members of AA. The last thing we did was to incorporate the pink can to our home groups.
In late December, I contacted the Casey County Drug Court Coordinator, I told him the AA Group wanted to cooperate but not affiliate ourselves with the Court, and we didn't want to sign anymore drug court papers. We requested a meeting, and on January 4th the District CPC chair and I met with the Drug Court Coordinator, and its members. A lot of misconceptions were cleared up and communication has started between the group and the court system. The Court now supplies the group with a self-addressed envelope and a letterhead with a court seal which is presented after the meeting so the drug court members can sign it. Then it is mailed back to the court with no AA signatures. If anyone want to know how this works, see me this weekend. The Harrodsburg Group reported that the group is now meeting in the main part of the church and attendance is good. On March 17th, the Casey County Group had its 25th Anniversary. Burns B was the speaker and 156 people attended. We cooked 60 pounds of meat and most of it was gone. It was by far the largest meeting we ever had. In February the Casey County group had a group conscience and decided to contact all the Doctor offices, hospital and sheriff's office to see if we could place an AA display in each of the offices. On April 7th, I contacted John A., our Public Information chairperson about a listing in the Danville phone book which the local club house Road Recovery House, is listed as Alcoholics Anonymous District 25. It's an answering service
located in the club house hooked to an answering machine giving info about AA, NA and OA meetings that take place at the club house. I have tried to communicate with the club's board members and our GSRs are informing them of the AA guidelines and Traditions with no luck. I have turned this over to our Public Information chairperson.
Not present. No report.
Our District has had 2 district meetings since our last area meeting. We have constructed a district structure notebook that were given to all GSRs in the district to be looked over and to voted on changes at our next meeting. Also the Howling At The Moon Campout is coming up in June. All groups in the district seem to be doing well.
District 28's monthly meeting attendance this quarter has been down some with the average attendance of 12. I have continued to attend groups in our District who do not have active GSR's and talking with home group members about service work and the importance of having a GSR. March 26th I participated on a panel in District 14 workshop on Responsibility, Service and Unity. At the February district meeting John M. resigned as Special Needs Chair. Eileen R. volunteered to fill this position and went right to work. She contacted Mary at the Intergroup Office to inform her of the committee's purpose and provided her with contact information. She has followed up with three people who were unable to get out to meetings to offer support and a meeting. Other committee news is as follows: Public Information committee took pamphlets and information about AA to some doctor's offices in Lexington. Group Awareness committee has been visiting meetings without a GSR and provided home group members with service related materials. Literature committee visited a group with lots of newcomers and shared information on A.A. Literature and Literature Committees. June 25th the Literature Committee with, District 15, will be having a workshop at 1:30 p.m. at the Alano Club in Lexington, KY. Corrections continues to take meetings into Blackburn. An Ad Hoc committee will be reviewing "District 28 Guidelines." Currently all the committee chair positions are filled except for C.P.C.
Not present. No report.
Not present. No report.
District 31 held two district meetings since the last Area meeting in January. Normally we meet the first Sunday of each month at 2:00 at the Serenity House in Madisonville KY. Group Reports: Our district continues to be supported by the same three meetings; 'The Dawson Spring group,' 'The Red Door group' and 'The Young People's group.' There is very little to report as our District has not been very active this quarter. Standing Committee Reports: Again, our District has been slow this quarter and there is relatively nothing new to report. We will be looking forward to a District Dinner sometime in May, the details have not been completed as of this writing.
Things are going very good in District 32. We continue to add groups and most of our existing groups are growing. We are currently adding GSR's to head up two of the recommended committees: 1. Ericka G. - Female Corrections. 2. Lee H. - Publicity, including literature in doctor's offices. We are also planning a corrections workshop for District 32 - as we have two jails that we support for men and women.
District 33 held its quarterly meeting in Murray on March 19, 2011 at the Glendale Road Church of Christ, hosted by the Murray Group. DCM Lona B. chaired the meeting, with representatives from seven of the 12 registered groups in the District attending. The District Secretary, being absent for two meetings in succession, the by-laws dictate that the position be declared open. Joe F. volunteered to serve in that position, and was accepted by acclamation. Treasurer Woody C. noted that while the District Treasury is in better shape than at any time in the recent past, contributions to the Intergroup are down and the office's expenses have doubled. The District has voted to contribute any balances, after expenses, which exceed the District's prudent reserve to the Intergroup to defray those expenses, inasmuch as the Intergroup's major tasks is still selling books at really low cost to the 36 AA groups in the Intergroup's geographical area, and many substance abuse treatment centers also obtain their literature through the Intergroup. The possibility of a joint fundraiser was introduced to be hosted by Districts 2 and 33 and held at the Brown Street meeting rooms in Paducah, to provide monies for literature in correctional facilities, and it was voted that District 33 would participate if District 2 was agreeable. Additionally, it was voted that District 33 provide $50 in seed money to meet initial expenses, providing District 2 match that amount. Representatives of District 33 have since been advised that District 2 wishes to proceed independently. The women's meeting at the Marshall County jail has been moved, at the direction of the jailer, from Sunday evenings to Thursday mornings at 8:00 a.m. The men's meetings have also been moved to Thursday mornings, at 9:30 a.m. This change has made it impossible for many of the women volunteers who have chaired meetings in the jail for nearly three years, to continue since most of them are employed at jobs which require them to be present during the day; however, the decision was made without input from the women volunteers. Two or three of the women are going to try to conform to the new schedule. There was considerable discussion about the continued attendance at closed meetings in the District by individuals who claim they have NO problem with alcohol but insist they should be allowed to attend, and it was pointed out that while the Traditions state that "the only requirement for membership [in AA] is a desire to stop drinking." each group is autonomous and can decide independently how to handle this problem. The next quarterly meeting will be held June 11, 2011 in the Benton Church of Christ, hosted jointly by the Marshall 142 Group and the Library Group.
District 34 is doing great. The Bremen Group (aka The Secret Meeting) hosted their 25th anniversary in February. It was well attended and the food was excellent. The Speaker was suppose to be Percy R., but his health kept him from being there. (We are keeping Percy & Barbara in our prayers.) Jim S. filled in and did a great job. The Greenville Group is suppose to sponsor a picnic in July. More is to be revealed.
We are still kicking in District 35. We are having a little problem with are Club House. They have raised the rent so high that groups couldn't pay rent so the meetings are no longer there. We only have a hand full of groups in our district now. Between the Central Office telling the groups to go to different Districts and the Club House we are getting smaller, but we are still strong. We were too low on money, like $72.00, but these groups pulled together and we are here. Jason, PI, will be putting posters in Gateway schools. Andy, Grapevine, is going to start a Grapevine meeting. Jack, Corrections, got a women's meeting in K.C.D.C. We are going to invite Barbara B, from Central Office to our meeting to find out why the Central Office manager is telling groups to go to another District. We have lost 3 & 4 groups.
I want to inform you that District 36 meets twice a month, and also the groups of the district meet every Saturday to work and discuss different topics. As DCM of my district I understand the difficulty of my communication with you, but with good deeds everything can be achieved.
The Louisville Host Committee has been working hard to put together the 20th Falls City Convention. The convention will be held June 3 - 5, 2011 at the Holiday Inn Lakeview, in Clarksville IN. Flyers are available at the registration table in the hall. On the new flyer, we have the weekend's agenda printed. We have great speakers on the lineup, as well as, workshops and nightly entertainment. Pre-registration is only $15.00 or $20.00 at the door. We hope to see many of you there and we're looking forward to a great convention.
In the last quarter, all of our Committees have been very active again. Our Meetings on Wheels Committee continues to take meetings to non-ambulatory alcoholics at hospitals and home-bounds with poor or no support groups. Bridging the Gap Committee realized many groups did not think BTG was a legitimate part of A.A. Consequently, they sent out the GSO pamphlet "A Call to Arms" to the groups. They also set-up volunteer registration at the Louisville Area Quarterly. They continue to sign up additional presenters and contacts. Corrections Committee has collected over $400.00 in their "Pink Can" program for Literature. Grapevine Committee - Camille in her usual timid manner, has been increasing the Grapevine subscriptions and literature awareness and sales. Group Relations Committee dealt with complaints of a group removing members from a home group and meetings no longer there. Outside Speaker Committee is becoming more pro-active in going to the school systems to setup presentations on alcoholism. PI Committee has been participating in more health fairs. Quarterly Committee had Roger H. in for January and it was the largest turnout in anyone's memory. On April 23rd, Wayne B. From Sarasota FL will be our speaker. Come join us. Treatment Committee - our Chairman Mack Mc. needed to step down. James H. has been elected as our new Chairperson. Website Committee keeps getting compliments on the ease-of-use on the site from visitors and locals alike. Our Central Office & Answering Service had 1957 calls and 66 Twelfth Step calls. Visitors to our Central Office were 279. Our Website had 7,886 unique visitors. And there were 86 emails answered.
The quarterly meeting of West Kentucky Intergroup was held March 6, 2011, at the Intergroup office on Highway 641 in Gilbertsville. Chairmen for Treatment Facilities, Archives, Special Needs, and Corrections were present. Expenses continue to exceed contributions, with most of the expenditures going toward rent, telephone and internet costs. However, revenue from literature and merchandise helps to defray those costs. Maintaining an 800 number for 12-step calls and the cost of a website and internet service amounts to approximately $230.00 per month. Expenses for heat for the office, which is open five days a week (from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday) have made it necessary to vote to increase the payment for rent of the office and archives to $300.00 per month from the present $150.00 beginning April 1. In view of the substantial inventory in literature and archival materials housed in the Intergroup offices, insurance has now been purchased on the contents of both the office and archives, as well as, liability insurance. The first half-year premium of $226.86 has been paid. The pink collection cans which many groups have been using to collect money for Big Books and other literature to be distributed to area correctional facilities have been raising some funds, but the Intergroup has also been discussing the possibility of holding a fund-raiser for the purpose of raising additional monies. However, only representatives of District 2 and District 33 were present at the meeting, although the Intergroup also services Districts 26, 31 and 34. The DCMs of both District 2 and District 33 agreed to return to their Districts with a proposal to explore the possibility of a joint fund-raising activity to include only those two Districts; however, it has since become evident that each District will have to proceed independently. There was some discussion of plans for the 2012 Kentucky State Convention, since Paducah is in District 2 is in rotation to host the 2012 event. The District 2 DCM indicated that there were funds held in reserve from the last Paducah convention, and there has been some discussion of the possibilities for housing the event since the Executive Inn has now been demolished. The next Intergroup meeting will be held Sunday, June 5, 2011 at 2:00 p.m. in the Gratitude Hour meeting room next door to the Intergroup Offices.
I have been to the Repository every 3rd Sunday of the month, except when that day has fallen on that of other AA events: i.e. Area 26 meetings. I also attended the State convention in Northern Kentucky where I brought a more extensive Archive display from the repository, which seemed to get quite a bit of attention. Next Sunday, the 17th the Repository will not be open as usual as I will be attending my step-sons wedding in Tennessee. If anyone wishes to get into the repository in April please call me for an appointment at 502-320-1606.Yesterday we had 4 people attend the Archives Committee meeting. As there are no real agenda items concerning Archives for the upcoming General Service Conference we had a round-robin discussion of Archival interests and general discussion of AA history, and how that has motivated our interest in archives. I discussed at length how informal talks with oldtimers can help break the ice for more formal interviews to be recorded to help compile group histories. This was a small but very enthusiastic group. We also discussed how even if we serve as Archive committee members it doesn't preclude us from help out with other areas of serve in the Area or our districts and home groups. I been invited by District 5 to put on a class on Archives on May 14th in Bardstown, and I am really looking forward to that opportunity. Once again, I invited everyone to visit the Area 26 Repository. We are open the 3rd Sunday of every month from 12- 4pm and by appointment. Please feel free to contact me to schedule a visit.
We had a very productive meeting and covered several topics. There was several new members that were interested in learning more about CPC work and several long time members that continue to show their support in doing CPC work in their local areas. District 35 DCM reported that they have combined their CPC chair with their PI chair. This seems to be a good fit for the district considering the over lapping responsibilities. The CPC chairperson from district 13 reported her continued efforts to distribute AA literature to local doctor's offices. District 28 discussed their desire to start doing more CPC work in their district. This brought the opportunity to discuss the web site AA.org and the CPC workbook and kit that is available to help them get started. We reviewed the service piece Resource for Drug and Alcohol and the Court Professionals. This guide is helpful when dealing with the court professional in explaining what AA is and What AA is not. There was a lively discussion what the need to address the continued problem of clients being sent to AA meeting to get there papers signed. Gary's group decided to use a stamp instead of having to sign the papers. We discussed how important it is for us to protect the singleness of purpose using the information that I learned from the Friday night workshop on singleness of purpose and the Washingtonians. I was contacted by GSO about a request for a non alcoholic professional requesting information on how to start a meeting in district 27 for the local Job Corp. We were able to call on our local resources and Mark D. the DCM for 27 took the information and will follow up to make sure they have received the information that they need to get started. GSO has contact me about staffing a booth. The American Association of School Health will be having a meeting in Louisville October 12- 15, 2011. Alcoholics Anonymous would like to have a booth in their exhibit area for display and distribution of A.A literature to attending professionals, who may have questions about what A.A. is and what it isn't. I have replied to GSO that the CPC committee will be glad to be of service in manning this booth. It is my hope that the Area 26 assembly will consider keeping these dates open when planning the October meeting. Because of this request the committee was able to read and discuss the suggested guidelines of participating in an event as such.
The last quarter has been quiet. I attended the 18th anniversary of the Spanish speaking AA groups in Kentucky at the Ramada Inn in Lexington. There were 4 English speaking AA members in attendance, but the speakers all spoke Spanish. We listened anyway, knowing they spoke the language of the heart and the AA message. Afterwards, we ate real Mexican food and listened to a Mariachi band. All groups that were represented were given a nice plague with the St. Francis prayer in Spanish, a picture of a drunk on his knees with an angel standing over him. It was a very moving experience. I worked with Mike L., to get money for Big Books for the Northpoint Training Center in Danville. A fund raising dance for Big Books will be held at the Recovery Roadhouse in Danville on Saturday, April 30th at 6 PM. A $5.00 suggested donation is requested. GSO is switching their correspondence from postal mail to email, whenever possible. I received some correspondence from the Corrections desk at GSO from Jim M. In our Corrections meeting, 17 were present. We discussed the upcoming GSC meeting in New York. Regarding the pamphlet "It Sure Beats Sitting in a Cell", we agreed that the current pictures need to be replaced and the proposed pictures are acceptable. The committee specifically wanted the pictures of hands and martini's replaced. Regarding the pamphlet "AA in Corrections Facilities," the committee agreed to use the paragraph on page 11 with example #3 from the GSC Corrections agenda. The Corrections kit is acceptable as it is now. We would like an update on the revision of the book "Inmate to Inmate." I will not be present on Sunday and Jason will be reading this report. Thanks to Jason for agreeing to do this. I am attending a spiritual family event on Sunday. If you need to speak with me, please contact me at: Cathy B., Area 26 Corrections Chair, 750 Shaker Drive #422, Lexington KY 40504. Home - preferred 1-859-277-8617, Cell - 1-859-940-3426. Area 26 Corrections, P.O. Box 8026, Lexington, KY 40533-8026.
We had 8 people in attendance at our workshop. We went over the Agenda items that Joy will take back to New York. One of the things that came out of our meeting, which I thought was good, was that maybe we should print the Grapevine, and also print the same stories in Spanish. An Agenda item that we discussed was maybe the Grapevine should accept contributions from Groups. We agreed to keep on doing what we have done in the past, taking and losing Grapevines. Something was mentioned about the Grapevine Survey. Out of the survey that we did, we need to continue what we are doing and not change anything. Maybe we need to absorb what we have and later change things. We had a good meeting. A good Chairman conducts the meeting, presents the agenda, and the committee does the deal. Joy mentioned that the Grapevine could be solvent if each area would buy only 38 new subscriptions. I am challenging each DCM to do just 2 new Grapevine subscriptions and I feel we have done our part.
We had a great committee meeting yesterday. There where 12 people in attendance. The first item discussed was our budget and the current cost of the newsletter for this quarter which was $457.39. This is a print run of 550 newsletters with staples and 50 newsletters without staples for corrections. We also send the newsletter to around 500 people electronically. Our next issue comes out in July. Our topic will be "The Home Group: The Heartbeat of AA" and the deadline for submissions is June 1st. We will also be including a miscellaneous category in the summer issue in order to include 2 article submissions that were not received until after the current issue went to print. We have already had 1 submission for the summer issue. The following issue will come out in October and the deadline for that issue will be September 1st. The topic for the Fall issue is "First Fall Assembly." In our continuing discussion of the needs of District 36 we have two possible ideas for translation. We hope to have one of these in place by the next meeting. We have decided we are satisfied with the look of the current newsletter and will no longer continue to research the newsprint idea. We will continue with articles about the concepts. Joe M., from district 15 will share his experience with Concept 10. We will also continue with the Committee Chair interviews and our next interview will be with our Public Information Chair John A. We were able to distribute newsletters to all but 5 districts yesterday. If anyone is here or lives close to districts 18, 20, 26, 29, or 30, and would be willing to take their newsletters to them we would appreciate it. Please remember this is your newsletter and we want to hear your comments suggestions and tips. Please consider submitting an article for the newsletter and share your experience, strength and hope with us.
We received pertinent information from AAWS Highlight, specifically literature sales and group contributions. Group contributions are currently up 1.8 %. The importance of self-support was discussed. E-book Technology memo was read and discussed. The implementation of the 2 phases and various applications involved were discussed. The value of GSO maintaining full control over publishing was appreciated. Also the importance of purchasing AA literature from GSO with respect to our World Services mission of carrying the AA message to groups in the U.S., Canada and around the world was highlighted to some large extent.
Some questions were:
A) Will the Big Book be complete including stories or the abbreviated version.
B) Will AAWS ebook allow annotations - notes, highlites and bookmarks.
We discussed the idea of conference approved Literature. What it means to the integrity of our message and the process that is involved. Also we discussed the role of Literature Chairs and committees and how they serve AA as a whole. A discussion about the use of literature displays and presentations followed. This sharing laid the foundation for our review and discussion of the Conference Agenda items for Literature. Most discussion pointed to: 1) Advisory Action, focusing on Spirituality with stories from Atheists and Agnostics successfully sober in AA, is not consistent with the AA message. We reviewed status of other Agenda items, in regards to the Armed Services pamphlets, the idea that veterans from more recent service commitments may need a quality of support not offered from earlier military experience. Also, it was questioned whether special focus literature is harmful or helpful in regards to AA unity. This has been an ongoing concern with respect to our common welfare. Are we actually dividing our fellowship into sub-groups. (Is a desire to stop drinking sufficient.) With respect to "reconsidering Agenda Items focusing on Spirituality including stories from Atheists and Agnostics successfully sober in AA", the committee seems to feel that we are on dangerous ground with producing literature that is in conflict with the "Basic Text", the book Alcoholics Anonymous and the AA message and the language therein. It is the considered opinion of the committee that the very language of the Agenda item breaches the integrity of the AA message contained in our Big Book and 12 x 12.
First, thanks to those who attended yesterday's meeting. We had a total of nine (9) people in attendance. I want to thank the committee members for all their hard work this weekend. Last quarter, I reported on a treatment center using our name "Alcoholics Anonymous" in their phone listing in the Harrodsburg phone book. Darlene S. at G.S.O. was able to get that listing removed. She contacted AT&T, the publisher of the phone book. The treatment center might not have cared about breaking our trademark, but AT&T sure did. Gary P., DCM for District 25 called me on April 7th regarding a service club in his district which has a directory listing in the phone book as "Alcoholics Anonymous Dist 25". The service club, Recovery Roadhouse, only provides information for the A.A., O.A., and N.A. meetings held at their service club. Furthermore, they do not include the other meetings in District 25. I will again be contacting the Intellectual Property Administrator. On 3/26/2011 I attended a workshop in District 25, Alano Club in Lexington, KY on the Anonymity in the Digital Age. At the committee meeting, we discussed the Agenda items for the 2011 General Service Conference Public Information Committee.
Item A: Consider 2010 annual Web site report from the Trustees' Public Information Committee on G.S.O.'s Web site.
Item A was approved as much of the items on the Web site report have already been implemented.
Item B: Consider that the 2011 Membership Survey be conducted by area on a random basis as was done in the 2007 A.A. Membership Survey.
Item B was approved after a discussion of the details of how the Membership Survey is taken.
Item C: Consider approval of the General Service Board "Policy on Actors Portraying A.A. Members or Potential Members in Videos Produced by the General Service Board or its Affiliates."
Item C was not approved. The committee felt there will always be a problem regarding actors who are not presently members of A.A. but may become members at a later date.
Item D: Public Service Announcements (P.S.A.s): 1. Review current television P.S.A.s for relevance and usefulness. 2. Consider production of new television P.S.A.s.
Item D.1 was not approved. The Committee believes that the current inventory should be maintained.
Item D.2 was approved. The unwritten question in item D.2 is actually talking about developing new Spanish and French P.S.A.s. The Trustees' P.I. Subcommittee has consulted with media professionals whom have recommended that new Spanish and French P.S.A.s be produced by firms that are familiar with these demographics and cultures. The P.S.A.s should be made in the native languages of the people we wish to reach.
Item E: Consider revisions to "Understanding Anonymity" which include text on the topic of anonymity in the digital age and answers the question "What should I tell my loved ones about protecting the anonymity of the A.A. members they may meet?
Item E was approved. The revisions to the pamphlet are specifically addressing anonymity breaks involving the Internet. The new text will be printed in boldface type. The section on the Internet would be moved from page 10 to page 7. The revised order of the pamphlet would be: 1. Anonymity in the Digital Age 2. Social Networking 3. Personal Anonymity 4. Anonymity at the media level.
Item F: Consider revisions to "The A.A. Fact File." Item F was approved. Item G: Consider a revision to "A.A. at a Glance." Item G was approved. It consists of rewording a paragraph and adding the words www.aa.org. Item H: Review contents of P.I. Kit and Workbook. Item H was approved. The P.I. Kit and Workbook are reviewed every year.
Since the last area meeting, in January, I have made adjustments to the GSO data base for 73 different groups and or individuals. Most of these modifications also required a change to the living document I have on my computer known as the Area 26 Directory.
The GSO records for Area 26 reflect the following statistics:
New……………………One group: The Broad Highway District 24
Active…………………… 710 Groups listed
Pending Active…………4 Groups 2 Groups in District 7: Seekers Group, (699059) Glasgow, Kentucky; Serenity at Caneyville Group, (698905), Caneyville Kentucky; 1 Group in District 5 (3-12 Men's Group); 1 Group in Newport (Next Step Group). These last two groups both failed to register with me and run the risk of not being included in the next Area 26 directory. I have been very "painstaking in this phase of development" for the next directory and if groups fail to register through me I have no way of knowing that they even exist. These groups then run the risk of exclusion from the next directory. Subsequently shortly after the new directory has been published they will cry and complain that their group has been left out.
Inactive ………………… 529 Groups (way too many to list here)
Pending Inactive ……No groups listed;
Merged ………………No groups listed;
Unknown …………………No groups listed;
Incomplete……………… No groups listed
Current GSO Totals (Area 26 Only): 1243 Groups listed: 57% (714) listed as active or pending active, 43% (529) listed as inactive or pending inactive.
Since we met last, I have been working with Charlie S., Accessibilities Chair for the Louisville Intergroup to put together a Special Needs/Accessibilities Workshop at the 20th Falls City Convention. This will be the first Special Needs workshop that I have been responsible for, and I appreciate being asked to serve and to inform those attending about the work this committee does to carry the message to alcoholics who may have barriers that prevent them from recovery. GSO provides literature in many forms and has many suggestions to groups and districts to make meetings and recovery more accessible. But, hey, I'll save all of that for the first weekend of June. During our committee meeting yesterday, we discussed this Workshop and also discussed the General Service Conference Agenda item for Accessibilities/Special Needs. We also heard representatives of several districts talk about the work they are doing and challenges they are dealing with. We had a couple of members of this district who sat in on the meeting to learn more about Special Needs work and I do appreciate their interest.
Since our last meeting I have had only 1 contact for Bridging the Gap. This person was in treatment in Florida and the local Bridging the Gap committee down there contacted me to help her get in touch with AA in Kentucky. With some help from Debbie C. our Special Needs Chair, I was able to get her a contact in the Lewisburg area in district 3. In February I attended the Kentucky State Convention. The Northern Kentucky Host Committee provided a nice space for us to set up our displays which were very close to the main meeting room. It seemed to be successful. There were always several people in the room engaged in conversation with various committee chairs and area officers. The Healing Place here in Campbellsville invited me to do a workshop on "Singleness of Purpose". Darryl M., Angie S., and myself held the workshop Friday April 8th at 8pm. I believe it was a good experience for the panelists as well as the attendees. I estimate we had 30-40 people in attendance. I shared a pre-AA historical perspective on the Washingtonian Society; its rapid growth and its quicker demise. Angie S. then spoke specifically on Tradition 3; followed by Darryl M. focusing on the 5th Tradition emphasizing what message we should be carrying. In the Treatment Facilities meeting yesterday we had 13 people in attendance. We spent about an hour and a half reviewing and discussing GSC agenda items pertinent to treatment.
There were 3 agenda items as follows:
Agenda item B: Discuss report from the trustee's committee regarding changing "Treatment Facilities" committee to "Treatment" committee in committee titles and AA literature. After discussion on both sides of the issue and reviewing all the background information, we as a committee felt there would be no inherent benefit in making this change and we had a unanimous vote against the change.
Agenda item C: Consider removing a line of dialog from the video "Hope: Alcoholics Anonymous."The line which is being considered for removal is "Uncle Sam is not going to bail us out." This line is used in the context of addressing AA's 7th tradition. The timing of the new "Hope" video followed on the tails of government bailouts of financial institutions. It was the timing that started the agenda item. Even though the video was new, the dialog was copied verbatim from the 1990 edition of the "Hope" video. After review of the background information and discussion of our own feelings on this matter, we voted unanimously to remove the line in question because it's a clear reference to the US government.
Agenda item D: Review contents of the Treatment Facilities Kit and workbook. We as a group voted to use a slim 2 DVD disc case to hold the Hope and the Young people video. A 3 ring plastic sleeve was suggested in the background information yet the cost wasn't worth the benefit in our committee's view.
My email address is: website@area26.net NOT webmaster. I want to remind everyone not to take pictures of this or any other AA meeting. If you take pictures at an AA event, ask everyone who is or may be in the pictures. We held a special meeting yesterday and almost finished our website policy. We will add the Anonymity statement read at the International Convention. I will email the completed policy/guideline on our website to those on the website committee for final approval. Hopefully, we will submit this in time to be an agenda item at our next area meeting. Thank you all for baring with me in the workshop even after the power outage. I did not send the email with the user name and password last night because I didn't get the list of who was here yesterday and I didn't want to send it to those who were not here without an explanation. I will get the list and send it as soon as I get home. If your meetings seem outdated, it is because I have not heard from you. I used the Area 26 Directory as a reference. I will put the link to find meetings on our website, 5/1/11, to give everyone time to update meetings. At our committee workshop we talked about: why we are here, emails, abuse on Facebook, anything objectionable on our site, unless it is necessary, will come down till the website committee decides to put it back up or not. Use our site to carry the message, getting our site to the top of Search Engines and setting up District websites. We are fixing maps and database.
I lead the Welcome to Service meeting yesterday. There were 25 people in attendance, of that, 20 of them were here for the first time. In our Sharing session a lot of questions were asked about the role that Central Office plays in our Service Structure, and how some of the groups feel like they are being left out of our Area service structure. I really don't know how to handle this other than to invite them here to participate. We also talked about the role of a GSR and DCM.
Yesterday I facilitated the DCM meeting. There were 30 people there representing 20 Districts. After introductions, we had a good discussion on ways to interest in fellowship type events. There were several helpful suggestions about changing frequencies, and/or locations of those types of events. The DCMs also spent a good deal of time talking about the past Delegates of Area 26. The overwhelming sense was that the Area misses and needs the past Delegates experience. The DCMs asked me to form an Ad-Hoc committee to discuss the various options of returning the past Delegates to the Area 26 Structure in some capacity of voice, vote and/or remuneration. So with your approval that is what I will do. I will point an Ad-Hoc committee, whose charge is to come up with suggestions/recommendations and/or motion from one or more of the DCMs, as far as returning the past Delegates to the Area 26 structure. (After voting with just the raising of hands, majority favored to form an Ad-Hoc committee.)
Minority Voice
Lee S. - DCM, District 17 - I really didn't feel it was an overwhelming senses for that, I thought it was about a 50/50 split on that discussion, so I am not in favor of it.
Jill D. - DCM, District 4 - Yes, I love the past Delegates. I know a lot of them very well and very good friends with a lot of them. But we are moving on, a progress group. Moving on to a new age and new things. With the economy the way it is, to bring back the past Delegates would be wonderful, but financially not now. to try and to put up money to pay for them.
Barbara F. - Chairperson - Sense of the meeting is in favor of it so we will form the Ad-Hoc committee. I have asked Gary P. - DCM District 25 - Chairperson of this committee. Other names drawn out of the hat for this committee were: Cindy T., DCM District 31, Dick W., DCM District 32, Joe M., DCM District 15.
|