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Treasurer's Report - Gary F.
Chairperson's Report - Darryl M.
Alternate Delegate's Report - Joy F. Thanks to host district - great job! Since our last quarterly meeting. I've attended the Kentucky State Convention in Louisville and was glad to see the presence of the Area 26 Committees as well as to see so many of you in attendance. My compliments to the Louisville host committee for making the space available to the committees and for the great job they did in planning the event. It seemed to go smoothly and it was good to see so many opportunities for carrying the message of recovery, unity and service at the convention. I was glad to be a part of a service workshop and found it so rewarding to hear the panel's personal service stories. It was truly a highlight for me. Thanks also to the groups in Area 26 for making it possible, through your financial support for so many committee chairmen and officers to attend the convention. It does show the "power of the purse" in spreading the news of service to the body. On a personal note, it was great to see James G. back in action after his previous health issues. None of these events could take place without the dedication of folks like James G., Bruce H., who continue to give back to AA. Thanks again to ALL the folks on the host committee for their hard work! Another highlight for me this quarter was the opportunity to attend the Southeast Region's Delegate's Get-together in Atlanta. Thanks to all of your groups who pay for us to attend this function. It's especially interesting to meet the Delegate's, Alternates and Past Delegate's from the other Areas in the region. Because this is an informational meeting, no business is actually conducted, but it is however, a good opportunity to informally find out more about the issues at conference and to meet the Trustee candidates. Since Howard L, our Southeast Regional Trustee is about to rotate out, one of the candidates will be voted in to take his place. While a lot of things were discussed, one item that got a lot of attention was the price increase of the Grapevine magazine. Concerns for the Grapevine, had to do with content, format and pricing. More will be revealed at the conference, so I'm sure we'll be hearing more about that from Barbara. I hope you all will join me in wishing Barbara F., our Area 26 Delegate, the best of luck at the upcoming conference. Our prayers will be with you and all of the folks at the conference. Thanks to the Committee Chairs - Great Job! I always get so much out of attending any General Service event, whether it's on the District, Area or Regional level. As I was reminded by my sponsor once, when I made the choice to skip an important awards ceremony in my career to fulfill my responsibility at the Area level, you never know what God has in store for your future and choosing AA service is never the wrong thing. I've also learned that the knowledge of AA experience and history accumulate over time. I can remember the first time I tried to read the Twelve Concepts years ago, it was like a foreign language. It's still not what I would call "light reading", but over time, I can understand so much more about the practical reasons behind them as well as the need for our traditions. Thanks again for allowing me to serve Area 26.
Delegate's Report - Barbara F. My name is Barbara and I'm an alcoholic, presently serving as your Area 26 Delegate. Thanks so much to everyone in District 5 for hosting this weekend. You've worked hard and it shows. I had the privilege to attend the Southeast Regional Delegates Get-together on February 6-8. It was wonderful to see the other delegates again. I was able to share my conference experience with the Panel 59 delegates and help them prepare for the conference. We learned that weekend who the other Areas had nominated for SE Region Trustee and US Trustee-at-large. What a fine group of dedicated servants! I attended the Kentucky State Convention in February. What a success!! James G. and the rest of the Committee are to be commended. I am grateful for all the time that was allotted for our standing committees. That truly set this convention apart from all the other conventions. I really hope the Host Committee continues to recognize the difference. I received the background material CD a few days prior to the convention and was able to carry their copies to many of the Area Committee members. This saved several dollars of postage. Sure to be brought up at conference - it starts on 4/26 and goes through Derby Day. Apparently, they don't consider Derby Day a holiday… I will mail a few early birds out if you get me your mailing address. I prefer to deliver the 4-5-9's when you invite me to give a report to your district(s) so, wish me well, and pray for me and the rest of the conference members that God will be our guide.
DCM Reports District 1 -- DCM: James G. I would like to thank District 5 for hosting this weekend. I am glad to be in Bardstown. Due to health problems the last few months I have been unable to participate with the District and the Area like I would have wanted to, but all and all District 1 as a whole has survived. I was able to attend the workshop on January 31st. It was a huge success and I would like to at this time thank all the other districts for taking up the slack. District 1 has changed the day and time of our meeting, we now meet on the 2nd Sunday of the month at 3 pm at The Icehouse located at 1400 Shelby Street. Again, thanks to District 5 and I hope to see each of you at our next meeting in Bowling Green in July. Yours in Service.
District 2 -- DCM: Diane S. Not present. No report given.
District 3 -- DCM: Kelvin H. Like to thank District 5 for hosting this weekend. We in District 3 have been very active in making plans to host the Area in July, we have a host hotel, the facility is not confirmed at this time, as soon as it is we will get flyers out, also post on website, send to all DCM's and Standing Committee's. Spring of the year is a wonderful time; we also have the Sponsorship Rally coming up Memorial Day weekend. The Men's group has a campout weekend coming up also; the Women's Group does a campout, to help show newcomers and others things to do in sobriety. We in District are learning that hosting the Area is a big job; it makes us appreciate all the work that goes into it. Yours in Service.
District 4 -- DCM: Charles W. report by Jill D. Thank you to District 5 for hosting this Area Assembly! Our last District meeting was held on March 2nd. It was at the Serenity Club in Elizabethtown. We had 9 GSR's present which is half of the 18 current GSR's. From the 8 groups represented: our groups are holding steady attendance; 1 group remains small with 6 to 8 in attendance; the last group fluctuates up and down from 8 to 30 in attendance. Due to the ice storm some meetings were closed and attendance was down in the month of February. In Irvington there is a new recovery club called "The Acceptance Place" which has 4 new A.A. meetings a week. Out of these 4 meetings, one new GSR has been elected; Mike O. of the Retread Group. The McDaniel's Group celebrated a 5 year anniversary on February 8 in McDaniel's, KY. The New Beginnings Group also celebrated a 5 year Anniversary on March 3rd in Cloverport, KY. A new Drug Core facility will be opening this year in Leitchfield. I'm sure when this occurs; our groups will have questions about the papers they will be signing. Our district is planning to have a CPC Workshop. The workshop will be at the Serenity Club in E-Town. The date is unknown at this time. Our next district meeting is May 4th at the Serenity Club. May God Bless to all who serve Him!!
District 5 -- DCM: Joe O. 10 GSR's, 1 Alt. GSR, the DCM, Alt. DCM, Treasurer, Secretary and 6 visitors attended the last district meeting. The Saturday night Surrender Group has a new GSR, Starr F... Campbellsville is looking for a member to take an A.A. meeting to the jail. Also Nelson Co. jail looking for person to take meeting in there. Jail people need meetings too. Leanne and Charlie will be giving a workshop at the meeting. Mark at the Sunday Morning Campbellsville Group is doing well, Breakfast is good, come on over. Kellie with the Bardstown Thursday night Group says the meeting is flourishing. Al-Anon is doing well. Waiting on State about starting Al-Ateen. Marvin at the Friday Night Camel Group is doing well, they are passing out literature. Average 50 to 55, court ordered people doing okay. Rick at Wednesday Hodgenville Group says 10 - 15 average attendance, one new member, one group has died. Joe with Tuesday night New Hope Group has 3 new members. Francis celebrated 39 years. The group celebrated 10 year anniversary. Buster celebrated 1 year. All is well. Dean at Columbia Thursday night says the group is holding their own. Charles with Wednesday night says a member celebrated 17 years. They are trying to get people to help with Area Assembly. GET INVOLVED. Leanne at Sunday night Greensburg are holding their own but asking for support. Richard at Tuesday night Springfield says their attendance is strong; they have 1 new group member. Buck at the Monday Night Lebanon Library says it's a happy group, doing good, young people are coming in. Starr with Saturday night Surrender group says meeting is well, Willie celebrated 15 years, and Neil celebrated 5 years, average of 15 to 18 members. Bonnie at Friday night Campbellsville group is doing well, like to get more members involved. Kenny at Sunday Night Bardstown group is going good, average attendance is 50, mixed Alanon and AA. Wednesday night group at Nazareth is doing good. KY newsletter chair Leanne asked for stories for the newsletter. CPC chair Buck passed out Grapevines at Dr. Offices. Archives chair, Marvin has been getting archives from group. He's learning how to preserve any tapes and old papers. A member asked Marvin about how to get in touch with the person from Lexington to help with Archives. The person has been dealing with the Webmaster. They have been dealing with computer on details of home groups. Joe announced that anyone interested in seeing the Archives, It's the 3rd Sunday of the month or you can schedule an appointment, see Marvin if interested. Corrections: Richard G. need for person to take meeting to Nelson County jail. Campbellsville jail needs contact - would like to have a link to Area. Old Business: Area assembly, Joe O. asked about getting brochures from visitors' center and also pins. Groups agreed. The hospitality room, if not available, a room will be reserved for 2 nights as agreed by the groups. The Bardstown Sunday night group is responsible for overseeing coffee, snacks and drinks. The Hospitality room is at the Quality Inn in The John Fitch Room. Setting up the meeting: David, Buddy and Rick will be greeting and there for signups. Also setup tables for gifts for the raffle. The groups decided that each home group should donate$25 gift for the raffle if possible. Joe is responsible for setup. Bonnie is responsible for raffle. Kellie wants to help. Rooms: Groups ask for a total of twelve breakout rooms will be needed. One room needed for Al-anon. Dinner: Marvin had an offer from Wal-mart for $600. That's chicken and all the fixings, plus 200 doughnuts. Deserts and drinks brought by the groups. Neil C. had Kroger bid for basically the same thing but they cater, setup forks, napkins and etc. for $655. Group voted for Kroger and the Saturday night Surrender group is responsible for lunch. Bonnie asked about potluck with lunch - group voted no. Deserts were suggested for lunch; Kellie M. is responsible for deserts. Pat V. is responsible for soft drinks. Leanne is responsible for lemonade. Bardstown Friday night group is responsible for coffee at the assembly. District setup: Marvin K. is to find out if possible to get in the school for the District to setup. Group agreed to pay extra for this convenience. Joe is responsible for getting in touch with Secretary. Dean M. is responsible for direction signs from motel to school. Group voted to give Marvin K. a check for holding of school. Speaker for Saturday night will be Bell P. the Springfield Tuesday Night group will be responsible for chairing meeting. Joe O. said he would be responsible. A.A. and District 5 would like to thank all the home groups, all the volunteers, Bardstown High School and their board, and Quality Inn for all their support in helping make this happen. The next district 5 meeting will be held at the Coffee Club on June 28th at 1:30 pm.
District 6 -- DCM: Bob R. Attendance at the district meeting is average with about 10 per meeting. We have 14 A.A. groups with an average attendance of 19 to 22. The 3L Group campout/picnic will be on July 25 and 26 at Kincaid Lake State Park. District 6 will host 2nd Annual Summer Picnic -location to be announced. DCM of District 6, Bob R., along with District 18 and District 35 will present a bid to host the Area Assembly in October in Northern KY.
District 7 -- DCM: Mitch M. Thanks to District 5 for hosting this meeting. Unfortunately District 7 is only being supported by 2-3 groups. We have 2 of those members in attendance, would they please stand up to be recognized. One of our old timers, Jackie S., is undergoing treatment for cancer. We'd like to ask you to keep him in your prayers.
District 8 -- DCM: Donna D. Not present. No report given.
District 9 -- DCM: Buzz T. Thanks to district 5 for hosting this weekend. Our Corrections Chairperson, Bob G. has been busy - with meetings at the Floyd County Detention Center in Prestonsburg, Johnson County Regional in Paintsville, and Big Sandy Maximum Security Prison in Inez. Bob has been working actively on New Pike County Jail in Pikeville with a new member from Florida. We have had a little bit of a surge in attendance - men and women - it is most welcome. District 9 will not be bidding to host the October Assembly. The Intergroup decided to try hosting non elections fall quarterly - possibly next year. Thanks for the opportunity to serve.
District 10 -- DCM: Nick S. We continue to have good attendance at our district meetings. We meet at the Care Center in Louisville at 1:30 on the first Sunday of the month. Katie E. and Tom M. put on a great corrections workshop, again at the Care Center. That was on March 7th and there was a good turnout. Louisville Intergroup and Bridge the Gap also had a Singleness of Purpose workshop on March 28th at the Care Center. I would like to thank all who came to Louisville for the State Convention. Yours in Service.
District 11 -- DCM: Phyllis C. I would like to thank district 5 for hosting this area meeting. We held a district meeting March 8th with 9 GSR's in attendance. Among those GSR's were about 4 new to area service. Two of our home groups are in need of support; the Garden View Group on Friday night at the Jeff Token Club and our Wednesday night Beginner's meeting at 8 pm in the back room at the Jeff Token Club. District 11 is in the planning stages of hosting a sponsorship workshop. The workshop will be held Ma 17th at the Jeff Token Club. Lunch will be provided and we are going to have a raffle. I will send a flyer to the Area 26 website. Thanks.
District 12 -- DCM: Kate D. District 12 is continuing to grow and become more active. For the first time in many years. We have chairs for five committees at our district level and are trying to fill the others.* We have elected a new Alt. DCM Eddie B. and a new treasurer, Mark H. We have currently 13 GSR's and 6 group contacts out of 32 active groups which is the most we've had in many years. Active members of the district are trying to at least get a contact for the rest of the groups so information can be distributed. We recently hosted our first of three annual events. Mardi Gras celebration with a gumbo dinner and a speaker on the legacy of recovery, we had somewhere between 75-80 people who attended and had a great time. Thanks for allowing me to be of service. *As a district, we are trying to figure out the role of these committees in our district as related to Intergroup committees.
District 13 -- DCM: Chris W. - Report given by Rory W. Alt. DCM My name is Rory, and I'm an alcoholic, the alternate DCM for district 13. I would like to thank district 5 for hosting this weekend. We have 42 active groups in district 13 with 26 GSR's. District 13 committee has met twice since our last area 26 meeting with our average attendance being 15 people. We participated in the 3 legacies workshop held on January 31st. The program was awesome and the attendance was reaching 90 people. Working with the other districts in the Louisville area on these types of events is setting a strong Legacy of Unity for us all. At our last district committee meeting we had a lengthy discussion on the agenda item for tomorrow, regarding the webmaster committee. We feel that the webmaster committee should copy that of the GSO and be a part of the PI Committee with reimbursements allowed to attend Area 26 business meetings. We also discussed the idea brought up by our delegate to participate in a Regional Service Conference on the years that the Southeast Forum is not held. We believe that we need more information on what the financial obligations would be to participate in this endeavor. In the coming months District 13 will be contacting the other Louisville districts to plan the annual Unity Picnic and Delegates report. Yours in service.
District 14 -- DCM: Judy K. I would like to thank district 5 for hosting this assembly. Thank you for the preparation and hard work. Several from our district attended the KY State Convention in February. The Committee Meetings, Workshops and speakers were great. We have several standing committee positions open. Hopefully these will be filled soon. It is with great sorrow that I announce the passing of our special needs chairperson Gayla B. Gayla had over 20 years of sobriety. I would like to personally that Kathy B from Lexington for keeping me informed on Gayla's condition during her illness. Our last district meeting was March 21st in Midway. GSR attendance was down. However, we do have a new secretary, Bruce B. from the Versailles Group, Welcome Bruce. Our area delegate attended and discussed upcoming agenda for the KY State Conference. District 14 guidelines were passed out to those in attendance to share with their home groups. Also discussed district workshops and a district inventory. Hopefully, I will be attending a district inventory in May that will be put on by district 2. I will be going as an observer only to learn as much as I can. Our district meeting will be May 30th in Frankfort. Sincerely.
District 15 -- DCM: Gordon R. Southern Fayette and Jessamine Counties. Thanks to district 5 for hosting this area 26 meeting. We are well aware that much time and many volunteers are needed to keep us all comfortable and well fed during our deliberations. During the last quarter, several new GSR's have joined our ranks some representing groups not recently represented. At a recent district meeting, Drew L stepped forward to fill our H & I chair position. Also through the fantastic energy of Carl B. Jessamine County is beginning to be represented at our meetings, and the news about new meetings there is most heartening. Also our corrections committee continues to work with Fayette and Jessamine detention centers bringing outside AA members to participate in the meetings there. At Fayette County detention center AA speakers are being identified to share experience strength and hope in some of the general population units there. At our March meeting, with the help of Danny C and his laptop computer, we were able to present to the GSR's and Committee Chairs present some idea of the daunting task that Barbara faces at the end of this month when she carries with her our instructions and our trust that her years of service will enabler her, after considering our instructions, to "act on her own conscience in final conference vote's. referred to concept III this "right of decision" is granted to all trusted servants from coffee makers and other home group officers to the trustees of General Service board. Barbara, as you journey to "The Big Apple" to join the many voices of the conference, carry us with you in your heart, and trust your intuition to always search beyond "The Good" to find "the Very Best" in all the work that you and the others do there. I ask for your continued kind thoughts and (if you prefer) prayers that district 15 will continue to grow. To avoid conflict with Easter Day and Mothers' Day we have moved our April and May meetings to the third Sundays still at the Alano Club at 6pm. In Love & Service
District 16 -- DCM: Amy B. Thanks to district 5 for hosting this area assembly. Alcoholics Anonymous is alive and well in district 16 and several recent developments continue to prove to all of us the importance of our program, steps and traditions. First attendance at district meetings continues to rise and there is now usually at least one new face at every meeting. Second for the first time that we are aware of district 16 has a prudent reserve in the bank. Finally the groups of district 16 will host an all day workshop. The workshop will be on Saturday May 2, 2009. Each group participating will be responsible for presenting an AA topic of their choosing and most of the day is filled with the final two groups to decide this weekend on participation. We invite you to join us for what is sure to be a lively and flyer are on the table in the hall. Thanks for allowing me to serve.
District 17 -- DCM: Jeff P. District 17 would like to thank district 5 for hosting this meeting. I have some what of an understanding of how much work that is put into making something like this possible - so from me personally, it is much appreciated. Our district would also like to thank every officer and committee chair who devote so much of their precious time in order to keep our area alive and strong. It is hard enough to balance family life, the job, and one on one work with drunks. If you throw this kind of service in as well - which demands a whole lot of time, patience and effort - it makes it very hard to remain spiritually fit. So with that being said…Thank you very, very much! District 17 in my opinion is in a very good place. We need help! We have 20 active groups in our district - only 7 GSR's come to the monthly district meeting. Only 1 of those 7 contributes money to the district on a regular basis. On top of all of that - our district has a new DCM - me - and also a new Alt. DCM - Steve C., which couldn't make it this weekend - but is very excited about his new position. Both of us are new to this, so to go back to why I think our district is in a good place - because we have so much room to grow. It was suggested to me to go to all of the groups and introduce myself- in addition I have been suggesting to the groups to attend the district meetings and also to donate money to both the district and central office. I've explained to the groups that I have visited so far how vital both are to the AA community. This was also the topic of discussion in our district meeting itself - and was probably the best district meeting we've had since I've been around. A lot of questions were asked with many good answers - hopefully this was a beginning to something awesome to come! Thank you.
District 18 -- DCM: Ed C. Thanks to district 5 for hosting. We have been extremely busy in district 18. We have purchased numerous cases of Big Books for correction and for treatment. Both chairs have been extremely active and are to be commended. Additionally our CPC chair, Kathy L. has been very active as usual and has developed a solid relationship with most of the doctor's offices in our district. Kathy is here - thanks to all.
District 19 -- DCM: Jim K. I am Jim K. and I am an alcoholic. Thank you district 5 for hosting this assembly. I know that it is a lot of work and I appreciate you doing it. District 19 has 10 meetings and 4 of these have GSR's. We are presently having monthly meetings on the second Sunday of each month at the Token III Club in Louisville and we are trying to get the district organized. Thank You.
District 20 -- DCM: Jeffery H. District 20 would like to thank district 5 for this weekend's meeting. We are hoping to hold a district meeting in May to collectively discuss amongst the GSR's how the message can be carried. This district meeting may be held in conjunction with the Morehead Into Action Group's summer picnic. The Morehead Inspiration Center rehab facility continues to need speakers to give a lead on Monday's and Wednesday's at 6 pm. This is certainly a good opportunity for service work for people inside and outside the district. Both Sunday West Liberty meetings and the Thursday and Saturday Frenchburg meetings have been receiving little attendance. Both meetings are considering closing their doors. Hopefully a push in the district to support these meetings will see greater attendance. The Morehead Into Action Group continues to carry the message to the West Liberty prison. Again, district 20 would like to thank district 5 for hosting this weekend's events. In love in service.
District 21 -- DCM: Bernie O. - Report given by Greg R. Alt. DCM Thank you district 5 - the food was great and the facility as well. District 21 does not have a lot to report this quarter - as with all, the ice storm has hurt some members - but we survived - attendance seems to be on the rise. We have a new meeting on Thursday in Bethany and its growing. As always we are asking our groups for more support by sending up GSR's for those who haven't and we plan to push this harder in the election year. Thanks.
District 22 -- DCM: Eric B. Thanks to district 5 for hosting us this weekend. Since the last Area meeting, our literature committee as verified which libraries in our district have copies of the Big Books and Twelve and Twelve. We have purchased books for the libraries that did not have multiple copies of both books. We have 4 new GSR's. We will be putting on another workshop in June and have asked groups in our district to submit topics for the workshop. AA members in our district have expressed intent in starting a Traditions meeting. We are working with volunteers who want to get the group started. We have 2 new groups: Floyd Memorial Hospital - Saturday 9 am and Burning Desire Friday 10:30 pm FC Token. We also discussed forming a committee to organize a group to attend the International Convention in San Antonio next year. We are open to other districts who would like to participate. Thank you for the opportunity to be of service.
District 23 -- DCM: Gregg S. Report given by Dave K. DCM Greg S. regrets not being able to attend this weekend and asked that I thank our host for their hard work that has made all this possible. There has not been a district meeting in quite some time but reports from attendees indicate that our meetings continue to carry the message and grow. Efforts to start a women's meeting at the Boyd County Detention Center have been successful with several young women making a commitment to ensure our message of hope reaches this population. Thank you.
District 24 -- DCM: Charlie S. District 24 would like to thank district 5 for hosting this area meeting. District 24 along with districts 1, 10, 11, 13 and 29 hosted a 3 Legacy workshop on January 31st. This workshop was well attended with a much better than expected turn out. The inclement weather posed a threat to the turnout but it was not a deterrent after all. We had over 90 people attend with some attendees from Lexington, Northern Kentucky as well as Darryl from Central Kentucky. We started with a panel discussion on the 3 legacies where each legacy was discussed. Then the group split into three groups. Colleen Y. conducted a workshop on Recovery; Darryl M. conducted a workshop on Service and Lynda R. conducted a workshop on Unity. I would like to thank the host committee for coming together to ensure that this event was successful. In the planning and budgeting phase we did not think to include a budget for literature. Once this was realized we were able to assemble the appropriate literature for each workshop. This helped greatly with conducting the workshops. It was discussed how in the past workshops were held more often and how helpful they have been to our fellowship in understanding our recovery program better. We were also able to assist in conducting a correction workshop on March 7th where we learned more about the needs of those who are coming to us through the court system. It was revealed that there is a greater success rate from members who attend a meeting within the first 24 hours of being released. On March 28th the Louisville Intergroup hosted a workshop on Bridge the Gap. It was suggested that we read the Concepts at the opening of our district meeting so that we get a better understanding of the 12 Concepts. We have reviewed the first three concepts and will be reviewing the fourth at our next meeting. I am glad to report that district 24 is doing well with both finances and attendance. Respectfully submitted.
District 25 - DCM: Pat R. Thank you district 5 for hosting Area 26 this weekend. District 25 is going along as usual. All meetings in district 25 are open meetings even the Big Book studies. We need some closed meetings because we have not done what we need to do to have some closed meetings (i.e. start some new meetings that are closed). Casey County Group celebrated the 23rd anniversary meeting on March 17, 2009 (St. Patrick's Day). Norm W. from Danville shared his lead. He did an excellent job but he has 53 years of sobriety. I have not had much luck getting people involved in service work. Jim E. from Liberty is hanging on; he celebrated 43 years sober in March. He has not been able to attend meetings lately. Thank you, your trusted servant.
District 26 -- DCM: Sarah C. We would like to thank district 5 for hosting this meeting. We continue to have 3 groups active in district 26. Cadiz Sober Group had a Chili Supper in January that was well attended. Cadiz Sober Group continues to have 2 meetings weekly. Hungry Spirits and East End together participated in a Spring Cleaning at Rebos in March, the women from the new Trilogy Center helped also. We took a traditions workshop into Volta, our local treatment center this week. Traditions 1, 3 and 5 were discussed. We currently have a group of alcoholics getting together on Friday nights for a study of the four absolutes. We will have our next district meeting in May. In Service.
District 27 -- DCM: Tim P. We in district 27 would like to thank district 5 for hosting the April Area meeting. Our last meeting was March 15, 2009. We had 10 of 17 groups in attendance. We discussed the upcoming 12th Annual Howl at the Moon, everything is going as planned and will be held June 19th, 20th, & 21st at Barren River State Park for more info. See me of Mark D. Flyers should be around this weekend. Marie with corrections in the Barren County Jail women's side says things are going as normal for a jail meeting, she received the Big Books; the district furnished her with these to use in the meetings. Mike H. and Andrew are checking on getting a meeting started on the men's side of the Barren County Jail but they don't really want to let us in the men's side for some reason but we're still trying. We discussed a district picnic to be held August 29th, more will be revealed on this at a later date. We went on to talk about money and voted to send all over prudent funds on to the Area and GSO. District 27 set a check to GSO for approximately $279 and I gave Gary a check for $486.19 so this should get our money business in order. Our next district meeting will be May 3rd at 2:30 at E.B. Terry est. in Cave City, KY. Thanks for letting me be of service to Alcoholics Anonymous.
District 28 - DCM: John M. We have had a lot of committee movement over the past quarter. We have a new Group Awareness chair, Angie, and a new Corrections chair, David. However, we have lost our alternate DCM and Treatment Facilities chair. Our Public Information committee has been active, reaching out to the district through flyers and our Corrections committee is actively seeking volunteers to carry the message into the Fayette County Detention Center. We have had one new GSR, Bob, from the New Starting Over group. After much deliberation, district 28 officially passed a motion to recognize e-mail as a legitimate form of communication among its members with the condition that the communication be blind carbon copied and sanitized. Everything else is going well.
District 29 -- DCM: Dalton D. Districts 24 and 29 believe that the motion that was passed at the October assembly to make the website committee a permanent standing committee should be rescinded. We feel that the person serving as Webmaster expenses to attend Area meetings and assemblies should be paid by the Area. In 1951 the General Service Conference established the system of standing committees and new committees have been added as necessary. The AA Service Manual defines the committee system by describing the duties, districts, areas and the General Service Conference. Currently there is no website or webmaster standing committee at the General Service Conference. The Alcoholics Anonymous website is maintained by a Public Information having oversight of what the website committee does. The General Service Conference did not feel it was necessary to create a new standing committee to maintain the website. The AA Service Manual defines the responsibilities of the Public Information committee as "creating greater understanding of - - and preventing misunderstanding of - - the AA program through the pubic media, electronic media, PI meetings, and speaking to community groups." Clearly, this gives the PI committee the responsibility overseeing the website. We do not believe Area 26 should take it upon itself to create standing committees that the General Service Conference has not found necessary. Additionally, the webmaster is highly technical position and it may not be in the Area's best interest to have this position rotate every 2 years as will be necessary If the webmaster remains a standing committee chair. Therefore: "districts 24 and 29 move that Area 26 rescind the motion to make the website committee a permanent standing committee. We further move that the webmaster shall be a member of the PI Committee and shall attend the PI Committee meetings held at the Area Meetings and assemblies, with his/her expenses to attend Area meetings and assemblies being paid by Area 26 pursuant to the current financial guidelines. Respectfully submitted.
District 30 -- DCM: Brian H. There is a buzz around the AA community of district 30 about certain groups defecting or starting another district. As of today, out district has 8 groups. I believe this is a real concern that needs to be addressed. I've talked to a few people in service who believe a unity workshop or picnic would be of some benefit. I agree. We are in no position to make demands, but we are requesting any and all help with our next district meeting being held Friday night at 9 pm at the Episcopal Church in downtown Maysville, KY. We need an overhaul and direction. My name is Bryan H. and I represent district 30. The previous DCM stepped down and I was the alternate. I wasn't elected to this service position, so I will fill in until a replacement is elected. I hope to represent the groups of district 30 with integrity. Our groups want what's best for their members. Every group is emotional and enthusiastic. Attendance is at an all time high. However, there are many concerns about the health of our district. Differences of opinion and personalities have brought about grudges that seem to be severe and permanent. AA is still very much alive in our district but it may seem more like tribes then a fellowship to onlookers or newcomers. I feel I speak for the groups when I say that our district is "disgruntled" or "sore". It would be impossible to put into words the atmosphere of the district. It would be fair to say that there is a definite problem that calls for a solution. I don't feel I'm prepared to foster a solution to this dilemma. I'm 3 years sober and I don't feel like I have the confidence or trust that this position requires.
District 31 -- DCM: Chip A. Thanks to district 5 for hosting the Area meeting. Our last meeting was March 1, 2009. District 31 has had average attendance. Our district meeting attendance has been constant. Our district continues to move forward as the economy and groups feel the financial crunch. We have created a district dinner committee responsible for the planning and set up of dinners on behalf of each group. Each group will have a district sponsored dinner. Sherise K. has volunteered to chair this committee. Our district maintains a treasury balance in excess of our prudent reserve. We anticipate making another quarterly distribution to W. KY Intergroup, Area 26 and GSO. We are maintaining a status quo and continue to look for people to fill our vacant committee positions and for our alternate DCM. WARD continues to prosper and graduate people from their program. Fair-weather group has moved from Erlington, KY to the Serenity House in Madisonville, KY. Corrections are planning a workshop in Hopkins County during the month of May. Yours in Service.
District 32 -- DCM: Harry M. Not present. No report given.
District 33 -- DCM: Mike L. I would like to first say how much I appreciate all the members of district 33 that helped me to get through the loss of my mother this last month. I truly witnessed the unity of this fellowship and will never forget the caring and kindness shown to me during this hardship. District 33 is doing well and membership is growing according to the reports of the GSR's. In our last district meeting 8 of 11 groups were represented by their GSR in that meeting. Our next district meeting will be April 11th of this year. A second meeting will be carried into the maximum security facility in Eddyville on April 8th. Ray B. will now be chairing the meeting at the Corrections Farm Center in Eddyville. He will be leading a Big Book study group there, and we are currently working on raising funds to get more Big Books into that facility. Our work in the Marshall County facility continues to show results as we have new members joining our ranks as they depart that facility. I would like to express my gratitude to the members who endeavor to carry the message into all these facilities. Thank you district 5 for hosting this event. Yours in Service.
District 34 -- DCM: Jeff N. Not much is happening in district 34. All the groups seem to be doing well. A group of AA members have started a noon meeting in Central City. It meets on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. The Bremer Group (a.k.a. The Secret Meeting) had its 23rd anniversary, lots of food and an excellent speaker, Randy R. from Louisville. Everyone had a great time. District 34 is looking forward to being involved with the 2010 State Convention. Thanks.
District 35 -- DCM: Jerry D. Thanks to district 5 for hosting the Area meeting. There is plenty to report since the last Area meeting. We have a new alternate DCM and his name is JR J. he was voted in unanimously. Since he was Newport AA's GSR, Chris M. took his place. We thank them both for their service. We had a Grapevine workshop March 14th. Jeff N. came from the Area and did a wonderful job. Thanks again Jeff. Attendance was great. I have updated group info. To the best of my ability for the new directory. Our past two district meetings have been focused on structure. I guess it was in place; it just was never typed and given to the GSR's. I got a hold of the person that was I charge of completing the structure, I asked her to come and explain to the district how it came about. She did and what had happened was the secretary that was in charge of typing has stepped down. So the task wasn't finished, so now I am working with the secretary to get it finalized and given to the groups. This all came about because of miscommunication about our districts financial guidelines. Our district had to eat the cost of hotel rooms that shouldn't have been stayed in. We are all on the same page there. I think I took over 3 months ago and I have spent the past 3 months trying to get the district organized. Fortunately for me there are plenty of people that are willing to help. We are all willing to get things in order so that whoever takes our places there is a smoother transition. I am grateful that God let me get sober for awhile and understand the principles of AA before I was thrown into service. Also our treasurer has updated our account. He had to take former signers off and add new signers since it has been musical chairs the past few months in our district. We currently need to fill our corrections and PI chairs. Our former corrections chair resigned and also resigned as her home group's GSR. The new GSR for Rebounders Group is now Kelly S. and we thank her for stepping up and representing her homegroup. I want to thank you for letting me serve.
Host Committee and Intergroup Reports Louisville Host Committee - James G. Again, I want to thank district 5 for hosting this weekend. The Kentucky State Convention was held February 20th - 22nd at the newly renovated Crown Plaza Hotel (formally Executive West). The Theme this year was "A Vision For You". Attendance was slightly down from years prior. There were approximately 1346 people in attendance. Outgoing expenses were also slightly increased due to 15 of 20 percent increase in the service charge at the hotel. But all in all it was a very successful weekend. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Area 26 for their participation and also thanks to all those who put in so much hard work to make the convention a success. But special thanks to Lynda for her hard work organizing the workshops, great job. Total expenses for 2009 convention was $19,500 Total revenues for 2009 convention was $20,900 Total net revenue for 2009 convention was $1,400. Due to increase in prices I suggest we look at increasing the registration fee. I have enjoyed my time as Host Committee Chairperson and thank everyone for their help and support. Yours in Service.
Owensboro Host Committee - - Jeff N. Good News! We have found a home for the 2010 State Convention. It will be held at the Owensboro Sports Center on January 29th and 30th. We can only have 2 days due to circumstances beyond our control. Because of this we will be having 2 speakers on Friday night. The host hotel will be the Ramada about 3 miles. Rooms will be $79.00 a night. Overflow hotel will be the Days Inn about 6 miles from the Sports Center at $69.00. We will get a flyer put together as soon a possible. I will email it out to DCM's and Area 26 Committee Members. It will have a registration blank on the flyer. Please do not contact the hotel until we get the flyer out. Thank You.
Intergroup Reports Northern Kentucky Intergroup/Central Office - Barbara B. Greetings from Northern Kentucky. The IGR meetings held every third Wednesday are pretty well attended. It helps so much to hear the needs of the groups in Northern Kentucky and to help in any way we can. Once again this year Intergroup sponsored a steak dinner to benefit our Correctional Facilities. Three districts are given cases of Big Books and this year they also received meeting schedules to pass out. As in the past, thanks to those who worked so hard to make it a huge success. Just recently an updated twelve step list was compiled thanks to our cell phone operator and Bill E. our office manager. Carol has been doing a fantastic job but like so many in AA sometimes we can get burned out. As many of you know trying to find willing and dedicated members can be a real chore. One item that has aroused interest in Central Office is the fact that all literature is purchased at cost plus tax. Price lists were circulated and a lot more literature is being sold. In the beginning of 2008 an audit and inventory of Central Office was taken and shared with the IGR's. Now that we have fulfilled our tax obligations we will begin the audit and inventory for 2009. On behalf of all in Northern Kentucky best wishes are with our Delegate as she prepares for the General Service Conference. Western Kentucky Intergroup - - Chris P.
Western Kentucky Intergroup On behalf of Western Kentucky Intergroup, I would like to thank district 5 for hosting the Area 26 quarterly-assembly. We have rewritten our Structure and Financial Guidelines and had them approved by the groups in our service area. We have also moved into a Central Office that is staffed on weekends on a voluntary basis. We have an Ad-Hoc committee that is tasked with establishing workshops to familiarize future staffing volunteers on procedures and practices for Central Office operations. We are continuing our outreach and information meetings to the various groups in our service area. The recent ice storm created a few awkward situations for us such as loss of power and communications. We also experienced a computer failure that dumped our meeting and contact data base. With God's help and the patience and tolerance of our members these short term obstacles are being resolved. For those who are not familiar with Western Kentucky Intergroup, our service area consists of 5 districts composed of 50 groups spread across 26 counties located in the purchase area of Western Kentucky. We provide meeting and contact information via a 1-800 number, a central literature distribution center, as well as liaison activities between groups to facilitate coordination of workshops and group activities. We shall try to continue to grow in service to our service area, Area 26 and AA, and to help other Alcoholics achieve sobriety. The Western Kentucky Intergroup picnic will be held September 12th, 2009. Archive room is also being remodeled and available for any and all districts of Western Kentucky Intergroup to donate historical artifacts.
Bluegrass Intergroup - Brenda K. Thank you to the host committee for being of service to bring us this Area Assembly. Bluegrass Intergroup ended 2008 with a net profit of $776.76. All standing committee chair positions are filled, however out Intergroup Treasurer resigned in March in his 2nd year of service on the Intergroup. Intergroup elected a new treasurer at our April 2nd meeting. Our Intergroup Picnic is scheduled for June 6 and our speaker will be Suzanne W. from Cincinnati, Ohio. A new computer tower has been purchased with mostly donated funds, and will be uploaded soon with the data needed for the point of sale system to be functional in the Intergroup Office. Thank you for allowing me to be of service.
Greater Louisville Intergroup - William F. No written report given.
Standing Committee Reports: Public Information: Tom B. - Chair First, thanks to those who attended yesterday's meeting. We had a total of eight (8) people in attendance. We'd also like to thank district 5 for hosting us this weekend. Following our last quarterly meeting, your PI Chair busied himself editing the Area 26 Handbook for grammar, punctuation and such that was presented to the Ad Hoc committee reviewing the handbook either at the State Convention or by email and we should be discussing that later today. Speaking of the State Convention that was an excellent opportunity to let a number of people know what it is we're supposed to be doing here in Area 26 with regard to PI. My only regret is that I was unable to participate last year. The Chairperson for the Kentucky Intergroup has asked for the names and contact information for any district PI chairs. If the DCM's would provide me those names and contact particulars, I can assemble it and forward it to the KY Intergroup Chair. And District 2 is currently trying to fill their PI chair and has asked for any information I can provide to help them with that. I hope to be able to provide that this coming week. As I think you know by now, the chairman of the AA World Services Board informed our Delegate, Barb, that the motion we'd put forward regarding video contracts and the bidding process met with NO ACTION being taken by the Board. That letter contained a separate memo from the publication director which raised more questions for me regarding the propriety of the awarding of contract. I contacted that person to probe deeper and the substance of that conversation has been reported to our delegate and our chair. Frankly, I am pleased to report that my suspicions about something less than proper being done with regard to contracts are unfounded. Although I take issue with the fact there are only six firms in the whole world on the "preferred bidders list" for our international organization (five of them relatively close proximity to New York City and one in Toronto) and I question why some are on the list, I don't think there is anything dishonest going on. However, I did come to believe that I had encountered what some in our fellowship have come to refer to as "the elephant in the living room' - the issue that is NEVER discussed. It is my considered opinion, based on this experience, that a staff problem may exist is New York. In that we are essentially an organization of volunteers (each delegate volunteers for the job and does it in addition to whatever else s/he does for a living), we can't really exercise proper oversight for the paid staff. That means we have to have people in place, in management positions, who will challenge the staff to go beyond what has always been done, what's working now and has worked in the past. The expression "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" doesn't apply here. There are opportunities to try new methods of communicating with the membership and with the service structure and with the media and so on that aren't being pursued and I can only put it down to apathy or, I hope it's not the case, incompetence. With that in mind, I would urge our chair, Darryl, to place this issue on the Agenda for discussion at the July meeting in Bowling Green so that, perhaps, Area 26 can provide a spark for the entire AA Service Structure to revitalize the day-in, day-out operations of AA the organization. I am convinced this is bigger than Area 26. Honestly, I have a hard time getting my arms around the problem but I've talked with enough people to know it needs to be addressed and there's no better place to start than right here. Respectfully submitted. Treatment Facilities: Charlie E. - Chair Thanks to district 5 for putting on this meeting. We had a productive workshop at the State Convention. I have found a contact for Bridge the Gap in Tennessee, but I haven't made contact with her yet. I would like to thank all of those that have expressed their support and concern for my lose - it helps to know people really care. I would like to thank everyone that attended the committee meeting yesterday. 14 people attended. I asked for feedback about a letter sent to me about the revisions on videos about using full faces of actors - the majority has no objection to this use - celebrities should no get free publicity for their actions either good or bad.
Special Needs: Kenny B. - Chair I attended the State Convention in Louisville in February. A lot of Literature was picked up from the Special Needs display. I did a presentation at 9 am Sunday. I did not think anyone would show up that early, but there were about 300 people in attendance. There were 12 people at the Special Needs Committee meeting this morning. We spent most of our time discussing the proposal for a Special Needs pamphlet. Everyone was in favor of it. Also was informed some of the coffee was not accessible. I don't like to complain, but we feel as a committee this is a good place to remind everyone of the simple little things that are forgotten. Yours in Service.
Corrections: Tom M. - Chair I'd like to thank district 5 for hosting our meeting. Past out corrections contact form as sign in sheet - there was 16 in attendance. Spreadsheet volunteer David P. is updated the area corrections contact list. One new district committee chair in attendance. Informed GSR's and correction chairs in attendance that they may receive corrections kit/ that include the workshop updated to include to the corrections DVD through their DCM. Currently serving on our committee is: Area 26 corrections chair Tom M. Contact spreadsheet volunteer, David P. Vacant positions are: Co-chair, secretary, pre-release contact coordinator, archives. Introduced the AA group handbook for groups that meet in correctional facilities may be downloaded from the AA.org. Discussed literature: box 459, The newsletter to professionals, What is the GSO, The General Service Conference Structure, GSO correspondence literature, Service piece: GSO pre-release contact information, for the AA inside, Service piece: GSO pre-release contact information, for the AA outside, Grapevine Traditions and concepts checklist. Corrections workshops: Lexington's district 28 and Covington have corrections workshops in the planning stages. Tom M. Area 26 corrections chair offers to plan and present workshops to all districts and Intergroups. GSO service request: American Jailers Association Convention last week of April. Committee reports: Jill who is doing service in a correctional facility in Litchfield is in the planning stages of organizing a meeting in Hardinsburg. Bourbon County, Judy will be chairing a Thursday evening AA meeting on alternate weeks. The idea is to alternate weeks with NA but that hasn't materialized yet. Thanks to all the district corrections chairs for your attendance and your help. Cooperation with Professional Communities - Terri G. - Chair I would like to take this opportunity to thank district 5 for hosting our April quarterly meeting. Thanks for all of your hard work and dedication and service. This past quarter I had the opportunity to attend the district meeting of 24 & 29. They are working on a mailing to those in the legal profession. Thanks for inviting me and I look forward to working with you in the future. I also had a display and participated in a workshop at the Kentucky State Convention. It was great, I enjoyed watching everyone as they passed our Area display and picked up literature, and if you didn't attend the convention you missed some good speakers. We had some wonderful discussion in our workshop today. Discussion on agenda items, as well as what is going on in their districts. Discussion ranged from placing literature in emergency rooms; having a cell for a district that gets passed around so hen someone from a VA hospital can call help is available; getting permission from AA members to put their first name and their phone in the Grapevine that is given to professionals; discussion on attraction rather then taking them to meetings and giving them information about AA. So mentioned in January, GSO contacted me to staff a booth for the American Jailers Association that is having a convention in April. The exhibit hall for the convention will be on Sunday night from 7:30 pm to 9 pm; Monday and Tuesday from 10 am to 2 pm. Currently I have enough volunteers, but if you are still interested I do need a few extra names for back ups. Yours in Service. Archives Committee - Clint T. - Chair I would like to thank district 5. Good job on hosting our meeting. The Archives has been busy with usual things: collecting and filing our history, convert audio and video cassettes to CD's. Taking our displays to the State Convention and participating in the service panel workshop. I would like to remind everyone that the archive office is open 3rd Sunday of each month from 10 am to 3 pm and other times by appointment. We had 7 members present for our workshop this morning. We discussed the Archives Workbook, collecting, storing and preserving our history. I'd like to thank all of you for allowing me to be of service. Kentuckiana Newsletter - Salem V. - Chair I would like to thank district 5 for hosting the area meeting. It has been a great opportunity for service & fellowship. I would like to thank the KY newsletter committee, their support is awesome. We covered several topics this morning. We updated the mail subscription list approx. 16 + 530 + email subscriptions. We corrected the treatment and contact information. If there are other committee members that would like to be added to that contact list please, please email me at Kentuckiananewsletter@yahoo.com. The next topic for the July newsletter will be Beating the Summer time Blues - deadline will be June 1, 2009. The topic for the October issue will be Acceptance, Fall or Change. The committee will go through old newsletter issues at the next area meeting for archive use. Please email Leanne M. at Lmiller1315@yahoo.com any events in your district, so others can get involved.
Literature Committee - Lynda R. - Chair The literature committee would like to thank district 5 for their hospitality. We appreciate the time and effort you put in to make this weekend a success. It's been great. As your literature chairperson, I attended Kentucky State Convention in Louisville and had the opportunity to participate in one of the Area 26 service workshops. It was a fabulous convention with over 1300 in attendance and all of the speakers were right on target with their message of do the deal or die and singleness of purpose. My thanks to the Louisville Host Committee for inviting Area 26 is a part of such an awesome weekend. It was great seeing so many of you there. In the last quarter I also had the opportunity to participate in the Third Legacy Workshop and Corrections workshop hosted by the Louisville districts at the Care Center. Both events were a lot of fun and well attended. There were 10 of us at the Literature Committee meeting yesterday morning, with 8 districts being represented. You all did a great job and I very much appreciate your thoughtful, enthusiastic participation. We had a lot of heavy items to discuss and I can't thank you enough for your care and concern in wading through them. The General Service Conference agenda for the literature committee was quite full and we spent a large portion of our time reviewing and discussing those items. Since we thoroughly reviewed those yesterday afternoon during the pre-conference report, I won't go through it again now, but our findings will be attached to this report. The committee then discussed an email that I received from Rob M. in district 32 forwarding his correspondence with Chris C. the AAWS publications director, and Amazon regarding an electronic version of the Big Book and 12 & 12 for the Kindle Reader. For those of you not familiar with Kindle, it is an electronic device developed and marketed by Amazon.com. Chris C. indicated to Rob that AAWS was finishing discussions with Amazon to make the Big Book and 12 & 12 available for the Kindle and it should be available in the next couple of months. Once I reviewed Rob's email, I collaboration with Amazon came about. I was told that GSO had received several requests for the Kindle version from the fellowship. AAWS contacted and entered into negotiations with Amazon where Amazon would agree to convert the Big Book and 12 & 12 to the Kindle format and it would then be sold on Amazon.com, with AAWS paying for Amazon's marketing and processing of sales. I was told that the contract was agreed to and I assume signed, a week ago. When I asked how this could take place without conference approval, I was told that AAWS believed this transaction was within their authority, without the need of the conference because they considered it to be a matter solely of distribution of existing literature. Everyone in the committee meeting expressed their concern about the nature of the agreement and how it came about. In the past it has been up to the conference to determine whether or not there was a need to produce our literature on cassette tape, in large print, in paperback or in pocketbook form and appropriate advisory actions have been taken. This bypass of the conference process appears to go against the spirit of concept I, wherein the final responsibility and ultimate authority for AA world services should always reside in the collective conscience of our whole fellowship; concept II, wherein the conference was delegated complete authority for the active maintenance of our world services; and concept IV, that throughout the conference structure, we ought to maintain at all responsible levels a traditional right of participation. Further, an agreement where we are sharing the profits with an entity that is in no way related to AA seems to be in violation of our 6th tradition. The literature committee is, therefore, requesting that our delegate, Barbara, make further inquiries as to how this matter was handled. Did it go through the trustee's committees on finance or literature or another trustees committee? Has a binding contract been reached with Amazon? Was careful consideration given to our traditions and concepts? The last item on the literature committee discussed was the upcoming increase in price in our bound literature. Apparently prices are to increase by about $2 on all of our bound literature in July. A memo was sent out to some Intergroups, Central Offices, Delegates and literature chairpersons advising of the increase. However, as far as I know, no one in our area received such a memo. Additionally, I was informed that this price increase came from AAWS, without the knowledge of the trustees committee on finance. While the price increase is within the scope of AAWS's authority, in the past they have consulted with the finance committee. Again, those attending the literature committee meeting expressed concern about how and why this increase came about. The literature committee is, therefore, requesting that our delegate, Barbara, make further inquiries. Specifically, we would like to know what was the emergency that AAWS felt they had to act on this quickly, without consulting the trustees committee and thereby denying the trustees their right of participation in this process. Are group contributions down so much that we needed to increase revenue from book sales by over $2 million? Have publication cost increased so much to warrant such an increase? We acknowledge that we may not have all of the facts on either of these issues and that there may be circumstances that warranted these actions. We are asking for clarification and accountability in these matters. We look forward to Barbara's report when she returns from New York. Thank you for the opportunity to be of service.
Grapevine Committee - Jeff N. - Chair In March Eve had a workshop in Northern Kentucky sponsored b district 35. It was well attended. Karen did a wonderful job of organizing it. The night before, I was honored to speak at the Alano Club in Florence. Bless those poor sick people, they actually listened to me. Today we had 8 attend our meeting. We went over the conference agenda items. Item A we had no problem with, item B as our committee has stated before we also believe the grey pages are not AA and thus should not be in the Grapevine. We agree with this advisory action, item C brought up some controversy. Basically it is about putting the Grapevine on sale at news stands and book stores, or maybe even the rack at the checkout in Wal-Mart. The idea is to subsidize the cost of subscriptions. They are going up to $27 on June 1. We all discussed the various traditions being broken let alone the question of non-profit status. Our committee as a whole had some problems with Item C. Grapevine Is… this is a contest sponsored by the Grapevine. In one word what is Grapevine to you. Send your thoughts to www.Grapevine.org or mail it to: Room 1040, 475 Riverside Drive, New York, New York 10115. We attended the KY State Convention in February. The display was set up and took part in a workshop. I will be attending April 18 in Louisville Grape-a-thon. In love and service.
Website Committee - Jon S. - Chair In the next few minutes I will try to tell you about how the web site is doing, changes and improvements, what we covered in committee workshop yesterday, and say a few words about our workshop at the State Convention. First I'd like to thank everyone in district 5 for hosting the quarterly meeting. You folks have done a great job. I want to thank all of you for the opportunity to serve as your web site committee chair. As always I like to thank all the members of AA for the brief time of sobriety I've enjoyed, the relationship I have with my Higher Power and all the friends I've come to know in Alcoholics Anonymous. Activity in the web site has been exciting this quarter. We received 106 emails, 38 concerning events, 21 meeting inquires, 14 meeting updates, 12 directed to web site committee itself, 9 questions about service work, 5 about email, 2 sending pictures of meeting places and most importantly 5 twelfth step calls. There were 27,088 page requests. That's all I have to say about that. Some of the things we've been working on include section directed at people who access the site from their cell phone, a group change form, a contribution form and a corrections form. The cell phone pages are in a text format to make downloading fast and view easy for cell phones and slower connections. I have neglected the printable contributions form, but it will be finished soon. Tom and I are starting to work on a form to send the information about jail meeting to him using the same form he came up with a short time ago. The group change form is ready and easy to use. It looks a lot like the printed form except it has space for up to three meetings a day. The information is automatically emailed to our registrar, treasurer and web site committee chair. I wanted to add a place for every committee chair, PI, CPC, etc… but our committee decided we don't need all that. So we will only be adding a space for group secretary and treasurer. A couple of other things we addressed in our workshop are the continuing need for communication between GSR's, DCM's and the web site committee to keep the website up to date. Especially the meetings must be current and events are important as well. We also talked about adding a birthday page to the site but not sure how to get that information. We may soon be adding a local history page to the site, but that is very much a work in progress. I also want to offer a special thanks to the Louisville host committee for the great job they did giving the committees and good place to set up their displays. The workshops were wonderful; they gave everyone a change to attend more then one workshop. Where you not only learn about the committees but a little about the chair people as well. We got several meetings updated on the site. We added a few events and updated a couple of district meetings too. In closing, let me say the web site is very active, alive and improving. The web site committee is off to a good start. There is much work to be done and we are grateful for all the help. We hope the last state convention will set a pattern for the future. Finally we thank you for our lives and the opportunity to be of service. Peace and love!
Welcome to Service - Joy F. Thanks to district 5 for the fine job this weekend. We had a good attendance at the "Welcome to Service" meeting yesterday. If you are new to service, I'd like to welcome you, and to thank you for coming this weekend whether you're a GSR, a DCM, or visitor, we're glad you're here. We talked about the history of the AA service structure, and the role and importance of the GSR in linking the home groups to Alcoholics Anonymous world-wide. Thanks so much to the standing committee chairs that came to the meeting. This helped to put a face to the committee system and what they do. (plus they didn't have to hear me talk the whole time.) We do this workshop every quarterly area meeting, so feel free to invite others and come back. If you have any feedback on how it could be better, I'd like to hear that as well. Thanks for the opportunity to serve.
Registrar - Mack H. Not present. No report given.
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