Area 26 Quarterly Meeting Reports Oct. 8-9, 2011 Hosted by Districts 9 & 23Printable Version Coming Soon |
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Officers Reports
Host Committee & Intergroup Reports
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DCM Reports |
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STANDING COMMITTEE REPORTS:
Other Reports
Treasurer's report - Vonda L.Good morning, I‟m Vonda, alcoholic and you‟re Area 26 Treasurer. Thanks to District 9 and 23 for hosting this weekend, it‟s been great. I would also like to thank Area 26 for the opportunity to serve as your Treasurer, it has been a great experience and although I will be here in January (I do still have the books until December 31), I wanted to take this time to tell you how grateful I am to be part of such a wonderful group of people. 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 come see me and we can research the situation. The beginning balance on July 1 was $15,000. The total group contributions this quarter were $7,806.85. I received $5.00 cash from Amy for a Kentuckiana Newsletter subscription bringing the total income for the 3rd quarter up to $22,811.85. The total expenses for the 3rd quarter were $5,989.62. This leaves an ending balance on September 30th of $16,822.23. As per the Area 26 financial guidelines, if there is still an overage on October 31, a check for any amount over $15,000.00 prudent reserve/operating expense will be mailed to New York. 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 want 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 – PO Box 517 – Simpsonville KY 40067. I do have envelopes and contribution forms available for you to take back to your groups. If anyone has any questions, suggestions or concerns, please feel free to contact me anytime: phone 502-386-1895 or email foundserenity97@yahoo.com. Thanks for allowing me to be of service.
Chairperson's Report - Barbara F.I have not had very many official duties except for the Agenda. I do have some farewell remarks, about the last couple of years. What a great experience this has been. This is a bittersweet weekend for all of us. We are just now getting into the grove as to what we are suppose to be doing. We are in our comfort zones and we are getting ready for new and different things. As Chairperson, for me this has not been as difficult as some of my predecessors had indicated it was for them and I am grateful for that. It has been a great experience and I have had a lot of help. I am very grateful for the experience and I am also grateful for the Committee Chairs that I have worked with for the last two years. It has been awesome. Lynda has helped me a great deal with the Agenda and I enjoyed getting to know Joy better. It has been a great experience. Thank you for the opportunity to serve.
Alternate Delegate's Report - Lynda R.I‟d like to welcome all of the incoming GSRs and DCMs. Our sole purpose in being here is to make it possible to carry the message to the still suffering alcoholic and we can‟t do that without you. So, thank you for saying “yes” when you were asked to serve. I hope it‟s a wonderful journey for you. If this is your first time at an Area Meeting and you have questions or it seems confusing, please grab one of us and talk about it. Thank you to Districts 9 and 23 for hosting this weekend. Everything‟s been great! Your hard work and hospitality are very much appreciated. In August, Joy and I attended the 67th Southeastern Conference in Raleigh, NC. Joy, thank you again for sharing the ride, the room and the experience! As always, the presentations by the Delegates were awesome and covered everything from sponsorship to anonymity. Great information and experience were shared. Joy and I attended the Delegates‟ luncheon where our Southeast Trustee, El, reported on what took place at the last meetings of the General Service Board and Grapevine Board. I was pleased to hear that the voice of Area 26 and several others was heard and the Grapevine Board decided to remove the Facebook and Twitter links from the aagrapevine.org website. I‟m sure Joy will fill you in on the rest of what‟s happening in her report. I‟d like to thank District 24 for inviting me to participate in their workshop on September 11th on the responsibilities of being a home group member. Fabulous topic! Apparently it sparked some interest, since there were about 60 people there. It was an afternoon of good fellowship, good food and a lot of fun! I‟m looking forward to attending the 1st Southern States Alcoholics Anonymous Service Assembly in Fairfax, Virginia next month. I‟m excited to see how this all comes together as an opportunity for sharing information/experience/ideas on all aspects of service. The agenda looks amazing. I hope some of you will be able to attend, too. I‟m also looking forward to participating in District 17‟s upcoming welcome to service workshop. Thank you for inviting me! What a privilege it has been to serve with this Area Committee. I‟d like to say thank you to all of the DCMs and Committee Chairs that will soon be rotating out. You‟ve all done an outstanding job. It has been a pleasure working with and getting to know all of you. Your hard work, dedication and commitment to Alcoholics Anonymous has made a difference. And thank you to the amazing officers I‟ve been blessed to serve with. Joy, Barbara, Terrie, Vonda and Darryl – you‟ve all put your heart and soul into your jobs, and it shows. Area 26 has been well served by all of you. Once again, thank you all for allowing me the privilege and opportunity to serve as your Alternate Delegate. It‟s been an amazing journey.
Delegate's Report - Joy F.
REASONS FOR BEING PART OF GENERAL SERVICE
East Central Regional Forum in Miamisburg, OH GSO comes to
us....(Nov 11, 2011) SSAASA—Fairfax VA, (Nov 4, 2011)
SOUTHEAST REGIONAL CONFERENCE
DCM ReportsDistrict 1 - - DCM: James G.I would like to thank District 23 and District 9 for hosting this weekend. I was looking forward to this weekend, because it has been a long time since I was last here. But the countryside on the trip up here to Ashland is still as beautiful as I remembered. District 1 is doing fine. There is still growing interest being shown in our local district meeting and that is keeping our attendance up. District 1 is still holding quarterly workshops. Our next scheduled workshop will be November 13th and December 11th. Our topic in November will be “Newly Elected GSRs and Their Duties” and in December our topic will be “The AA Service Manuel.” Our regular officer election was held in September. The new officers are as follows: James G. DCM; Mark S., Alt. DCM; Sandra W., Secretary; Victoria H. Alt. Secretary; Charles G. Treasurer; Anthony C. Alt. Treasurer. Also in the coming months we will begin selecting and appointing those who will serve as chairperson on our various committees in 2012. District 1 still meets at the Ice House located at 1400 South Selby Street on the 2nd Sunday of the month 4:30 p.m. Again, it is good to see everyone and we will see you at the next meeting if it be the Lord‟s will. District 2 -- DCM: Doug P.No Report.
District 3 -- DCM: Nancy B.District 3 has 24 groups, 6 or 7 are active at the district level. We had two groups close down recently but a new group added. Another group that has been inactive about ten years is going to start back up next week. Thirteen of the 24 groups have held elections and sent their information to me, but two of those forms already need to be changed. District 3 also had elections last Sunday for DCM, Alt. DCM, Secretary and Treasurer. One person stood for DCM and I was asked to serve as Alt. DCM. It has been a privilege and honor to have served AA in District 3 these last two years and I‟ve learned a lot and met a great many wonderful people. Thanks to District 3 for allowing me to serve. The Intergroup is being re-activated after being silent for a number of years. The acting chairperson is here. Maybe he will give a report. Well, at lunch he stated he had nothing to report. But they have been meeting monthly for about four months and have ten IGRs that are updating the old Intergroup structure in order to more responsibly oversee Central Office. And, again, on behalf of District 3 I want to thank everyone for helping to make the weekend of the last Area Meeting a success. Thanks to Districts 9 and 23 for hosting this weekend. We really enjoyed the drive up and the changing colors here. Lunch wasn‟t bad either!
District 4 -- DCM: Jill D.Thank you to Districts 23 & 9 for hosting this Area 26 Assembly. Since the July Area 26 meeting, our District attendance has almost dropped in half with only 6 to 8 people attending. I guess the word was out that if you weren‟t there, you wouldn‟t get elected for a District position. WRONG! Our District elections were held on September 12th. We only had 4 officers and 2 GSRs present. Our new DCM expressed interest to our present Treasurer about the position. She nominated him, called him on the phone and he accepted the position. District 4 new officers are: DCM: Terry C., Alt. DCM: Doug B., Secretary: Charles W., Treasurer: Yours truly Jill L. New District Committee Chairpersons: CPC – Laura D., Corrections – Phyllis H. and Alisa T., and Treatment – Charles B. and Mike O. As I rotate out of DCM position, I want to THANK all of you here today for the opportunity to grow as a person and learn more about the inner workings of Alcoholics Anonymous.
District 5 -- DCM: Ken A.I am Rick and I am an alcoholic, Alternate DCM filling in for Kenny A., DCM. Kenny says thanks to District 23 and 9 for hosting this Area Assembly. I want to say thanks to my higher power for the opportunity to serve my District for the last two years. I still have 2 ½ months left and miss it already. In District 5 we have 2 new groups started in Bardstown. A Friday night New Beginners Group at 6:00 pm at the Library and a Monday Morning Group (Early Times) which meets at the Presbyterian church at 9:00 am. I spent my time going to meetings promoting our picnic, asking groups to get their GSRs in place and trying to get people in to service positions at the District level. Our picnic at Fredericksburg ballpark went over really well. Over 100 people attended. We had corn hole and karaoke. Good food and good speakers. Also, the raffle went well. We have a lot of hard workers in District 5. I also visited at the Russell Springs Group and invited them to the district meeting. I didn‟t realize this group was in our District. Our District meeting was held at the Coffee Club in Lebanon on the 2nd of October. We held elections and Buddy G. was elected to our new DCM position. Susan B. was elected to our treasurer position and Michele M. is our new secretary (Congratulations) Most of the service positions were filled. Also the Bardstown Thursday Night group will be celebrating 63 years on October 20th, eating at 6:30, speakers at 8:00. Our next District meeting will be at the Coffee Club in Lebanon on the 8th of January at 1:30.
District 6 - DCM: Curtis P.District 6 has 16 home groups with approximately 65% of GSRs attending the monthly District meeting on a regular basis. District 6 meetings are held the first Wednesday of every month. Committee Chairs: Treatment – Volunteers needed to chair meetings at GLC; Grapevine – Continue to read and recycle; Intergroup – NKY Intergroup Officers were elected in October; Literature – District 6 needs a new Literature Chairperson; CPC – No news. Not much activity or news to report from the District 6 Committee Chairs this past quarter. New Business: In September nominations for new District Officers were made and taken back to home groups. In October District 6 elections voted in new District Officers. District 6 to host a 12 Traditions Workshop in March 2012. More details to follow as the date approaches.
District 7 -- DCM: Susan G.No Report.
District 8 -- DCM: Redd H.No Report.
District 9 -- DCM: Buz T.District 9 and District 23 would like to welcome everyone to the Area fall voting Assembly here in Ashland, KY. A special thanks and appreciation goes out to David K. and District 23 members who planned this weekend. District 9 held our annual fall picnic at beautiful Jenny Wiley State Park. We had wonderful participation from all over the District. We had AA guests from Louisville, Lexington, Ashland and Corbin who enjoyed the day also. A very special thanks to our guest speaker Nick S. from District 10 in Louisville. Great to see Nick S. and his lovely wife Sally S. at their visit to our picnic. We held District elections at our September Intergroup meeting. Newly elected trusted servants are: Mr. Jack A. – DCM; Mr. Jim R. – Alt. DCM; Mr. Steve P. – Treasurer; and Ms. Johnda P. – Secretary. I would like to take this opportunity to thank District 9 for allowing me to be involved in Area service as their DCM for the last 4 years. Also, a special heartfelt bunch of gratitude goes out to all those who have served Area 26.
District 10 -- DCM: Joy M.Thank you to the hosting Districts for good food, fun and awesome weather this weekend. District 10 held it‟s elections this past weekend. Several regular attendees stepped up to take on new roles in the District. District 10 also decided to allow me to serve a second term as their trusted DCM. Thank you and I appreciate the patience and tolerance you continue to give me as I grow in service work – sometimes quickly, sometimes slowly. Thanks also to those who have served and will serve at the Area level; I appreciate and admire your dedication to AA.
District 11 -- DCM: Cindy S.Thank you Districts 9 and 23 for the hospitality shown. Not much happening in District 11 except preparing for the Home Groups voting for GSRs and new DCM. It has been a honor to serve my District and participate at the Area level. District 12 -- DCM: Eddie B.My name is Eddie B. and I am currently serving as DCM for District 12. District 12 would like to thank Districts 9 and 23 for their hard work and hospitality this weekend. Our ice cream social held in July was very well attended with Vonda doing a wonderful lead on the Traditions. Upcoming events in District 12 will be our annual Gratitude Gobble on Friday night at 6:00 pm on November 18th at Bardstown Road Presbyterian church. Chicken dinner with trimmings will be provided by the District with the speaker starting at 7:00 pm. In addition, District 12 Groups – The Foxhall Group will be hosting a Gratitude breakfast at 9:00 am on Friday November 25th at St. Andrews Episcopal church. Burns B. will be the speaker and Pre-registration is required. Thank you for allowing me to serve.
District 13 -- DCM: Bill C.District 13 would like to thank District 23 and 9 for Hosting this meeting, and all their hard work. We still enjoy good attendance at our district meetings, however attendance is down some as of late, our meetings are normally held on the second Sunday of the month at the Pigeon Roost. District 13 Corrections Chair Ed. M. has attended the required volunteer training at K.S.R., thank you Ed for your service. District 13 Special Needs Chair Jo Ann. M. is still working with Meetings on Wheels in the Louisville area and shared that they took a meeting to a nursing home and were able to meet with a 76 year old gentleman. District 13 held our elections at our September meeting, Mike Y. was elected DCM and ED M. is the Alternate DCM, Jo Ann M. was elected Treasurer and Karen K. as secretary. I would like to thank all outgoing officers and welcome all incoming officers in District 13 as well as all in Area 26 and thank you all for allowing me to serve.
District 14 - Alt. DCM: - Scotty Y.District 14 would like to thank you District 9 and 23 for hosting the Area 26 meeting. Also, we would like to thank Panel 60 for their dedication and perseverance in leading the Area 26 for the past 2 years. District 14 has met twice since the last July area meeting. Our 2nd Fall Fellowship Festival was held September 17th. We enjoyed a beautiful Saturday afternoon at Charles Brooking park in Georgetown. Steve W. shared his experience, strength and hope. AA trivia was lead by Larry P., Paris GSR. We were truly blessed with wonderful fellowship, food and fun. District 14 held elections on September 10. David W. has accepted the duties of DCM with Leslie R. to serve as alternate DCM; Beth C. is our new Secretary and Ken M. accepting the responsibility of Treasurer. It has been a joy and a real growing experience for the past 2 years. I heard Joy F. use the phrase, “Get Sober, Get Busy, Stay Busy and Stay Sober.” And I am truly grateful for the past 2 years in serving as DCM.
District 15 -- DCM: Joseph M.Thanks to District 9 and 23 for your hospitality and service. Since we last met District 15 has been active in presenting Workshops on Literature in July and a Traditions skit in September in cooperation with District 28 and the Bluegrass Intergroup. Participation at District meetings has been down this quarter. District elections have been put off until November and it seems like that will go well. More will be revealed. Thank you all for the opportunity to be of service.
District 16 - - DCM: Jason M.District 16 continues to carry our message of recovery through the Twelve steps and the fellowship of Alcoholics Anonymous. Our District elected a new DCM at our last District meeting, Shirley B. who currently serves our District as the Literature committee chair, will be our new DCM. The remainder of our District service positions should be filled at our next District meeting or hopefully by the end of the year. Our next District event will be our annual pot luck and blind auction get together we call Thankmas. Always a lot of good food and fun, and our Districts only fundraiser. The date has yet to be determined, we have learned to consul the U.K. basketball schedule to plan around the states unofficial religion. There‟s not much to report this quarter. One other note of interest, we are happy to report the first men‟s AA meeting at the Madison County detention Center was held the first Monday of this month. Jail meetings had died out. However, thanks to the willingness of some men in our District, there is once again a commitment to carry the message into the jail. District 17 - DCM: Lee S.My name is Lee S. and I am an alcoholic. I am also currently serving as the outgoing DCM for District 17. District 17 would like to thank District 23 and 9 for hosting the 2011 Area 26 Fall Assembly. In August, The Promise Group along with the Big Book Study Group hosted a dinner meeting. We all had lots of fun and ate well! Attendance was sort of low due to other events going on in town that same day. September was election month for District 17. So I would like to welcome our newly elected GSRs as well as our newly elected District 17 Committee which includes our incoming: DCM Renee B., Alternate DCM Julie D., Secretary Jerry N., and Treasurer Johnny M., the incoming Committee‟s term of service will begin January 1st 2012. November 12th the District 17 committee will be hosting a Thanksgiving dinner. The dinner will be held at St. Stevens and will include a service workshop. Next I want to thank every GSR and Alternate GSR that has unselfishly giving of their time in the past two years to serve AA. I also want to mention the efforts of the District‟s outgoing Alternate DCM, District Secretary, and District Treasurer. They continue to be instrumental in function of the District Committee. Each of them is available whenever called upon. Most importantly I wish to thank the Groups of District 17. These Groups have been giving our District Committee the tools necessary to be successful in its endeavors. Whenever this committee has asked for their support we have received it. From implementing needed changes to our District structure to the subject of the 7th Tradition, our Groups have supported their District Committee. Before closing I wish to thank each of you for your own service to AA, and our Area 26 Committee for leading by example. Often I share about these quarterly meetings with the fellowship back home. I always encourage them to attend and I always say, “if you haven never been to an Area meeting you‟re missing out on a BIG part of the AA experience.” Thank you for allowing me to share in the experience. Thank God for our Fellowship!
District 18 -- DCM: Gene M.No Report
District 19 -- DCM: Stacy T.I am Jim and I am an alcoholic. I am currently serving as the Alternate DCM for District 19. District 19 would like to thank Districts 23 and 9 for their hospitality and hard work. District 19 has been planning a 3 Legacies event but we had to postpone due to a lack of District participation. We are hoping to have this event in the future as District participation grows. We recently held our District elections and we have been able to elect a new DCM, Alternate DCM and Secretary. We are very excited about everyone‟s new roles. Thank you for allowing me to serve.
District 20 -- DCM: Jeffrey H.No Report
District 21 - Alt. DCM: Melissa B.My name Melissa B., Alt. DCM for District 21. Thanks to Districts 23 and 9 for hosting this weekend. Since our last Area assembly, District 21 has held its annual picnic and elected officers for the upcoming term. Our picnics frequently seem to go a little differently from the way we plan them. A few years ago, our picnic fell on a day when Kentucky was feeling the effects of hurricane Ike. Trees were crashing down all around us while we roasted weenies‟. This year‟s picnic didn‟t turn out the way we planned either. The day of the picnic, a water main broke in the park, so no restrooms or water was available. The Park Ranger moved us to a different pavilion, a mile down the road. Maybe not everyone found us in our new location, but I believe that those who were meant to be there did. Our new setting was a picturesque area right on Shelby Lake. It was a beautiful relaxing day. We elected new officers at the picnic. Our next Secretary will be Laurie R., Treasurer will be Vonda L., Alt DCM Jeff C., and I‟ll be the next DCM. I‟d like to thank all of our District 21 GSRs and officers for their willingness to service.
District 22 -- DCM: Vonda J.Thank you Districts 9 and 23 for hosting this Fall assembly. Food was delicious and the Workshop was interesting. Attendance at our District meetings has been good with an average of 10 in attendance. Our District is planning a workshop on October 23, 2011 at Corydon Next Step building between 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm with topic of “Attraction rather than promotion.” A Big Book to jail dance is being planned, but no other information is available at this time. We have 3 new GSRs since our last Area meeting and 2 new groups started. One is The Little White House which meets on Tuesday at 8:00 pm in Greenville IN. The other is Newcomer‟s Group which meets on Wednesdays at 6:30 pm at New Albany Token Club. We have had our elections of DCM, that is Steve B., our Secretary is Angela, our Alternate DCM is Vonda and our Treasurer is Ben. Thank you all for allowing me to serve as District 22 DCM as it has been an enriching and growing experience.
District 23 -- DCM: David K.Something must have been in the water this past quarter. Most groups met, had group conscience meetings, new GSR‟s and group trusted servants were elected, and our tradition of group autonomy was present in the decisions that were made. Of particular interest was the conscience of the Serenity Group which holds meetings in one of the local detox facilities. Their decision to stop 2 meetings on Saturday provided another fellowship an opening to start 2 new meetings in this area. The Hope Group adjusted their meeting format to make more sense and ensured that they stay focused on our Primary Purpose. The Grayson Serenity & Lewis County Groups have chosen not to participate in formal District activities but continue to have their scheduled meetings with good participation. Neither group has a GSR but they continue to provide service in their communities. The Beginning Again Group at Our Lady of Bellefonte Hospital has changed one of their four open discussion meetings to a Grapevine meeting and has experienced favorable results. The Laid Back Couch Potato group continues to live up to its name with 2 minute group conscience meetings and an active service structure that provides support to its members and our District. District 23 met September 17th and elected Jason R. as the new DCM for District 23. Alternate is Dave K, temporarily. Our Treasurer and Secretary willingly agreed to continue in their positions and alternates have agreed to become involved at this level of service. There has been a lot of focus on making this area assembly a success. Meetings were held, announcements were made and involvement mushroomed to the point that interest grew throughout the district and I‟m proud to see so many of my friends involved this weekend. Thanks to you all, you‟re truly miracles and amazing.
District 24 -- DCM: John W.Thanks to Districts 9 and 23 for all of your hard work this weekend. On September 11th, District 24 held a workshop “Responsibilities of a Home Group member. Are you participating.” Presented by Joy F., Lynda R. Jerry S., and Tom B. Elections were held on September 14th. New DCM: Jennifer S.; Alt. DCM Lynn A.; Secretary Sara K.; Treasurer Alice C. District 24 would like to thank Joy, Lynda, Barbara, Darryl, Vonda, Terrie, as Trusted Servants.
District 25 - - DCM: Gary P.In September, District 25 had a District meeting and 6 members were present. We elected a new DCM and new group information was turned in for all the groups in District 25. Dan C., celebrated his 60th AA birthday in Harrodsburg and about 150 people showed up. He had more sweets then you could shake a stick at. Not much happening in District 25. That‟s all we have to report.
District 26 -- DCM: Brad P.District 26 would like to thank Districts 9 and 23 for hosting the Area Assembly. District 26 has been busy the last 3 months. Hungry Spirits held its annual picnic at Ruff Park in Hopkinsville. Lots of food and fun was had by all. The ABC Group was able to participate in the AA membership survey. We have had a lot of people stepping up for service work. We of District 26 would like to thank Joy for all of her hard work and time she has given to Area 26. We would also like to thank the Committee Chairs for their time and service. I would like to welcome the best woman in District 26 for stepping up for District 26 DCM position, my wife, Nikki P. This has been a very enlightening 2 years. Thank you for letting me be of service. District 27 -- DCM: Mark D.I would like to thank Districts 9 and 23 for hosting this Area Assembly. We have had 1 District meeting since the last area meeting . This was our election meeting. District 27‟s new DCM is Jeremy S., and the Alt. is Nancy F. We are still working on our District guidelines. Our District Corrections chair has started a meeting in the Barren County jail. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the groups in District 27 for allowing me to serve as their DCM these last 2 years. District 28 -- DCM: Rita B.Thank you Districts 23 and 9 for hosting the Area 26 Assembly this weekend. District 28 meets the last Sunday each month, 5:00 p.m. at the Token Club in Lexington, KY. Attendance at District meetings has been up this quarter with an average attendance of 15 members. We have had at least one new GSR each district meeting this quarter The chair position for Treatment was filled in August by James M., and Group Awareness chair position was filled in September by Nathan D. We had a Literature Workshop July 30th which was informative and well attended. Saturday, October 29th there will be a Grapevine Workshop at 1:30 p.m. at the Alano Club, 370 E. Second St., Lexington, KY. The Ad Hoc committee for review of the District 28 guidelines has been active this quarter. Alice D. presented a preliminary report at the September district meeting. A full report of the suggested changes will be presented at the next district meeting. We elected District officers at the September meeting. The DCM, Alternate DCM and Secretary were completing the term of other members who had to resign before their term was up. These individuals were re-elected to these positions for a full term. The Treasurer was also re-elected. Robbie C. will be our new Corrections chairperson beginning in January. We have also been busy this quarter making arrangements and plans for the January, 2012 Area meeting. There are flyers available with location and lodging information. District 29 -- DCM: Dalton D.No report.
District 30 -- DCM: Katrina C.No report.
District 31 -- DCM: Cindy T.District 31 has met once this past quarter on 9/11/2011. There were 3 people in attendance, then another from Henderson joined us making it 4. Several people that are currently holding positions will be stepping down at the end of this term, or have already stepped down. I will no longer be DCM and there is no one, at this time, stepping into the DCM position. Thus District 31 will go “dark” until others get involved and carry the torch. Currently District 31 has a Treasurer, and 3 GSRs, no one else. I am saddened by the lack of interest in service work in District 31. However, I am NOT God and I‟m NOT in charge. I‟ve been around long enough to know that there are phases to sobriety as well as cycles to service work. I trust that “this too shall pass.” Thank you for this opportunity to serve.
District 32 -- DCM: Dick W.Thanks to District 9 & 23 for hosting. In the last two years District 32 has grown in the service area. We are not yet where we need to be, but we are working on it. We average 7 GSRs each meeting (it was luck to include 3 two years ago.) We are solid in Corrections (two jails) and we have added a Treatment chair. We have rotated out our DCM, Treasurer and Secretary chair persons. We hope to add an annual eat and meet or picnic to have a lead on service work at the Area 26 level and our three principles (Service, Recovery and Unity.) Dick W., (Erlanger Dick) out going DCM, says thank you all for allowing me to serve in an AA capacity.
District 33 - - DCM: Lona B.No Report
District 34 -- DCM: Jeff N.I would like to thank District 9 and 23 for this weekend. District 34 is doing well and carrying on as always. Last month we lost one of the founders of AA in District 34. Terry E., from the Greenville Group passed away with 34 years of sobriety. He is greatly missed by all of us in District 34. The Greenville Group sponsored and Ice Cream social in September. The speaker was Mike H. from Chicago. Everyone there enjoyed the rainy day at Kirkwood Lake. We are still working on a new DCM, more will be revealed.
District 35 -- DCM: Gary F.Hi, I‟m Gary F., DCM for 35. We would like to thank Districts 9 and 23 for hosting the Area meeting. The food was good. Thank you. Well, Jason T., for P.I., had a good Health Fair at Gateway College and our P.I. John A., from the Area P.I, came up and helped us too. We had about 200 show up and we gave a lot of literature away. They had a great display. We had our District meeting. It was good. We had our election. Our new DCM was Andy S., but Sharon who voted at the District meeting on the new DCM, who was reported by Andy S., as the Latonia 11 Step group new GSR. The 11 Step group members reported to the District that Sharon is not the new GSR. This was false information given by Andy. District members wanted to clear this up, so we had an emergency meeting to address this. Jason T., asked Andy if he did bring Sharon to the District and thought she was the new GSR. Andy replied that he did and that he was sorry. He didn‟t know the group voted on a new GSR, that you couldn‟t just appoint one. Kathleen addressed Andy about the situation and confirmed that she did not know he was going to do that. Kathleen was at the meeting representing the 11 Step Group. We took a revote and Jon S was voted in as the new DCM. Treasurer – Jack H.; Secretary – Jason T. and Jon will appoint all new Standing Committee chairs. Thank you guys for putting up with me.
District 36 -- DCM: Lucio L.Thanks to Districts 9 and 23 for welcoming us. Please allow me to inform the community that the Spanish speaking groups continue with the doors open. Elections were conducted as suggested by the 3rd Delegate of service. Let me tell you that each group has their own representative and the District also has a new DCM with a rotating spirit. From the 3rd Delegate to you, I say goodbye.
Host Committee and Intergroup ReportsBowling Green Host Committee - No reportLexington Host Committee - No ReportLouisville Host Committee - - Angie S.I would like to thank Districts 9 and 23 for hosting this Area Assembly. The food was wonderful We are getting very excited about the upcoming 61st Kentucky State Convention which will be held February 3-5, 2012 in Louisville KY. The theme of this Convention will be “The key to H.O.W. it works…Honesty, Open-mindedness, and Willingness. We have great speakers, workshops, panels and entertainment making for a wonderful weekend. Registration opens at 3 pm and the first speaker is 7:30 pm Friday night. The Program will appear on the Area 26 website very soon. Pre-registration will be $15.00 for the weekend and room rates are $72.00 plus tax. Please get those in by January 20, 2012. There are fliers here and if you need more or have any questions, please let me know. If you would like to get involved, we meet the second Sunday of every month at the Care Center. Owensboro Host Committee - No reportNorthern Kentucky Host Committee - No reportPaducah Host Committee - No reportKentucky Conference of Young People in AA (KCYPAA) - No reportLexington Bluegrass Intergroup - No reportLouisville Intergroup - No report.Western Kentucky Intergroup - Lona B.
STANDING COMMITTEE REPORTS:Archives - - David D. for David W., ChairpersonI want to thank Dist 9 & 23 for all their hard work. 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 have had a couple of visitors this last quarter. There were 10 people in attendance at the Archives Committee meeting. We have decided to start a re-catalog and reorganize what we have in the repository. To facilitate this process, the Area 26 Archives Committee has authorized me to purchase a file cabinet and a computer. I am just thrilled with the enthusiasm of this group. At least 2 of us are planning to start working on this project next Sunday. We are asking the Area 26 Committee for $200.00 in addition to our $500.00 budget to purchase the equipment and software needed for this project. I have been invited an AA Archives workshop in Cincinnati on Oct 29 from 11-3. Presenters will be Amy (past GSO Archives) and Rich (Area 56 Archives). I will be bringing our displays along and participating in the discussions. I look forward to this last chance to serve as Area 26 Archives Committee Chair. 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. Thank you for letting me serve Area 26 for the last 2 years. I would get misty and say I will miss you all, but I won‟t, since I am also the incoming DCM from District 14. So you are not rid of me yet.
Cooperation with the Professional Community (CPC) - - Charlie S., ChairpersonI would like thank Districts 9 and 23 for hosting this area meeting. I would like to thank this body for trusting me to serve as your CPC chairperson. I must be having a blast because it went to fast. Once again after two years I final know what I am suppose to do. I need to express great gratitude for my committee that supported me in my position. I also would like to thank all of you who invited me to conduct a CPC workshop. I have been contacted by GSO to host a booth at the American School and Health Association. What a great opportunity to be of service. To give back for fun and for free. Thank you AA and thank you Area 26 for allowing me to treat my disease. This position has enlarged my spiritual life and my understanding of how important service work is. With great love and respect my prayer each and everyone is please keep coming back. Respectfully submitted.
Corrections - - Cathy B., Chairperson (reported by Jason R.)Thanks to Districts 9 and 23 for hosting this weekend. The food and fellowship has been great. The early fall leaves in the mountains remind me of my childhood home Mt. Vernon. The last quarter has been quiet. I have not presented any workshops. However, I have answered 12 letters and prerelease forms from inmates, asking for help. In addition, I answered an email from a corrections staff person from KY State Reformity, who found the Area 26 website on the Internet. Several of these letters were sent to the Area 26 P.O. Box. It seems that our P.O. Box has had more activity in the past few months than at any other time during my 2 year term as Corrections Chair. A new meeting at Dismas Charities in Lexington has been started, thanks to David P. from District 28. I received one email from GSO, in which I passed on the name of the person chairing the Spanish speaking meeting at the Fayette Co. jail to a member of the fellowship in another state. 16 persons were in attendance at the corrections meeting yesterday. Would all those in attendance at the meeting please stand and be recognized? Thanks for your service to our members behind the walls. This is my last official report as Corrections Chair. I have grown in self-confidence and compassion as a result of these past two years. I have received countless priceless rewards in working with inmates and volunteers across the state. I want to thank Area 26 for allowing me to serve and Joy for sharing her car and hotel room with me these past two years. In love and service,
Grapevine - - Joe O., ChairpersonHello, my name is Joe and I‟m an alcoholic and Grapevine Chairperson. I would like to thank Districts 9 and 23 for hosting this assembly. Like all assemblies this has been great. We had 13 people in attendance and it is a pretty good turn out. I have been invited to a Grapevine workshop on the 29th of October at the Alano Club, 370 East Second St., Lexington KY. If you need information see Robin. They gave me 15 minutes to talk, but I can‟t imagine me talking for just 15 minutes. As most of you most probably know, you can get your calendars now and your daily planners. You can get them online or through the Grapevine catalog. The Grapevine has come out with two new books. Emotional Sobriety II and Step by Step. Most of what we discussed was everyone shared on what was going on in their particular group or District. The same things that we have been going over before and where we are at with that. I want to thank Barbara F., for asking me to do this thing for all of you folks. I hope to do something else again. It has been fun.
Kentuckiana Newsletter - - Amy B., ChairpersonI‟m Amy Basham and I am an alcoholic, currently serving as your Kentuckiana Newsletter Chair. I would like to thank Districts 23 and 9 for an amazing weekend. I thought the panel yesterday was very interesting. We began yesterday‟s committee meeting with a brief review of our last meeting. We then talked about the current printed edition. This edition cost $480.82. This includes 500 copies with staples and 50 copies without staples for corrections. Unfortunately we do not have Spanish editions this time due to our translator‟s busy schedule. I have been informed this weekend this will not happen next time which we appreciate. Our next issue comes out in January and will be called “History of AA: Miraculous or coincidental.” Deadline for submissions is December 1st. We will finish with our Concept articles with Concept XII. We also hope to complete the Committee Chair interviews in this last edition of the current committee. Currently, the survey questions we formulated at the last meeting are on the website and we have had 58 responses. I would draw your attention to the top of page six in the current edition where the questions and how to submit your response is listed. We hope with this basic feedback the next committee will have a better idea of how to proceed. Finally, I want to thank the committee and this Area. I am not the person I was two years ago when I began as Newsletter chair for Area 26. While the last year has been one of the most difficult of my life, having come through to the other side I have a stronger relationship with my Higher Power, a renewed appreciation of what AA continues to do for my life and an increased gratitude for this wonderful gift of sobriety. I have all of you to thank for pushing me to grow, sometimes in ways I didn‟t want too, offering true friendship and caring as I struggled this year; adding and enhancing my life and sobriety in ways I could never have imagined. As we travel this road to happy destiny I am really looking forward to seeing all of you along the way. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for allowing me to be of service.
Literature - - George J., Chairperson
I would like to talk a little about what we did and what we
discussed at the Literature committee meeting. After opening, we
discussed the scope and responsibility of the Literature
committees including Trustees and Conference Literature
committee, the Conference Literature committee, all the way up
to group literature liaison or representative as part of
District Literature committees. Our hope was to grow in
understanding the relationships of the various elements as part
of the Conference Plan and service to the Fellowship as a whole.
We also discussed briefly the conference approval process for
conference approved literature. Again we discussed what service
pieces are and the role they play, not being conference approved
literature. At our last Area meeting, there was someone who
asked the question about when you purchase pamphlets, how do you
know you are getting the latest revision. GSO response was that
the latest revision is always shipped, old stock is removed as
soon as revisions are available. We also reviewed the AAWS
highlights and the minutes from the board. We also talked about
the current status of literature currently being developed or
revised. We also discussed the current status the best that we
know, about eTechnology. It is now hoped that the Big Book and
the 12 & 12 will available mid November in eformat. There will
be a reader that will be free from the Apple store. This
discussion expanded to include the principle of self-support,
literature profits and reserve funds. Check out the AAWS website
for more information. Next we discussed a request that Area 26
forward the
Public Information - - John A., ChairpersonFirst, thanks to all of those who attended yesterday‟s meeting. We had a total of 6 (six) in attendance. I also want to thank Districts 9 and 23 for hosting us this weekend. Last quarter, it was brought to my attention that the 2011 Host Committee for the Northern Kentucky Conference had released their mailing list to a treatment center, Transitions, Inc. I have contacted the Public Information staffer at G.S.O. regarding the release of the mailing list. She said that the policy of G.S.O. is to not get involved in local matters. Given her instructions, I have sent a letter to the Host Committee requesting that they not release their mailing list to commercial entities in the future in accordance with Tradition 6. I will also be contacting the member of the Host Committee who actually gave the mailing list to Transitions, Inc. My hope is that we can get the mailing list either returned to the Host Committee or destroyed so that there will be no further breaches of anonymity involving the two thousand (2000) people on the mailing list. In further news, a website using our trademark, “A.A.” was reported to me. I have contacted the intellectual property administrator at G.S.O. to get our trademark removed. I have not heard back from G.S.O. yet. On August 25th, I attended a health fair in Covington, KY at the request of Gary F. – DCM for District 35. Unfortunately, I forgot to bring the new flat screen TV and DVD with me. That was a truly special goof as the only reason I had been invited was to bring the A/V equipment! In closing, I want to thank our Chairperson, Barbara F., and Area 26 for allowing me to service as Public Information Committee Chairperson for the last two years. I have appreciated the opportunity to serve the organization which gave me life back.
Registrar - - Chris T., Chairperson
I would like to thank Districts 9 and 23 for hosting this Area
26 Assembly. It is truly a pleasure to have any excuse to come
to this beautiful part of the Commonwealth. Since this is my
last report as Registrar for Area 26 I would like to take this
opportunity to thank you for allowing me to serve in this
capacity for the past 3 years. It has been a learning experience
that I am looking forward to allowing another one of you to
share in. Hopefully I have been able to provide you with all the
organizational information you needed to perform your duties, if
not, I apologies for my shortcomings. Again I would like to
thank each and everyone of you for the cooperation,
understanding and patience you have shared with me during my
tenure. May God continue to bless and watch over you. Since the
last area meeting, in July, I have made adjustments to the GSO
data base for 58 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
for 2012. If any of you have your District update packets with
you I would gladly receive them. The deadline for the return of
those packets has not changed. If I receive them back from you,
completed, on or before 11-11-11: I will make all the changes to
the systems. After that date it will become the responsibility
of my successor to follow through with your changes. The GSO
records for Area 26 reflect the following statistics:
Special Needs - - Debbie C., ChairpersonGood morning, my name is Debbie Chandler, alcoholic, currently serving as your Area 26 Special Needs Chair. Thanks, of course, to Districts 9 & 23 for hosting the Area Assembly, for the lunch yesterday and the wonderful brownies, for the relative comfort of this facility and last, but not least the beautiful October weather. This is my first trip to Ashland, and I have thoroughly enjoyed it. I don't have a lot to report this time--I have not been very busy with Area business this quarter. My main work has been a work in progress, trying to help District 36 to establish an Hispanic Meeting in Bowling Green, and while we are closer than we were 6 months ago, we are still not quite there. My committee met yesterday, with 7 in attendance, 4 of whom were new to the committee. It is always good to have new faces in the meeting and to share with them the opportunities that we have to help make AA accessible to all alcoholics, regardless of their abilities. We discussed the work that the Louisville Meetings on Wheels committee was doing to contact nursing facilities in the Louisville area trying to get AA meetings started in those facilities. This is not an easy thing, so they have much work ahead of them. I am aware that the District 3 Meetings on Wheels group has been very active carrying meetings to AA members in the hospital and to their homes when they are homebound. Recently, I received this new pamphlet from GSO that has been in process for a couple of years. We reviewed this piece of literature and all agreed that it was a useful piece of literature and could be placed in nursing homes, and in other facilities that serve the disabled population to let them know that AA is available to meet them at their level, and that they, too can recover from the hopeless state of mind and body. Lastly, I want to tell you all how much I have enjoyed serving the Area as Special Needs Chair, what an honor was bestowed on me to be asked and how much it has meant to my program to meet with other AA members who are trying to carry the message. Thank you for allowing me to be a part of this committee. For the last time, Respectfully, Debbie C., Area 26 Special Needs Chair
Treatment Facilities - - Brian S., Chairperson
Thanks to Districts 9 and 23 for hosting this weekend. Also,
thanks to Area 26 for the opportunity to serve as treatment
chair for the last 2 years. I‟d like to ask all who attended the
meeting to stand please. Yesterday we had a total of 13 people
in attendance. Many of which were returning participants.
Incoming DCM Jason R. shared his experience, strength, and hope
with the committee about his involvement in carrying the AA
message into local treatment settings. After Jason‟s lead we
opened the meeting up for discussion. I posed the question to
those in the group who actively carry meetings into treatment,
“is the message you present in treatment centers the same
message you‟d share in a regular AA meeting?” we had several
people share their experience regarding this question. Some on
both sides of the issue. Nonetheless, it made for a good
discussion. Since our last meeting I‟ve received 2 bridging the
gap referrals from South Florida. I guess if you got to go to
treatment, go to sunny Florida. 1 out of 2 of those calls was
successfully connected to others in the fellowship. The other
person did not respond to attempts to make contact. In the past
10 days to 2 weeks I have
Website - - Jon S., ChairpersonI would like to thank districts 9 and 23 for hosting this
area assembly. I want to thank the Area officers, our Delegate
and Chairman as well as our Alternate Delegate, Secretary and
Treasurer and most of all our co-chairman for the past six plus
years of service. Thanks also to our standing committee chairs.
And most of all those of you who have made this a wonderful two
years . We had 10 people show up at our website committee
yesterday. Would those still here please stand to be recognized.
A few weeks ago, Alice emailed me asking about stuff on our
website. I asked her to come and speak to our committee and she
did. We also talked about anonymity breaks on the internet and
using keywords to get a higher placement in search engine
results. We started this term with three goals, make it possible
for D.C.M.‟s to update their own meetings on our website, create
a website team to update events and reports and submit website
guidelines to the area committee for approval. Well, two out of
three ain‟t bad. We have presented the guidelines, D.C.M.‟s can
update their own meetings if they choose and as for the team, we
tried. I thought we found two people to serve, I sent them
software and instructions but it does not look like they are
going to be much help. They are both busy with other things.
However, if any one wants to step up let me know soon. Another
thing that has happened since this committee started is several
new websites on our area. Western Kentucky Intergroup, districts
3 and five, and group websites. I guess as my final duty as
Website Committee chairperson is to ask for your approval of our
Website Committee Guidelines. I want to thank everyone for the
opportunity to be of service the last few years and I hope to
continue to be of service to Alcoholics Anonymous in other ways
in the years to come. Thank you. Email Report
Welcome to Service Workshop - - Darryl M., Co-ChairpersonHello everybody, my name is Darryl M., and I am an alcoholic. I would like to thank the hosting Districts 23 and 9, for putting on this weekend. I have really enjoyed it. This is the Welcome to Service Report. There were 35 people in attendance in the meeting yesterday. Most of them were there for their first time. We talked about the duties of a G.S.R., what you do and how to do it. We also talked about the election procedures and how it is done. I also explained what you will be actually doing here today.
DCM Meeting - - Barbara F. - - ChairpersonYesterday there were about 38 people in attendance. We had a good discussion on a couple of topics. Purchasing literature for, as it happen to be jails, outside of the district, and we discussed about redistricting. And there was some discussion in regards that GSRs, in Area 26, only voting at the October assembly, and whether that was appropriate and whether or not that needs to be looked into in changing that.
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