REPORTS FROM THE JULY 2012 AREA 26 MEETING
CONTACT YOUR DCM OR AREA CHAIRPERSON FOR COMPLETE MEETING
MINUTES
Treasurer's
Report – Kenny B.
All DCM’s and Area officers have
the current Treasurer’s report. I would like to thank District 14 for hosting
this weekend. I would also like to thank everyone who made contributions over
the last quarter. Joy and Amy have reviewed the first and second quarter bank
statements last weekend per our financial guidelines. The beginning balance for
April is $6,011. 89. Second quarter contributions were $12,023.27. Working
balance is $18,935.16. Second quarter disbursements $4,558.75. Balance at the end
of June was $14,376.41. Make sure that all contributions are listed
appropriately in your district. Please remember to put the group name and
district number on all contributions.
Chairperson’s
Report – Joy F.
Welcome all to the Area Meeting. I
noticed when the roll was called that many districts are not represented and I
want you to know I really appreciate all of you that are here. Thanks to
District 14 for hosting this weekend. I’m sorry I had to miss yesterday, but I
felt it was the best thing I could do to keep “unity” in my family. My husband
had some surgery and really needed someone with him. All is progressing and he
is doing well. I know the meeting was able to go “right-on” without me, but I
still felt bad about missing the meeting and all of my friends here. Thanks to
Barbara for being so gracious and helpful. I don’t have a lot to report this
quarter, but a couple of interesting things. I was invited to moderate/
facilitate an Area inventory in Area 73, West Virginia. It was an interesting
experience and I came away feeling like the exercise was very useful to them.
It was interesting to hear how they do things and to see what is working well
and not so well. I also got to hear Lynda’s Conference Report in District 28.
It brought back a lot of memories for me of the Conference. I want to tell her
again what a good report it was. Thanks. Regarding the Area’s Finances....Amy
and I met with Kenny to go over the books since he has been Treasurer. I have to
say I was very impressed with how organized he is. It made the job easy to follow.
We looked over the paperwork and initialed the envelopes for more
accountability on our part. All the hours he spent looking over past files paid
off in more ways than one. As for the other issues regarding Finances, we have
had some tough things to look at this year. It is up to the Area to decide how
to get back on track, but I hope we can reach a place where trust is restored.
I want to do anything I can to help that happen. I also want to thank Kenny and
Bruce for all the hours that they have put in trying to give us a realistic
picture of our finances. As usual the first place to start is with a “fearless”
inventory. Now where do we go from here? As for the rest of us, let’s do our
part in doing a better job of paying attention to our financial guidelines,
doing our expense sheets, turning in receipts with expense sheets for all
expenditures, and being good stewards of our groups’ money. It’s really
important that we do a better job all around. Please thank your groups for
their contributions! Thanks for giving me the opportunity to serve.
Alternate
Delegate’s Report – George J.
First, I would like to thank
District 14 for hosting this weekend. Since our last Area meeting I have missed
not being involved in workshop activity but I have found issues of importance
that have held my attention. I was very pleased to be present for the
pre-conference and post conference reports with Districts 15 & 28. Lynda,
our Delegate, did an excellent job. I would like to say that after hearing a
thorough report on the Conference proceedings, it seems clear that there are
many issues facing Alcoholics Anonymous that we as members should have great
interest in and maybe some concern. The subjects that have held my attention
have been:
1) The procedure involved that
qualifies AA literature to be designated as A.A. Conference Approved
Literature. The first concern looking at the Service Manual it became apparent
that there were updates and revisions, some seemingly of substance that are
never viewed and approved by the Conference (GSC). This is not consistent with
its Conference Approved designation. Having spoken with our Delegate, past S.E.
Regional Trustee, seated member on the Conference Committee on Report and
Charter, Panel 61/Area 15 Delegate and others, it would seem that the AA
Service Manual is not the only Conference Approved literature that has been
revised or updated without being approved by the conference.
2) Also of concern is the lack of
input the fellowship has on its Conference Agenda. This input, in principle, is
described in the AA Service Manual and as stated in the "Composition,
Scope, and Procedure" manual should come from the Conference Committee on
Agenda. But for some reason this responsibility has been compromised and
although there has been concerned voiced historically by various Areas and
trusted servants across the fellowship, there seems to be a swell of resistance
from the General Service Board and its related committees to accept input from
the Conference Committee on Agenda.
So, the result of these ideas has
led to the material that I would like to make available to all DCM's to review
and share and discuss with their Districts and hopefully at the October Area
assembly we can have a workshop/sharing session and discuss these policies and
the principles they are based on. In closing I would like to thank Area 26, and
all who have supported me in this opportunity to serve.
Delegate’s
Report – Lynda R.
Thank you to District 14 for
hosting this Area Meeting. Everything’s been great! Your hard work and
hospitality are very much appreciated. This quarter has been devoted to my
attendance at the General Service Conference and reporting to you about what
occurred there. Districts 15 and 28 invited me to Lexington on June 3rd for my
first Post-Conference Report and the Greater Louisville Districts invited me to
share my report at their 7th Annual Delegate’s Report & Unity Picnic held
at the Care Center on June 23rd. Both events were well attended, with lots of
questions and comments. I’d like to thank all of those who participated for
their interest in and dedication to Alcoholics Anonymous. Most of our members
do not attend our Area Meetings since they are not involved in General Service.
These post-conference reports provide a wonderful opportunity not only to share
with the fellowship what is currently taking place in Alcoholics Anonymous, but
also to hear what is of concern to our membership. So, if you haven’t already
done so, please talk with your districts about the possibility of scheduling a
post-conference report. The April meeting of the Board took place immediately
following the General Service Conference and was devoted to ratification of the
Advisory Actions passed by the Conference and the election of trustees,
directors and officers. So, there’s nothing new to report from the Board at
this time. Their next meeting will take place the end of this month. Once I
receive the minutes, I will forward them to the Area Committee. Copies of the
Grapevine Newsletter and AAWS Highlights were e-mailed to the Area Committee.
Some of the highlights are:
The Grapevine started a new program
last month. You can now receive a daily quote from the Grapevine in your
e-mail. The daily quote is also posted on aagrapevine.org. The Grapevine’s
newest book/e-book, “Young & Sober” was released the end of June and 5 more
e-books are scheduled for release this month, Step by Step, Spiritual
Awakenings Volumes 1 & 2, and Emotional Sobriety Volumes 1 & 2.
AAWS is still considering the
viability of e-delivery of the Daily Reflections. They have opted not to
develop a searchable meeting locator, stating that providing accurate
information is best handled locally. At their July meeting they will be
discussing a request to revise the policy and process used for listing AA groups
in GSO’s records. AAWS is reporting that for the first quarter of 2012, net
income from contributions and literature sales was approximately $10,800 under
budget, but expenses were also under budget by $68,811.00.
Following the Conference the
Delegates were asked to gather information and provide feedback on how to raise
awareness regarding the spiritual aspect of self-support. I forwarded this
request to our DCMs for their ideas. I’d like to thank the DCMs that responded
to this request. Your ideas will be forwarded to the Trustees’ Committee on
Finance following this Area Meeting. In the past, we have relied heavily upon
literature sales to support and maintain services vital in reaching the still
suffering alcoholic. But that is changing. Since there has been a migration in
the publishing industry from print to electronic media, income from literature
sales is decreasing and with the decline in the economy, contributions are also
down. The General Service Board and the Boards of AAWS and the Grapevine are
engaged in measures to cut costs and in the development of a plan to ensure the
future of Alcoholics Anonymous. But, responsibility for Alcoholics Anonymous
does not belong to our corporate Boards, it belongs to us. So how do we convey
the spiritual principal of self-support to our members? What actions can we
take to ensure our future? If anyone else has an idea, please get with me
before the end of the day, so it can be included with the suggestions that I
send to the Finance Committee. I’m looking forward to attending the Southeast
Regional Conference in New Orleans in August. Our Trustee will be there to fill
us in on what’s happening with the General Service Board and all of the
Southeast Delegates will be presenting on topics of their choosing. So far,
topics include Facebook, singleness of purpose, ________________, and I’ll be
talking about trusting the process. The Delegate from West Virginia has asked
if Area 26 would be interested in co-hosting the Southern States Alcoholics
Anonymous Service Assembly at some point in the future. Co-hosting would
require financial support plus participation and attendance. The Assembly will
take place in November of a year that there isn’t a Southeast Regional Forum.
The next one is in New Orleans in 2013, so the soonest we’d be looking at
hosting this is 2015. I’d like to get a sense of the Area? Would you be
interested in exploring the possibility of co-hosting with West Virginia. If so, I’ll start the discussions with the West
Virginia Delegate at the Southeast Conference and report back to you in
October. There are two Regional forums close by: West Virginia in November 2013
and Illinois in August of this year. I’d like to thank you all again for
privilege of serving as your Delegate. If there’s anything I can do to assist
you, your groups or your districts, please let me know.
DCM Reports
District 1 – Alt. DCM: Mark
S.
My name is Mark and I am the alternate
DCM for District 1. DCM James says hello, he is regaining his health and hopes
to be at the next meeting. I want to thank
District 14 for hosting this committee meeting, you have
done a great job. There have been a number of things happening in my district since
the last meeting. The district has lost three meetings due to lack of support,
other groups report membership has fallen off. Three groups have started having
GSR representatives and four others have given contact information. The district
held a workshop in June on AA and Corrections. Committee Chairman Ed M. presented
the workshop. The
workshop
was well attended. We will be hosting another workshop in October with a three person
panel and ask it basket. The subject will
be the Home Group. Everyone in District 1 please stand and thank you for all
coming.
District 2 - DCM: Darrick H.
I want to thank District 14 for hosting
this and the information at the Hospitalit y room was
awesome. Special thanks to Amy and Joy for
the e-mail to all districts about their guidelines. We are in the process of revising
our
guidelines. Thanks to the website committee
for working with us. I want to thank Jon
for his hard work on
the
directories. There are a few groups that
have expressed interest in joining our district and I appreciate the input I have
gotten. Added one new meeting at 4:30 and
it’s off to a great start. Our next District
dinner will be the first Saturday night at the Brown Street club in Paducah.
District 3 – Alt. DCM: Nancy B.
District 3 would like to thank District
14 for hosting this event. I am sorry I could
not attend but my 3 year old nephew is having surgery for his kidneys. Please keep
him in your prayers. We are in the process
of updating
our
district structure. It is bringing much entertaining
and colorful discussion to our District meetings. Undoubtedly, we will benefit in
the end with a great structure for years to come. I know I have already learned
some
new words and phrases. Meeting attendance
is up thanks to our local justice department....... Accompanied by a surplus of
alcoholics wanting to get sober or at least out of this heat. If you are traveling through our district, please
consult our website, www.bowlinggreenaa.org for meeting times
and locations. We are looking forward to seeing you. We now have an Intergroup in District three and
they have a new structure and Central Office.
District 4 -- DCM: Terry
C.
Greetings from District
four. I would like
to take this opportunity to thank District 14 for hosting this meeting and thank
you for all your hard work. I am pleased to report that during this last quarter
we did not lose any
groups
and gained one new group, The early riser group in Elizabethtown at 8:00am. Our district meeting averages 10 people each month.
We continue to rotate our meeting between three different counties to help increase
participation. Our emergency AA phone number has been in operation for two months
now and has proven to be helpful. We also are continuing to work on the district
website.
District 5 – Alternate DCM:
Joe C.
Could we have a brief moment of silence
for the recent losses in our district. District 5 held its district meeting on June 17
at the Coffee Club in Lebanon. Over 70% of our groups were represented. Among the
itemsdiscussed were additional attendance at the two new
morning meetings and success of the new “Newcomers meeting” at 6 PM on Fridays at
the library. Our district picnic will be Saturday, September 1st at the Fredericksburg
Ballpark between Bardstown and Springfield. District 5 will host October’s Area
assembly at the Quality Inn and Bardstown.
District 6 – DCM: Brian D.
District 6 would like to thank District
14 for hosting Area 26’s quarterly meeting. District 6 holds monthly meetings on the first
Wednesday of the month. We are averaging
12 groups at our monthly meetings. In the
past quarter District 6 added another group to our District, this group, Rebellion
Dogs, a 12 n 12 study group meets on Tuesday Nights at 7:00 P.M., the group began
at the beginning of 2012. At the May District Meeting the groups were given
the information concerning the theft of the monies from the Area 26 treasurer that
was received at the April Area Meeting. The GSR’s were asked to report the information
to their groups and bring back comments and suggestions at the June District meeting.
The following is the result of the comments
received from the groups at our June District Meeting. The statement made by Area
26 past Chairperson, Barbara F stating that “the Area Officers had come to an agreement
to write off the amount as a loss and any monies recovered would be listed as contributions”
to Area 26 created a stir. The groups felt
that as stewards for the groups the Area Officers do not have the authority to basically
hide the theft and ignore the fact that a crime was committed, without input from
the groups of Area 26. By electing to take
this action the groups felt the Area Officers were in fact accessories to the crime
after the fact. The groups of District 6
would like all the information obtained from the audit and statements from the previous
Treasurer Vonda L. turned over to the County Prosecutor, in the county where Vonda
L resided, for criminal prosecution by the Area 26 Committee. The majority of the
groups in District 6 were also disheartened to learn that a past delegate who was
serving as Area Chairperson and the Secretary did not even know the requirements
of the Financial Guidelines for Area 26 as they pertained to their responsibilities.
Some groups voiced their concern that maybe
Area 26 needs to review how Delegates and Chairperson and Secretaries are elected.
Other groups felt they need to use the power of the purse to remind the Area Officers
that they serve as the voice of the groups of Area 26 and not as leader of the groups.
Just an obedient voice for District 6.
District 7 – DCM: Bill P.
Hi, I'm Bill, an alcoholic and the DCM
from District 7. We have 9 active groups in the cities of Somerset, Whitley City,
Monticello, and Albany. We are rewriting
the district guidelines and will start the process of making them official next
Sunday at our district meeting. These guidelines will, among other things establish
a quarterly newsletter, a website, will stress service work and provide opportunities
for service work in the
district.
The district hosted a picnic celebration called "Spring
into Service" in June as part of our plan to have a district sponsored event
every quarter. The Monticello Group had its 40th anniversary celebration on June
25th
with
a pot luck supper and a speaker meeting. Also celebrating were two members, one
with 19 years of
sobriety
and one with 4 years of sobriet y. Recently we had an AA member move into the district
that has a lot of experience in corrections committee work. We are using her experience
to start a corrections committee in our district. I would like to thank District 14 for hosting this
area meeting.
District 8 – DCM:
No report
District 9 – DCM: Jack A.
We would like to thank District 14 for
this weekend. The Intergroup meetings that
are held monthly are well attended. Jim R.
is our Alternate DCM, Steve
P. is our treasurer and Jonda P., is our Secretary. The
Intergroup has been going through the Traditions checklist which has proved to be
very educational. We are planning our annual
summer picnic September 8 at Jenny Wiley State Park. We are receiving group reports
from GSR's. We
received
a financial report from Steve. We have two
jail meetings on Thursdays and Saturdays and one prisoners meeting on Tuesday's.
District 10 - DCM: Joy M.
District 10 is alive and well. We recently
helped to host the Unity picnic at the Care Center on June 23. As usual we had a
great time and good food. We appreciate Lynda, coming to share her report. The archivist
for our district has recorded well over 230 years of sobriety from local long timers.
This CD was copied and submitted to Area 26 archives today. Many more are scheduled
to be interviewed. At our last district meeting we agreed to change our structure
to include updating district 10’s group meetings on the Area 26 website as part
of our DCM's duties. Thanks to the hosting committee for great food and fellowship.
District 11 – DCM: Kevin
K.
Thanks to District 14 for hosting this
weekend. District 11 really appreciates the cool accommodations. Not much to report
for District 11 this quarter. All is going fairly smoothly. We did have our workshop
on the
“Three Legacies” in April and we had
a good time. There were about 100 people in attendance and all left with some good
information, a full belly, and a door prize. Thanks go out to our panel members
and all the volunteers that made this workshop a success.
District 12 - DCM: Jake B.
My name is Jake and I am an alcoholic,
currently serving as the DCM of District 12. There has been a new meeting added
to District 12, first things first newcomer meeting at 6:30 on Wednesdays. District
12 helped
collaborate
with other districts in the Metro Louisville area for the Unity picnic. It was very
successful and Lynda's delegate report was excellent and very informative. The food
was amazing and there was a great turnout. Thank you to all the districts and individuals
who put in such hard work to make this year's Unity picnic successful. Our district
recently formed an Ad Hoc committee to look into the effectiveness of the annual
events
that we hold and to bring back advisement to the next district meeting. Our district
is now operating above our prudent reserve for the first time in over two years.
Attendance at our monthly district meeting has been down a bit lately most likely
due to it being summer and people traveling. Thank you to District 14 for hosting
this area meeting, thank you for allowing me to be of service and would all those
from District 12 please stand.
District 13 -- DCM: Mike
Y.
Thanks to District 14. The meetings
usually have between nine and eleven GSR’s present at District 13. There are two
in attendance today. We have made some new copies of the district handbook for new
GSR's. In June we were involved with the Unity picnic held at the Care Center. There
was food and games and Lynda gave her delegates report on the General Service Conference.
District 14 -- DCM: David
W.
I want to say welcome to District 14
and to Frankfort. I am happy with the way our district has come together for this
Area 26 Meeting, and I want everyone in the room who from District 14 to stand or
raise your hand if you are already standing. I want to personally thank you all
for your service. If any of you all visiting us need anything, these are the people
to ask, because these are the people who made this all possible. By the way, how
did you all like that BBQ? If you didn’t like it we will gladly give you a refund
in full. District 14 continues to meet every
month that there is no Area meeting, rotating our meeting location among the groups
in the district. As you can imagine most of our activity has been focused on making
this weekend possible. All of the groups who regularly attend district meetings
contributed in several ways, from planning and hands on work to additional financial
support. We decided to divide responsibilities for different aspects of this weekend
by home groups. You will notice on the agenda that we didn’t hold a workshop. This
was a point of discussion and as no home group chose that responsibility and also
because of how much business the Area committee has on our plate this Quarter we
decided not have a workshop in hopes of devoting more time to the Area 26 business.
We have 4 groups in District 14 who continue
to not participate in the District. I have visited 3 these groups in the last 6
months and while at least 2 of them have GSRs, they still have yet attend any District
meetings. We have discussed at length the agenda items for this Quarterly meeting,
so that I have a clear sense of how District 14 feels. We have provisionally chosen a new alternate DCM
as the one initially elected has had some unexpected life changes that made it very
difficult to maintain the responsibilities of that position as outlined in our district
structure. Charlie R., from the Paris group will serve as the alternate DCM for
District 14. I want to thank District 14
for allowing me to serve them.
District 15 -- DCM: Jason
R.
Things are going well in District 15
with an overall increase in meeting attendance and no problems to report. We have
had District Meetings in June and July since the last Area Meeting in which we have
discussed a variety of topics. Beginning on the first Sunday in August, our meeting
will be moved to Christ The King Church due to remodeling
at our old meeting location. We meet the first Sunday of each month at 5:00 PM.
One of the hottest topics discussed in recent months has been the District 15 website
which is now up and running. We invite everyone to check it out and provide feedback
on how we might improve our site. The address is http://www.aasouthlexingtonky.org, and
it can also be found by going to http://www.aalexingtonky.org,
a little shorter address. The site has been designed to be used as a service
tool for those attempting to locate meetings in the Lexington area as well as a
method of communicating local events and service opportunities. Feedback we have
received already has been positive, primarily due to its simplicity. Our workshop chair has announced that the next
workshop will be held on July 28th, at the Alano Club
at 1:30 PM. The exciting topic they have chosen for this month is “Where Your Money
Goes”. We hope for some lively discussion about the 7th tradition and invite anyone
interested to please join us. Other committees reported that they are doing well, however, the corrections committee reported a lack of willing
female AA’s carrying the message inside the walls of the Fayette County detention
center. Anyone in the Lexington area who is interested in taking part can see me
for more information. Thank you all for being here to enhance my life this weekend!
District 16 -- DCM: Secretary,
Amy B.
First let me apologize for my absence
the last two meetings, I have been dealing with some health issues that have not
allowed me to attend our meeting. Hopefully by the fall meeting I will be well enough
to participate once again. Our District currently
has 14 groups 8 of which pretty consistently have representation at the District
meeting. There is a resurgence of interest in learning more about the principles
of the AA structure among a couple of the groups and this has been inspiring to
many of us. One of the groups that sponsored
6 meetings a week, that we thought we had lost has re-grouped and has begun to attend
the District meetings again and wants full participation in the AA process of service.
Once again this is inspiring and shows us how our Higher Power works things out
when we just let go. In May we had our spring
picnic call Spring Fling. It was held at one of our local camp grounds with a pot
luck lunch and an excellent speaker. This was well attended by AAs from all groups
across the district and their families and a good time was had by all. We are planning our annual Thankmass
get together which will include a speaker and our White Elephant live auction.
No date has been set as yet. There is interest
among the groups to have a couple of service workshops,
we are still trying to come up with a plan of how to present these so as to have
the best attendance. More than likely these will be on next year’s schedule.
District 17 – DCM: Renee B.
The May 19th Hog
Roast was a great success with about 300 people in attendance.
There was plenty of food and fellowship to
go around. We had standing room only for both the Al-Anon and the AA meetings. We
have one new group that is now officially registered with GSO. On June 10, District
17 sponsored a birthday party for AA. We had three people give leads and a sobriety
Countdown. Through a raffle with books and speaker CDs we
were able to send a donation with a card to GSO. Thanks again to District 14 for
hosting this meeting.
District 18 -- DCM:
No report
District 19 – DCM: Jim K.
Thank you District 14 for hosting this
meeting. The lunch was great. The groups in District 19 are continuing to be more
than they have in many years. We have district meetings each even numbered month
with three or
more
GSR's in attendance. All the meetings in District 19 have been visited and encouraged
to participate. District 19 participated in the planning and execution of the Delegate’s
report and Unity picnic in June.
District 20 -- DCM:
No report
District 21 – DCM: Melissa B.
Hello! My name is Melissa B., DCM for
District 21 and a grateful recovering alcoholic. Many thanks
to District 14 for hosting us this weekend. We appreciate your hard work on our behalf. Lunch
was delicious! District 21
has
had a nice, quiet quarter. The committee met twice. Our first meeting was held to
fill empty officer positions. Our new treasurer is a lovely lady with a background
in finance and banking, and our newly elected secretary actually comes to every
District Meeting, takes notes, and distributes them to the rest of the committee.
We are grateful and very impressed with both of them! Recently, we held a second meeting to make preliminary
plans for our annual picnic. Usually we hold our picnics in September. However,
considering how blistering hot the weather has already been this year, we’re trying
to reserve a picnic spot near a public pool while the pools are still open. Would those
here from District 21 please stand and be recognized?
District 22 -- DCM: Stan
B.
My name is Stan B. and I'm an Alcoholic
and DCM for District 22. I want to extend my gratitude to
District 14 for serving as the hosts
for this area meeting and for the food they provided. The attendance at the district
meetings has been lower the last three months; maybe the warm weather had an impact.
We have one new GSR which tells me the district is gaining stability; also one new
group that is devoted to studying the traditions but as of yet have not decided
to apply as a home group. Our next event will be July 29th and is to help our corrections
committee and prison committee. See anyone from the district to purchase raffle
tickets to support this effort. I want to thank you and District 22 for allowing
me to serve would all those from District 22 stand up and be recognized.
District 23 – GSR: H.
I would like to thank everyone who worked
so hard to bring this weekend together. The hospitality and fellowship have been
great! Things in district 23 have been going
along as usual. Meetings are open and
attendance
has been good at all meetings. There has been a heartening increase in the message
being carried into the women's side of the Boyd County Jail. With two steady meetings
occurring every week one of which is devoted to step work with the inmates interested
in working the AA 12 Steps. A beginners meeting has been started at a local detox
center. However it suffers from a lack of group cohesion in regards to steady chairpersons
and being self-supporting as far as coffee supplies and other various organizational
aspects. At our last district meeting we
had a total of three participants. So we hope that this was just due to summer time
vacations etc.
District 24 -- DCM: Jennifer
S.
My name is Jennifer and
I'm an alcoholic. District 24 would like
to thank District 14 for hosting us here in Frankfort. I would also like to thank District 24 for allowing
me the opportunity to be of service. Before
I forget, would all members of District 24 stand and be recognized. District 24 had the opportunity to help host
the 7th Annual Delegate's Report & Unity Picnic
on June 23rd. There were approximately 50
to 60 individuals in attendance with great food and fun. Thanks Lynda for your hard
work and dedication! A meeting has been planned for August 19th in which the Kentuckiana Districts and the Louisville Intergroup will convene
and discuss ways in which we can all work together to carry the message. The District continued to discuss its concerns
with confidentiality and anonymity on the Area 26 Website. Out of our discussion some questions were raised
in regards to what other Areas in the U.S. are doing. For example, do they actually have a password
protected area on their website and if so what software are they using and what
security means do they have in place. Emails were sent to the majority of web-masters
in the U.S. Several areas have protected
websites, some areas have protected websites for only area and district business
and a few areas wouldn't touch the issue. It runs the gamut. Results of the survey have been organized in a
spreadsheet. We did find that we are not alone in this discussion and most web-masters
are willing to help if the Area chooses to move forward. Big thanks to Liz E. for her time on this endeavor!
District 24 has also obtained a couple more GSR's and the Group Information Change
Forms have been sent to the Area 26 Registrar, GSO and the Louisville Intergroup.
All Committee Chair positions are filled with the exception of Kentuckiana News and Archives. We are also still on the hunt
for an Alternate DCM.
District 25 – DCM: Renetta P.
Good afternoon, Area 26. My name is Renetta, I’m an alcoholic, representing
District 25 as DCM. We’d like to invite you,
if you’re out roaming, to visit one of the meetings in Mercer, Boyle, Lincoln, or
Casey Counties.
Garrard County can’t welcome you to
a meeting yet, but the members who live there will be glad to chat with you! Updates
for this past quarter are: North Point Training
Center continues to be unsupported by District 25 members, but Ed M., Mike M. and
Dave T., all from Louisville have been acting on AA’s behalf and stepping in to
support the meeting. As of this writing,
two people in District 25 have volunteered to be approved by North Point. Their
information has been sent to the CTO, but no response has been received to date.
Two calls were received during this quarter regarding treatment options for women.
One was researched and the information passed
on; the second was handled by the person calling before I could return the call
at the end of the work day. We now have a
volunteer for Archives Chair for District 25 Guy G. The Treasurer position vacated and filled in the
same meeting (thank You, God!). CPC had no
activity. Groups in the district are becoming
more aware of following AA guidelines, with changes being implemented. Thank you, District 14, for your service and hard
work in hosting this Area Meeting. You are
especially dear to my heart, since you
were
my former home district and I remember when it was as dark as District 25 used to
be at the District level. Would everyone from District 25 please stand for recognition?
District 26 – DCM: Nikki P.
On behalf of District 26 we would like
to thank District 14 for their hospitalit y at this Area
meeting. District 26 has been busy this quarter. The Downtown group had a chili
cook off and speaker meeting. Hungry Spirits
group held an Old-timers/Newcomers Memorial meeting where Gaynell
C. and AC were remembered on June 10th, AA;s birthday East End decided through their group conscience
to discontinue one of their meetings due to lack of attendance. We gained a group,
the Recovery Warriors, which is based in Cumberland Hall, a local treatment facility.
Due to Mother's Day, our district meeting was canceled, but our next meeting will
be held in August.
District 27 -- DCM: Jeremy
S.
We in District 27 would like to thank
District 14 for hosting the July Area meeting. Our last meeting was May 20, 2012
at 2:30. We had 8 of 19 groups in attendance. Happenings for our district since last report were
the
15th annual Howling
at the Moon. Also we had the district's annual fish fry, both went well despite the heat. Updated district schedule
meeting brochures were printed and the women's meetings at the jail were
reintroduced.
Our next meeting will be July 22, 2012 at 2:30. Thanks for letting me be of service to Alcoholics Anonymous. Everyone in District 27
please stand.
District 28 – Alt DCM: Alice D.
Thank you District 14 for hosting this
weekend's area meeting. At the April district meeting I provided handouts on how
to make a group more handicapped accessible and encouraged GSR's to discuss this
with their home groups. Alice D, alternate DCM, distributed copies of the updated
district 28 guidelines. At our May district meeting the Courage group sent a proposed
motion for an area structure change that would require two signatures for all checks
written by Area 26. After discussion and reviewing the current Area 26 financial
guidelines the motion to submit this item was voted down. We discussed ways to be
a part of the solution following current guidelines. Lynda R, Delegate, came to
Lexington to give a post conference report June 3rd and it was well attended. In
June District 28 discussed the motion submitted by districts 6, 10, 11, 14, and
15 regarding proposed structure change and voted in favor of this motion. We discussed
the tabled motion about the development of a password-protected area on the Area
26 website. The sense of the district was that there was not enough information
regarding logistics, finances and feasibility. With the information currently
available
District 28 was not in favor of this motion. This item generated discussion concerning
guidelines for Internet, copies of guidelines from GSO were provided to the GSR's.
Currently all committee chair positions are filled. Our Corrections chairperson,
Robbie C. is planning a Corrections workshop in August. This will be the last Saturday
of the month at 1:30 at the Alano club in Lexington.
District 29 – DCM:
No report
District 30 -- DCM:
No report
District 31 -- DCM:
No report
District 32 -- DCM: Erika
G.
District 32 would like to thank District
14 for hosting the Area 26 committee meeting this quarter. We have five groups that
support our monthly meeting on a regular basis. We will be moving our meetings
to the Alano club in Florence effective in August. We
meet the first Monday of each month at 6:30 PM. District 32 carries meetings into
the BCDC and GCDC on a weekly basis. Men and women volunteers are always needed
to carry the message at these institutions. District 32 did hold its second annual
service workshop in April. The workshop was held on Unity, Service and Recovery.
River Bill and Judy N., shared their experience, strength
and hope. There were at least 50 people in attendance and we did fill two positions
in the district. It was brought to our district meeting in July that Falmouth care
unit is asking for donations of Big Books. If any district has a donation of Big
Books they would like to donate, please see me after the meeting or send directly
to the Falmouth care unit. Our district has asked GSR's to go back to their groups
and asked for donations of Big Books. The groups of District 32 would like all the
information obtained from the audit and statements from the previous Treasurer Vonda
L., turned over to the county prosecutor in the county where Vonda L., resided for
criminal prosecution by the Area 26 committee. And that all future thefts from Area
26 be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
District 33 – DCM:
No report
District 34 – DCM: Jeff N. (Reported by Renee B.)
There is nothing new to report in District 34. There is nothing wrong to report
in District 34. We seem to be having a lot of anniversaries this month which means
a lot of cake. Thanks to everyone in Area 26 for your support.
District 35 -- DCM: Bernard
B.
On behalf of District 35 I would like
to thank District 14 for its wonderful job hosting this Area 26 general service
meeting. District 35 welcomes back the Don't do it alone
group. They have since elected a GSR Bob H., and are attending the District 35 business
meetings. This brings our total group participation at the district level to four.
The Latonia 11th Step
group had invited me to their group conscience at which they were entertaining the
motion of leaving the district. The home group members expressed their concerns
regarding the condition of District 35, past conflicts with the district, and lack
of workshops and activities at the district level. I was asked by the group to give
a report on District 35’s condition. I did so and to ease the groups’ tensions on
the recurrence of past conflicts, I educated the group on the spirit of rotation
and that the new trusted servants recognized the past faults in considering the
groups autonomy. I'm glad to report that the motion failed by unanimous vote. District
35 is still organizing a dance however we seem to be failing at raising any volunteers
to support its production. We're entertaining the idea for an open house, supported
by flyers, to raise awareness of the district's need for support and to reach awareness
of what the AA members would like to see from their district. At our last District
35 meeting a motion passed with unanimous decision, to temporarily cease sending
the Area 26 any contributions until the financial matter is settled. Although this
motion was passed, not as a punishment to the Area 26 from a district standpoint
more so to ensure the groups wishing not to support the area can be assured that
the monies sent to the district will be used to support their district and not the
area. As the DCM in hindsight and education
I received after the fact I've realized that I've failed on two fronts. One this
motion should of gone back to the groups before it was voted on and not by the basis
of the GSR's understanding of their groups and two I should've educated my GSR’s
on the financial needs of an area to carry out our primary purpose to carry the
message to alcoholics who still suffer and this motion to start an area of financial
support is not in the best interest of AA as a whole. As a means of amending the
situation I will be educating the GSR”s on the importance of supporting the area
financially and I will also entertain the motion to rescind this motion and take
it to the groups in an educational manner and bring it back to the district as a
new motion. District 35 after review of its district boundaries has released any
claims of entitlement to the Kenton County correctional facility.
District 36 -- DCM:
No report