ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS / AREA 93 / DISTRICT 17
Monthly District Meeting /June 6, 2006 rev.2
www.district17AA.org
Jeff Johnson called meeting to order.
15 total in attendance; GSRs 11 - DCM 1 - Alt DCM 1 Guests 2
Minutes from May Meeting were approved as submitted.
DCM Report - Jeff
Our Area 93 is the newest area in North America. Our DCM, Jeff, is the "adhoc" committee chair on the area inventory committee. This will be the second area inventory. At the upcoming July and August district meetings, we will discuss the area inventory. We do not have a coffee maker. If we want coffee for the district meeting someone will need to make coffee.
Alt. DCM Report (re: 5/21/06) - Maureen rev2
I attended the Oxnard Area Assembly and it was great. Vicki gave here presentation which was packed full of information. A mention to take back to your meetings - The General Service Office has a meeting every Friday at 11am. Lois started this so Bill would get to a meeting and it's stayed all these years. The address is 475 Riverside.
An important item is membership is flat and contributions are down and we need to get that information back to our groups. "We are losing the power of the purse when we depend on literature sales to cover our short falls." We have three choices - see attached hand out.
Archives: - Lisa -
Area Standing Committee Reports: May Assembly
CPC/Treatment Facilities:
At the Oxnard Assembly, getting our message to retirement homes, Indian reservations, and libraries was discussed. Do we need a different approach to Treatment Centers than to Recovery homes? When are we crossing over to what H&I does..? ("That's our job-stay out!"....) ? Is there a solution? (H&I started in California before General Service in New York-now only California and Nevada have an H&I committee)
Finance: Jeff - The area budget-setting meeting will be July 9 at the Holiday Inn in Camarillo. Everyone interested is invited to attend. Currently the area is doing a physical inventory of microphones, speakers, computers, etc. so that the new panel elected in January will know what they are responsible for. Our current insurance company has a customer rider policy which needs sixty days advance notice. This is causing us to shop different insurance providers. Only 44% of the groups are contributing to GSO. In order for GSO to respond to the declining trend in contributions, we have three choices:
1. Raise literature prices. This will allow other recovery sources to move into our publishing business and further reduce what AA publishes.
2. AA can cut back on our International services that help with translating the Big Book.
3. Make the groups aware of twelve step service we don't have the funds to provide and encourage members to contribute $2.00+ vs. $1.00.
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS / AREA 93 / DISTRICT 17
Monthly District Meeting /June 6, 2006 rev.2
www.district17AA.org
Grapevine/LA Vina: N/R
Guidelines and Policies: Mark L. Translation of area guidelines is being held up because we don't have translators equipped with e-mail and the ability to translate a Mexico City dialect into a San Salvadorean Spanish. Skilled Spanish/English translators with e-mail are needed to help finish this important job. Please ask your groups for skilled translators to help in the area doing translation. Call Jesus at (661) Bakersfield 330-9466, or email jesgto66@netzero.net for more information.
They are working hard on Spanish translation with the first draft due in August.
Literature/Audio Visual/Newsletter: Mark.
Is the actor James Wood's version of "Bill & Bob's Story" the right movie to show at "AA movie nights"?
A new GSO pamphlet on AA Central Offices would be difficult to print because each central office across North America is different. Some are jointly part of their own area structure. Collectors of racist memorabilia who are also interested in sexist memorabilia might want to take a look at the pamphlet "Letter to a woman Alcoholic" A woman's group in Western Canada has identified this pamphlet as being tainted with AA sexism. With our own area 93 Delegate, Vicky sitting on the GSO literature committee this pamphlet has been retired from further publication.
Public Information / Accessibility/ Website: rev2
Highlights Laurie chaired the meeting and it was well attended.
The PSA in theatre and bus project is moving forward, Lisa was not present as she was attending the American Indian convention, but Laurie thinks the bus bench PSA's may be more affordable She also said the pro/cons of this should be discussed at a district level. She would love to see this project come to fruition by the end of the year. We also discussed the difference between personal anonymity and AA as an entity, which is not anonymous.
Laurie shared that here district was also working on taking meetings to people's homes who have trouble getting child care.
Mary Ann added that she is working with her local cable company to get them to air PSAs in the community service announcement area. She also showed us some news paper adds she's been placing and also distributed some hand-outs for local placement. (see attached hand outs)
Mary Ann also talked about a project called "Adopt a Doctor" where you take literature to a doctor and continue to replenish this on a regular basis. She said we should also take literature to our personal doctors when we go for regular exams and educate them about the disease.
There is a PI event hosted by Districts 3 &4 for the Spanish community which will be translated to English. They have invited members of the professional community to gather on Saturday, June 17th from 2 - 4 pm in Van Nuys. This would be great for anyone interested in PI as well as H&I.
Michael from our District will be meeting with Randy to discuss on the possibility of a joint web master for Area 93.
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS / AREA 93 / DISTRICT 17
Monthly District Meeting /June 6, 2006 rev.2
www.district17AA.org
Registration: Ernie
Any registration complaints? ..talk to Ernie.
New Business:
District 17 needs a secretary. Your job will include taking notes at the meeting and typing these notes out and emailing them to our dcm. Please search your heart to see if you are willing to help the district in this way.
We have contacted the local high schools and they will take some AA literature. "As Bill see's it" and "Bill unplugged-for teens" are checked out a lot from their libraries. Please ask your groups to:
1. Donate one or two each new Big Books and/or 12 Steps and 12 traditions.
2. Donate the equivalent in cash designated for books for local high schools and libraries.
These donations are for high schools and librararies only, not for Hospitals or Institutions.
When we have this new literature we can "send a student to high school" with it.
General Sharing: rev2
How, where or is there a place for AA fundraisers??..Something that needs more discussion?
We now have an address to mail district 17 group contributions. Think about going to meetings that don't have GSR's and giving the treasurers the pamphlet on contributions and our district 17 mailing address Area 93's archive repository located in Oxnard is open for visiting. We need volunteers to staff it--two volunteers at a time.
1. One volunteer should have two years continuous sobriety.
2. The second volunteer should have a least 24 hours sobriety.
Let your groups know that we have a place for our area archives now so that they don't need to hold back on contributing their personal archives. We now have a good place for them to go.
Get ready for the August Area Assembly and taking our area inventory. We are planning to to have our delegate report back from the general service conference for four districts at the Burbank Group meeting hall on Winona in Burbank (near the airport).
Cry Help treatment center is hosting a parole orientation program for recently paroled convicts. If you have any interest in helping these people please contact Melanie. She can help fill you on what this is about and how you can help.
Submitted by Mark L.
Revisions (rev2) inserted by Jeff J.