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Wednesdays:
Meeting closure -
The Wednesday night Orenda Center meeting in Santa Rosa has disbanded.
Wednesdays:
Alcoholism is a Family Disease…
Come join us in Alateen!!
AGES 13-19
You will make new friends, discuss solutions to problems, help one
another, and learn you are not the only one dealing with an alcoholic
parent, relative or friend.
New meeting,
WEDNESDAY NIGHTS
7:15PM –8:30PM
At the 7th Day Adventist Church
2695 Petaluma Blvd. North
(corner of Gossage and Petaluma Blvd. North, Petaluma)
6/27/08:
The Holiday Bash Planning Committee
meets the last Friday of every month. Volunteers wanted!
6 pm at the Rohnert Park IHOP.
WEBSITE COORDINATOR'S Report:
I have put some new links up on the Resources
page.
Podcasts,
new PSAs,
and a blog,
oh my! Check ’em out!
To see this site's page hits for March, April, and May... Read
more >
GROUP REP
Report:
As my three-year term comes to an end
this December,
I have really learned a lot about being a Group
Representative, and am really
glad I did it.
I started as a GR Alternate, coming to the
Assembly (the Northern California World Service Area business meeting)
near the end of someone’s term to check out whether I could
do this. I was overwhelmed with all the decisions to be made and all
the sharing from a business side. Because I had quite a bit of recovery
under my belt, I took what I liked and left the rest and also took care
of myself.
…
It was a side of me that I wanted to
develop more instead of always feeling helpless around. So I became
Group Rep for a full 3-year term. It meant driving an hour each way
once a month and bringing back information to my home group. At first
it seemed like a bunch of gobbledy gook and boring information that had
always kept me away before. But I also saw the order of how business
meetings were, what needed to be addressed and taken care of so that we
could create safety, continuity, participation, and gather information
for our home meeting. It created a link that takes us outside of not
just our own little world, but the groups’ little world. I
began to see that through the mundane stuff we had to go through,
gradually there were votes and decisions made to move forward one way
or the other.
…
And now that I think about it, I
have become more involved at a deeper level, which I wasn’t
ever ready to do before. It means that I am truly committed to giving
back to a program that has given me so much. It has brought me greater
recovery on many levels and I have found more people with more recovery
doing this job, which I have been looking for. It has really made a
difference for me as well as the group. Being a GR has felt like
bringing fresh air to my home group. Without it the group can survive,
but doesn’t get the stimulation or fresh infusion of ideas
that the GR brings from the District.... Read
more >
A NOTE FROM THE DISTRICT WEBSITE COORDINATOR:
There are many District-level service
positions that follow the 3-year model – Group Reps, District
Officers and Coordinators. I am very grateful to Teresa for submitting
her share – please follow the Read More link, above, to see
the whole share. I hope it inspires more of our current batch of
trusted servants to send in descriptions of their service positions.
(Update: Thank you, Tina!) I
would love to have them all up on
the web where anyone thinking of
volunteering for
the next panel (January 2009 – December 2011) can read about
the positions and possibly be inspired to step up to District-level
service.
Our District Rep, Erik, has called
for volunteers to develop a “Procedural Manual”
(guidelines)
outlining the responsibilities for Officers & Coordinators,
something the
District has identified as desirable to have before the new panel is
voted in this October. Whether these projects happen depends upon the
participation of all concerned.
So,
to the current group reps, officers, and
coordinators, please email me
and make this project a success. Your description could be as
simple as listing what your service duties were
and approx. how long it took you to perform them each month, or you
could add whatever you want to share about your own experience of doing
that position. We are not trying to replace official World Service
guidelines where they exist, just trying to let people get a sense of
what serving in our District might be like to help with their informed
decision-making process (after which the new panel has the Right of
Decision to do the job as it suits them… as always,
“Take what you like and leave the rest!”)
To those thinking of serving next time,
please don’t let the 3-year commitment deter you from
volunteering. When I became a GR, I did not know if we would have to
move out of Sonoma County, so I told my group I would do the job as
long as I could if they wanted to vote me in… they did, and
now here I am almost 3 years later, serving out my entire term as well
as having taken on the website position at the District level. (So
yes, it was on my to-do list to practice what I preach and write the
“job description” for the website
coordinator
position!) Also keep in mind that all of the service
positions can have Alternates if there are
enough volunteers; part of the beauty of Al-Anon is that we
don’t have to do things alone.
Love in service,
Debbie C.
DISTRICT
TREASURER'S Report:
The only
requirement for all service positions is WILLINGNESS. District Treasurer
is no exception and the reason why I’ve been able to do it
for the last 3 years. If I’d have needed a degree in
economics or even the ability to balance my own checkbook,
I’d have been rejected from the start. But this is Al-Anon
with wonderful opportunities for personal growth. Thank God.... Read
more >
DISTRICT
SECRETARY'S Report:
To read the May District meeting
minutes... Read
more >
MEMBER SHARE – Hope for
the Family Disease:
In Al-Anon I
learned alcoholism is a
family disease. One night I went to sleep wondering what
part I
played in the alcoholic drama, and the next morning I woke with the
thought: when our children were growing up, it was my self-imposed job
to make sure everyone tiptoed around their dad so he wouldn't become
angry. Numbing my own feelings was bad enough, but I tried to get my
children to numb theirs too. … Read
more >
Top of Page
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A
new book on relationships called Discovering Choices
is coming out
soon. The most recent CAL (Conference- approved literature) to be
published by Al-Anon Family Groups' World Service Office was a book
about grief called Opening Our Hearts, Transforming Our Losses.
Members
who have read this book give it glowing reviews, and so the new book
will no doubt be looked forward to with great anticipation. The WSO is
shooting for a July publication to coincide with the International
Convention. Ask your group's literature person to be on the lookout for
it!
