Minutes of the April 3, 2011 Assembly held at Maryknoll Center 55 Ryder Road, Ossining, N.Y.

Transcription

1 Minutes of the April 3, 2011 Assembly held at Maryknoll Center 55 Ryder Road, Ossining, N.Y. OPENING: Chairperson, Fran M. opened with a moment of silence followed by the Serenity Prayer at 1:00 PM. Judy H. read the 12 Traditions and Virginia read the page of the day (Apr. 3) from the Courage to Change. Fran read an article from Area Highlights about Al-Anon s foundation and the WSO. Fran gave a presentation on KBDM. INTRODUCTION OF THOSE PRESENT SECRETARY: [temporary] Fred G. snya_secretary@al-anonny.com Please reports or hand them to me. TREASURER: [vacant] Renee R. gave her last treasurer s report: Balance as of Mar. 1, 2011, checkbook balance is $13,550.24, operating funds $12, Motion 51-A4-01: Michele made a motion, seconded by Sue, to accept the Treasurer s report. Y-53 No-0 Abs-0 Motion passed. CHAIRPERSON: Fran M. snya_chairperson@al-anonny.com Good afternoon everyone, and thank you for your service today. I often think what a testament it is to Al-Anon that we give up a Saturday or Sunday, four or even eight times a year to give service to this wonderful fellowship. Lois Wilson must have given much of her time to give us this program. Since Renee is finally stepping down as Treasurer this month, and we thank her for staying on three months extra to help us out, I will have to take over that position. I am happy to give service to Al-Anon. I m not happy about doing two jobs at once. Our team is not complete, and in order to do a good job for the Area, we need a full team. The Trusted Servant Profile sheets are on the desk. Take one if you feel that God is tapping you on the shoulder, fill it out, and come to the AWSC meeting in May. Thanks for your help. DELEGATE : Petra L. snya_delegate@al-anonny.com Welcome GRs, DRs, Committee Members and visitors. In just one week I will be heading down to Virginia Beach to attend my first Conference. Exciting times are ahead, I received loads of information, and a conference mentor will greet me to get me started for sign-in and to help me to assemble my big Conference notebook with vital information and agendas for the various tasks ahead. Some of the committees I volunteered to take part in, others I was assigned to, and the rest will just have to reveal themselves. I am sure it will be a humble experience to take part in and I am looking forward to it. Getting ready to leave for an entire week is just the hardest part right now. But many other Delegates I met at the recent NERD (North East Regional Delegate) Conference assured me: It will be FUN. As with all service positions in Al-Anon I was encouraged to leave my personal agenda at the door and to bring in willingness and stamina from head to toe to take part in our largest group conscious and to bring all that information back to you in my report at the June Assembly. So please spread the word and invite other GRs to attend next time. In that way the information will flow from WSO to the groups and by getting the input from the groups, each group gets its voice heard here at the Assembly and all the way back to WSO. This year we will have a special celebration of 60 years of Al-Anon Family groups. There will be a special ceremony commemorating paying of the WSO s mortgage and continuing the celebration there will be a 60 th anniversary Banquet, a ticketed event with limited seating. Banquet ticket price is $50. The date is Sunday, April 16 th, 2011 A series of pod casts to help groups and Group Representatives is a new feature on the Alateen Members Website. To access the pod casts click on the website: For members & Groups log on the home page. GRs from across the US and Canada have shared their experience, strength and hope on the following topics: 1. How the group functions as a community 2. Structure of the Al-Anon/Alateen fellowship

2 3. The need for GRs and the GR duties 4. How do I become a GR? Members can also share their thoughts on the podcasts by selecting the Comment feature. The members sharing on these pod casts were selected from responses to the Unlimited Abundant Resources Skills Inventory, also available on the members website under the Surveys tab. Members interested in participating in future WSO projects such as the pod casts and Thought Forces are encouraged to complete the Skills Inventory. Love Gifts: Love gifts are small tokens to be shared with other areas in our fellowship during the conference. Each District and/or group is given the opportunity to be creative by using the theme, slogans, Serenity Prayer, etc. to send a loving message from NYS. Please specify your district number and always NYS on it. Also cards signed by members of your group will be shared with other areas at Conference. To those of you who have already sent the love gifts to my home, thank you. For those of you who brought them today I will take them later in my car as I am driving up to Virginia Beach. All others please send to: Petra L (hold for WSO 4/11-15, 2011) Wyndham Virginia Beach Oceanfront 5700 Atlantic Beach, Virginia Topic#2: Minimal (or unsuccessful) Public Outreach conducted by Al-Anon members because many do not know the latest media terminology (jargon), lack familiarity or comfort with current technological methods of communication, and have no training about evolving media unless received outside of AFG. Considering yesterday s foundations, today successes, and tomorrow s possibilities, how can we expand our community of hope by embracing the use of technology to enhance communication at the group, district, Area, and WSO levels? Topic#5: Our Survey indicates that our members are primarily well-educated, 56-year-old, white women. Have we become a polite society that behaves correctly, but lacks a spiritual connection with those we see as different from our personal normal? Have we fallen into a political, societal vortex that exists on labels, categories, and codes, failing at the desired spiritual connection? What plan of action does Al-Anon with its trusted servants have to address undocumented immigrants entering Al-Anon from diverse communities? How can the World Service Conference develop an effective tool to build on Yesterday s Foundations Using Today s successes to make a difference in Tomorrow s possibilities by enhancing our relationships within the minority cultures throughout our fellowship? Using forward thinking efforts today, can we strategize to develop an increase in minority membership? Diversity and inclusion Twelve Step work, attraction vs. promotion, cooperation vs. affiliation, outreach to diverse communities and/or populations, participation vs. observation, non-professional while using special workers, leadership, delegation, selected committees tying it all together. The executive Committee recently approved a recommendation by the Forum Editorial Advisory Committee to change the magazine s tagline from: a Meeting in my pocket to sharing Recovery, Unity and Service. The new tagline will be used beginning with the April issue. WSO is about to begin testing the proposed definition of family recovery with the Al-Anon Family Groups fellowship. This definition is being tested in a survey on the Members Web site. The definition proposed is the result of three previous surveys that are detailed in the background for the UUR Theme. You, of course, are also welcome to go on the Member s Web site and rate your level of acceptance of this definition. The survey opportunity will be presented in an electronic communication to the groups. The survey opportunity will also be directly ed to all the members who have provided their address in past surveys for future survey participation. And in addition there is a document for DRs to use in their district meeting to let GRs know about the upcoming survey. The survey will be open from Monday, March 7th, until Saturday, April 30th, midnight PST. ALTERNATE DELEGATE [vacant] Joan L. did the Concept meeting. AREA ISSUES: The AWSC recommends to the Assembly the appointment of Fred G. as Secretary. Motion 51-A4-02: Yes-51 No-0 Abs-0. Motion passed. Petra gave a Power Point Presentation: Leasing vs. ownership- Motion to Authorize Ownership of Real Property. Motion 51-A4-03: Michele R. made a motion, seconded by Marcia B.: That the assembly approve the following: Delegate will take 300 area love gift buttons to the 2011 WSC. Vote: Yes-43, No-0 Abs-7. Motion Passed

3 Motion 51-A4-04: to change the June Assembly date and location to the Memorial United Methodist Church, Bryant Avenue, White Plains, NY 10605, on Saturday, June 18th. Yes- 41 No-1 Abs-3. Motion Passed Motion 51-A4-05: Motion to change the October Assembly from October 22 to November 5. Yes-41 No-0 Abs-2. Motion Passed Guideline Motions: First Assembly discussion of all the guideline motions from Steering Committee. These motions will be discussed/voted on at 6/18/11 Assembly. (Copy of these motions on Area web site.) First Assembly discussion of all March 2011 AWSC guideline motions. These motions will be discussed/voted on at 6/18/11 Assembly. (Copy of these motions on Area web site.) COORDINATORS: GROUP RECORDS COORDINATOR: Sara L. The records of the Area are being cleaned/purged and updated. With the incredible cooperation of former, current and new GR s, DR s and the Intergroup Web Listing, we are making headway towards having a mail list for Discovery by May 1 and a means of better communication among service members and the events for Al-Anon in Area 40. Thank you to all those members whose ears I have been chewing for the past few months, who have been kind enough to return my calls and put up with my having to search through vast paperwork to find what my messages referred to!! A special thank you to Al-Anon members who actually attended meetings in nearby locations to verify the existence of meetings not registered with WSO or not up-to-date with information that WSO has on file for them. The patience and kindness shown by all the folks I ve spoken to from Poughkeepsie to Montauk is a gift from Al-Anon having provided better ways for us to deal with challenges and problem resolution. I request that each member here today review the district information they received and notify me of changes, corrections and additions in the next few weeks. I have provided business cards and notes with contact information for doing just that. The next Committee meeting should have a nearly completed and more usable database than we ve ever had. ALATEEN COORDINATOR: Sue P. snya_alateen@al-anonny.com There has been and continues to be a ground swell of activity and interest to revitalize Alateen in New York South. There are AMIAS trainings scheduled currently through May March 5 was the first AMIAS training in Manhattan. On Sunday March 27, we were in Nassau County. On April 2, we ll be in Yonkers. April 9 will be a full training in District 30, Orange County. The East end on Long Island will host a training on May 7. Refer to our area website for training date announcements. ARCHIVES COORDINATOR: Donna D. snya_archivist@al-anonny.com I have made arrangements to pick up the area archives from the past archivist for April 9 th. I will let the area know when the transfer is complete. I have put together a project to mark the 60 th year of Al-Anon.It is called 60 years of slogans. Members of Al-Anon can write down their favorite slogan, why, name, meetings and years in Al-Anon. I will Bring it to assemblies, AWSC, discovery and any other workshops within the Al-Anon family. Is I can t attend, I will send it with another member from the area. I hope that you all will share this important toll of Al-Anon with the archives. DISCOVERY 2011 COORDINATOR: Judy H snya_discovery@al-anonny.com We have registration forms for distribution today. We also have the raffles list. We are asking for groups or districts to donate as we have for the last few years. We will be doing something new this year for raffles, a Chinese auction. You can pick the items you wish to take a chanc We need a program chair and a registration chair. Two people volunteered. We are looking for keynote speakers, so please recommend someone. Registration forms will be on the website shortly. For questions or comments write us at Discovery2011@ymail.com FORUM/LITERATURE COORDINATOR: Veronica E. snya_literature@al-anonny.com (Absent Report read by Carmen) Al-Anon s newest book will be available for purchase on April 16, Many Voices, One Journey tells the story of growth and recovery in the fellowship and its members over the past 60 years.

4 The Public Outreach site ( and the Member s site ( posts a sample chapter of Conference Approved Literature (CAL). April through June 2011, the sample chapter will be from Al-Anon s Twelve Steps & Twelve Traditions (B-8). The Sample Chapter is on Step Two, the pages describe reaching out for help and finding hope. I once read that step two is about possibility, and that is why it is about hope. So I urge you to check it out and pass the word to your groups. If you would like to find more readings on this topic there will be a list of other CAL that can be purchased. The Member s site also includes an opportunity to share on this topic. At the last Assembly someone approached me with questions as to how to submit a sharing for the Forum, so I had made copies of the guidelines, however I am sorry to not be here to distribute them. I will have the flyers at the next Assembly, but for now you can find the guidelines on the Member s site. If you ever wanted to be a published writer now is the time to write! Every month the Forum features member s shares on how a particular piece of literature has enhanced their recovery. At this time the Forum is looking for shares about Courage to Be Me (B-23) and the pamphlets The Al-Anon Focus (P-45), Alcoholism, the Family Disease(P-4), and The Twelve Steps and Traditions(P-17). Sharpen those pencils and write, write, write! You can also submit a sharing online at the member s website. For those of you who prefer a keyboard over pencils I have three words for you: blog, blog, blog. The Member s site has three Legacy blogs that are open for posting, and all postings will be considered for use in the new Legacy workbook currently in development. Warm up those fingers and start blogging today! Thank you. NEWSLETTER COORDINATOR: Stacie S snya_newsletter@al-anonny.com [not present] PO BOX COORDINATOR: Beatriz G. snya_pobox@al-anonny.com I last picked up the mail on Mar. 26. The next pick up is Apr.9. Please inform me when we have a new treasurer. PUBLIC OUTREACH: Marcia B. snya_public_outreach@al-anonny.com I just received 800 AFA s to use for Public Outreach for professionals & rehabs. I intend to visit all our Al-Anon Information Services in our Area. I will have a list of rehabs in each County and will be asking for volunteers to speak on their ESH. We want to the families to know what Al-Anon can offer them. An AFA, meeting list and information regarding your AIS will be given to them. If you want to be part of your County s outreach, please contact me at snya_public_outreach@al-anonny.com. If you have any ideas regarding public outreach, please contact me. WEBSITE COORDINATOR- Michele R. snya_website@al-anonny.com I have exciting news from the world of technology. We are moving forward to improve our communication system for both the AWSC members and our GRs coming to Assemblies. I have established position addresses for each member of the AWSC that are associated with our Area website. Our website has four web addresses that connect to the site. For communication we will be using the.com url, so each position will have an address that ends The address is set up so that it can be used on reports, business cards, public outreach, etc. as it is associated with the website and contains no personal information. Behind the scenes each of the established website addresses has a forwarding address.which means that when anyone uses the website address, the message is forwarded directly to the member through their personal address. Some members have established a position g-mail or yahoo account. They will receive their s there. Setting up a system like this allows us to: include the website addresses in the minutes include the website addresses on announcements, calendar of events, etc for members to reach out, i.e. registering for an AMIAS training because the addresses are established by position, when positions change, the address remains the same, but the forwarding information can be easily changed the website addresses can be used for meeting notices and communication without compromising personal information And now to meeting notices and communication. Now that the website addresses are established, I have been able to set up an notification account with MailChimp. The notices go out individually and anonymously, so members cannot see or access anyone else s names or information. The site also provides reports, letting me know if someone s address is not working, how many people have opened the , etc. Please be sure to fill out the registration form today so you can be included on an notice list for important information and meeting reminders. Remember, information for each upcoming meeting is posted on the website on the Members Site page. Please don t forget to check and download your copies of agendas, minutes, motions, etc. prior to coming to AWSC or Assembly meetings.

5 Our members site url is: This site will soon be password protected. User name: service password: nys30 Password protection will begin after the June Assembly. I have completed updating the SNYA Guidelines with all changes voted on from the last term. The newest version is Version 2.1 (1/1/11). Don t forget to download your copy. You can leave it on your desktop, download a copy to your Kindle, or just print it out for reference. FYI: In January, I set up a new hits counter and as of today, we have had 1,484 visits to our website. If you have questions or suggestions for our website, please let me know. LIAISONS: SENY/AA - AL-ANON - Carmen I. snya_senyliaison@al-anonny.com I am attending the planning committee meetings for the statewide AA convention July at the Westchester Marriot. I have brought flyers today. I am looking for speakers for the Al-Anon room. Topics will be centered around the Language of Recovery - Steps, Traditions & Concepts. Donna our archivist volunteered to display at the AA convention. ALISON- - [vacant] GREATER NY INTERGROUP John M. snya_nyintergroup@al-anonny.com We have an Alateen task force committee that is trying to help establish Alateen meetings in Manhattan and get members for groups in the other boroughs. HISPANIC/SPANISH INTERGROUP - Margarita H. snya_hispanic_intergroup@al-anonny.com [not present] ROCKLAND AIS- Peggy Wissler snya_rocklandais@al-anonny.com [not present] SUFFOLK AIS- [vacant] WESTCHESTER-PUTNAM AL-ANON Cathy M snya_west.putnais@al-anonny.com The committee for Westchester/Putnam AIS had its quarterly meeting on Monday March 28, 2011 at which time updated meeting lists were sent out to local meetings and many professionals, libraries and organizations on its mailing list that have requested meeting lists. There are approximately 65 contacts that receive the mailings. The phone service has new volunteers, one for each day of the week, for this quarter. The volunteers return messages that come into the AIS. What a wonderful way for local members to give service! Anyone interested in this type of service, call the phone line, leave a message and Pat will get back to you. Though AIS receives donations from only about 1/3 of the groups in the Westchester/Putnam Area, it is fully solvent due to changes made in the operations in the past few years such as not having a permanent office and using a virtual phone system. It is working and we are serving local groups. The committee is currently discussing having another workshop this year, after last year s great success at The 411 on Serenity. If groups would like to participate in the planning please call the phone line and a committee member will get back to you. Also, the committee would love to see more participation from groups on the committee, if you are a group in Westchester/Putnam county please plan to send a representative to the next AIS meeting, Monday, June 27 th, 2011 at 7:30pm at the First Baptist Church, 456 North St. (at Bryant Ave.,) Wilson Hall, White Plains, NY We do enjoy fun and fellowship! Al-Anon Information Service for Westchester and Putnam Counties P.O. Box 868, White Plains, NY Website: al_is@hudsonestuaryalanon.org Phone: ANNOUNCEMENTS were made ADJOURNEMENT: Closed with the Al-Anon Declaration at 4:00 pm Respectfully submitted, Fred G. Secretary