December 2014

In December, we received 325 requests. I emailed 605 answers. We got 34 telephone calls.  

International connections made this month:

Turkey, Lithuania, South Africa, Australia, Sweden, Poland, Canada, Russia, Netherlands, Greece, Spain, Kenya China 

Remarkable events:

------------ Around the world: Sweden reminded us that their BBI package hasn't come yet. Australia is asking about book seeding. Lithuania is working on translations. Another South African looking to start a meeting in Johannesburg so I am working with her and I sent her the Africa Contact Sheet. A S AF meeting asked for shipping help with a bulk order. Robin reported "we've received actual translations in the following languages": Arabic Danish Dutch Chinese Finnish French German Greek Hebrew Japanese Polish Portuguese Russian Serbian Swedish. Majbrit helped to update my EU list and it added many countries and I am so glad: Greenland, Iceland, Faroe Islands, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Ireland, UK, Germany, Poland, Netherlands, Belgium, Luxemburg, France, Switzerland, Austria, Liechtenstein Czech Republic, Hungary, Moldova, Slovakia, Romania, Bulgaria , Serbia, Montenegro, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, Albania, Greece, Italy, Monaco, Malta, Andorra, Portugal, Spain, Cyprus, Gibraltar, Turkey. (Ukraine, Belarus). I asked EU person if there is interest in doing all non-USA requests as I rotate out. Depending on the answer, I will bring it to the board if there is interest. A member in Russia reached out for help. The member in Greece reached out and I forwarded her to Majbrit as we have restructured what she covers as EU. A woman living temporarily in China asked for help finding meetings.

----------- Intergroups: Southern Ohio is starting an IG and reached out for help I am thankful for IGSC support. AZ IG reported IG608 is not accurate, they are IG009. IG in Quebec is very active and working in translations too. The IG Bylaws group reached out for information about the BBI project. A member from California reached out about starting another IG. As a common response to new meeting starts and other requests, I paste the IG information in an effort to connect members/meetings with their IG's.

-----------ACA Teen: -  ChronicleMe.com that addresses cyber-bullying, teen suicide, and other serious social issues asked to add us to their listings as a resource along with other 12 Step Fellowships. A member in Sacramento said they would like to help ACA develop a program like SACYPAA which is for young people affected by alcoholism and I am working to explain and encourage the ACA Teen concept. A member asked if Alateen was part of ACA.

----------ABC: - We received the 2014 ABC contact list for those who attended the ABC in Chicago last April.

-----------Teamwork: Gloria (website updates): 35 Office 12 Majbrit 6, MaryJo 0, Ines 2, Larry 6, Joan 6, IGSC 2, Executive Board: 3 (2 were about complaints about me) Jude: 35 (plus numerous emails for information) I'm sending her more difficult emails now and a voicemail now and then. I asked her if she would be interested in rotating in as I rotate out. We got a member from Russia who asked how to serve WSO, after showing her all the committees and what they do, she chose MPS. Jude is helping to train her. I'd like to warmly welcome Nastya to the MPS Committee!

The Laundry List and Flip Sides (draft)-(the following are not exact quotes) "Can we use transgender friendly language?" "It is printable, is that okay?" "It's brilliant!" "Please mention it was from a proposal that passed" "How long will it be available?" "Wording too difficult" "Can I buy it now?" "Why don't you use Janet Woititz list?" "The Charts/words are confusing"  There are 3 weekly telephone meetings based on this document.

-----------Events:   2-events were posted (Michigan and Christmas phone marathon). There are 4 Non WSO sponsored events listed. There are 2 WSO sponsored events listed: The yearly Annual Business Conference and the monthly Teleconference.  A member alerted me that the yellow highlighted "Non WSO Events" verbiage was inadvertently removed by me and I fixed it. Quebec is arranging an event in May 2015. The AZ event flyer and verbiage was updated. A member emailed asking for how to apply for a convention scholarship, and I explained we don't have conventions. A member complained that they received more junk mail as a point of contact on the website from a convention in So Cal and asked WSO for a solution. A few other members confirmed that they received the same email again.

----------- Public Information related: Here is a list of who is arranging for BBI packages: a counselor in FL, a hospital in FL, the DC in Signal Hill arranged for a psychotherapist to get one, Swedish treatment center said they hadn't received theirs from October yet, a YMCA Counseling Center in NY.  A PA parole agent reached out for meetings for a parolee. I updated the ACA info on the San Diego Crisis Line. The Addiction Institute of NY  and a FL Treatment Center reached out for institutional help and I sent them to Joan. I continued to work with a person on behalf of Sandra Tucker, the author of Intervene - An Emergency Guide to Heavy Drinking and Alcoholism. The person I worked with was in the Netherlands. She composed the workshop materials that incorporated some ACA foundational literature. We finished it this month. I had an idea that if our website showed where the H&I meetings were located, it might be helpful and asked Joan what she thought. An ACA "Life Coach" Blog had ACA literature posted, I came across it while doing personal research and I let her know about copyright laws, we worked together and she agreed to remove ACA literature from her blog. A student to be a Substance Abuse Counselor and I worked together to help her attend meetings as part of her course work.

-----------From the fellowship: Telephone meetings: 2 concerns -- 1 complaint, 2 requests for guidance-Facebook: Another complaint about a closed "ACA" page that is "not following traditions", I explain each time that there are no ACA meetings on Facebook and I suggest attendance at ACA registered meetings.  Issues: -Step meetings that are closed but are registered as open, a member brings her daughter to the meeting who walks around and is very distracting, a member sent some 4th step worksheets she made, can you help my girlfriend in prison? how should we advertise in the paper? Can a newcomer suggest a change in a meeting? What's a prudent reserve? How can I serve WSO? Can someone from WSO come to our meeting; we need help.

MPS (just for me): Members reach out all the time for help. I do my best to answer with ACA literature guidance. Often once we've worked together for awhile I ask them to drop me a line when they find their solution. When I get one of these, it lights up my day and shows me the many inventive ways that ACA members and groups work together to find their solutions and I get to hear the pride in the members' voice when they describe their process. It's one of the best parts of this service.

-----Common requests this month:   =Do you have a list of therapists, how do I get a sponsor, trusted servants making decisions for group, I am in AA/AFG and I want to start an ACA meeting, how do we donate, people describe their childhood and ask if ACA can help them, how can we do a workbook meeting? meeting insurance, what literature can we hand out for outreach? -=