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459 News and Notes From the General Service Office of A.A.®

VOL. 46, No. 4/ AUGUST – SEPTEMBER 2000

‘Pass It On-Into the 21st Century’ Celebrating 65 Years ofFreedom eve1y conceivable size, from the large ballrooms at variMINNEAPOLIS, june 29-july 2, 2000-For four days they ous hotels and the Convention Center to two sober took over the city of lakes- approximately 47,000 drunks greeting each other on a street comer. Marathon AAs, Al-Anons and friends-to celebrate 65 years of meetings, in English and Spanish, began Thursday freedom from the bondage of alcoholism . The midnight and continued through to 7:15am Sunday, Minneapolis Convention Center teemed with people Perhaps the most memorable event for many will be registering on-site, visiting the International booth Walk-the-Walk, a procession from the Convention (where volunteer interpreters of many languages were on hand to assist), or taking in the first Convention Center to the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome. If you exhibit from G.S,O, Archives, which was a tremendous were a Minnesotan living in a cave and had not been success and mobbed at all times. aware that Minneapolis was hosting this event, you The park opposite the Minneapolis Convention Center would have been shocked at the endless stream ofpeooverflowed with food tents, strollers and Convention ple walking the blue line to the stadium on their way to goers -taking in the sun, sharing over a cup of coffee or the opening ceremony, It was a festive group – including some in wheelchairs, with walkers, canes, and with ice cream and having impromptu meetings. Everywhere you turned there were members of the Host baby carriages, entertained along the way by clowns Committee-2,000-3,000 strong. and entertainers on stilts – an orderly, happy bunch of The goal of the volunteer Host Committee was basisober alcoholics and friends. Whether it was your first or eleventh International cally to recreate the experience of being greeted at the door of your home Convention – the group. This was a Parade of Flags at unique opportunity the opening ceremofor many AA.s to ny never fails to be serve A.A. as a one of the highlights whole. Volunteers, of the weekend. It is identified by white here that the full shirts and visors, impact of A.A.’s were available anyglobal presence is time, anywhere- at truly felt . This year the Convention there were flags Center, at the stadifrom 86 attending um, in hotel lobbies, countries, including chee1ing us on as we one representing Walked-the-Walk Native American and throughout nations. Many beardowntown ers were in native Minneapolis. They costumes of their guided us to over 250 countries. Prior to meetings in many the Parade of Flags, locations. Vinnie M., G.S.O.’s There were meetGary Glynn, Class A (nonalcoholic) chairman of the General Service Board, Publication’s direcings on every congreeting the crowd of 4 7,000 at the Opening Meeting, tor, gave a moving ceivable topic in Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome. presentation on the

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Box 4-5-9 is published bimonthly by the General Service Office of Alcoholics Anonymous, 475 Riverside Drive, New York, NY 10115 ©Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc., 2000 Mail address: P .0. Box 459, Grand Central Station New York, NY 10163 G.S.O.’s A.A. Web site: www.aa.org Subscriptions: Individual, $3.50 per year; group, $G.OO for each unit of 10 per year. Check-made payable to A.A.W.S., Inc.-should accompany order.

spread and grmvth of A.A. in Eastern Europe. Speakers at the opening ceremony were Christine H., Michigan; Kosei Y., Japan; and Mildred F., Canada. Carl B., West Central regional trustee, chaired the program. Following a sobriety countdown (from 1 day to 56 years) and the Big A.A. meeting, there was dancing at the Stadium until midnight. Once again, Saturday evening, thousands walked the blue line back to the stadium for the Oldtimers Meeting. Those with over 40 years of sobriety had been invited to put their names in a fishing hat at a special “Oldtimers Booth” in the Convention Center. Two hundred a nd two A.A.s vvith over 40 years of sobriety sat in the fi·ont rows and Greg M., G.S.O.’s general manager, drew 15 names out of the hat to each share for three minutes. Total sobriety for the 202 – 8, 742 years! The Convention ended with the Sunday morning Closing Meeting at the stadium. Chaired by Mamie H., Eastern Canada regional trustee, the speakers were John K., New jersey; Nancy N., California; and Arnold R., Maryland. The program ended vvith a group of children (whose parents were local members) on the stage waving goodbye to a cheering, stomping crowd of sober alcoholics whose commitment is to pass the message on into the 21st Century. A week after everyone had returned home a call came in to the General Service Office in New York fi·om a Mirmesotan named Georga [sic]. She reported how she went to open her shop one mornirrg at 10 a.m. to fmd 10 or 12 of us on line- and she got a hug from every one of them. Georga said she spoke for most ofthe local citizens in that they had never seen such warm, serene, generous people. “I didn’t know there were that many good people in the world,” she said. A local cab driver also commented on the Convention, the largest Mirmeapolis ever hosted. “You all go to bed at night like normal people – what’s more, you even remember the name of your hotel.” 2

Following the Parade of Flags, theflags were placed in stanchions on either side of the stage.

As always, we owe a debt of gratitude to many nonA.A.s. Television and press professionals respected our anonymity and met the challenge of capturing the spirit of this gathering without showing our smiling faces as we greeted each other. The Convention Center and downtown Minneapolis professionals and vendors spent months planning to feed us quickly and inexpensively. They tried to provide “volume and value.” A bus system was created for one weekend that matched the size of a regular small city bus system; 205 buses kept us on schedule and moved us safely and efficiently. The city of Minneapolis closed streets for buses, helped provide extra buses with experienced drivers and even offered us exclusive use of a downtown city bus terminal to get us close to the Convention Center. Other city professionals worked with us to plan and coordinate the Thursday night Block Party. Over the 4th of july weekend in 2005 A.A.s and friends Vl’ill gather in Toronto, Ontario, Canada to celebrate the 70th Anniversmy of Alcoholics Anonymous. Why have we been doirrg this every five years since the first Convention in 1950 in Cleveland, Ohio? For a rededication to the primary purpose of Alcoholics Anonymous; to witness the success and growth of A.A. around the world; to let anyone who needs our program and support know that A.A. is alive, flourishing and available as a community resource, both locally and internationally. Each person who attended or witnessed this event went away with their own thoughts and feelings, each life was touched or changed in a different way. Georga of Minneapolis, a non-AA., summed up the feeling many of us had from the beginning: “You filled an empty place in my heart, and I don’t have to be alone.”

1welve Ideas That \Vork- 50 l.,.ears ofLiving the Traditions The adoption of A.A.’s Twelve Traditions at the Cleveland International Convention in 1950 was the culmination of 15 years of trial and error, during which grou ps and members searched for guidelines that could take them safely into an uncertain future. Unlike the Twelve Steps, which were fashioned from ancient and universal spiritual principles, the Traditions emerged from experience, and are tailored precisely and uniquely to the needs of sober drunks. Conceived out of fear, power-driving, and controversy, they are somehow, miraculously, a remarkably effective unifying force. Fifty years after their adoption, these twelve amazing ideas continue to serve us well as the sure – though often misunderstood and unappreciated – underpinnings of A.A.’s present life and future health.

What vVe Used To Be Like: The members of the 1930s and ’40s were a small group of newly and enthusiastically sober drunks. They were full of zeal for carrying the life-changing message they had found, and at the same time full of fear that it m ight somehow slip from their grasp. The tiny Headquarters office in New York (now the General Service Office) struggled to respond to the flood of letters generated by articles in Liberty magazine and the SaturdaF Evening Post. “This sudden growth,” Bill W. wrote in A.A. Comes of Age, “ushered in a period of awful uncertainty. The big test of A.A.’s unity began in earnest. We were operating with only the benefit of casual contacts, travelers going from one place to another, letters from the office, one pamphlet, and one book. Could we, on that slender basis, form ourselves into groups that could function and hang together? We simply did not know. . .. There had already been an ominous foretaste of the problems of mushrooming groups; quarrels over leadership, money, membership, clubs, exploitation of A.A.’s name, panhandling, and even romancing. As the SaturdaF Evening Post crop of alcoholics tried to form themselves into hundreds of new groups, the specters of disunity and collapse grew to frightening proportions.” Slmvly but surely, out of numerous near-disasters, a body of practical experience emerged to save the new movement from its own individual and collective character defects. The necessity of self-support, for example, became clear in 1940, when the Rockefeller organization held a dinner for A.A., inviting a number of prominent and wealthy New Yorkers. The A.A.s, primed to rake in large donations and to establish a fleet of hospitals and rehabilitation centers, listened with dismay as Nelson Rockefeller announced that

A.A.’s “power lies in the fact that one member carries the good message to the next, without any thought of financial income or reward. Therefore, it is our belief that Alcoholics Anonymous should be self-supporting as far as money is concerned. It needs only our good will.” Thanks to a good nonalcoholic friend, the Seventh Tradition (along with the Sixth – no affiliation with outside enterprises) was well on its way. The idea of only one membership requirement, a desire to stop drinking, had its roots in the fear that the “wrong kind of person” might irreparably harm A.A. At one point, the New York office asked the groups to send in all their membership rules, and Bill tells us, “If all of these edicts had been in force everywhere at once, it would have been practically impossible for any alcoholic to have ever joined Alcoholics Anonymous.” Our “spiritual foundation,:: anonymity, was perhaps the hardest-won, for breaking anonymity was easy to rationalize. A number of early members (including Bill vV. for a time) went public with their A.A. membership, and for a while, it seemed like a good idea. “The public understanding of alcoholism increased, the stigma on drunks lessened, and A.A. got new men1bers,” Bill ·wrote in the january 1955 Grapevine. “Surely there could be nothing wrong vvith that. “But there was. For the sake of this short-term benefit, we were taking on a future liability of huge and menacing proportions. “The old files at A.A. Headquarters reveal many scores of such experiences with broken anonymity. … They tell us that we alcoholics are the biggest rationalizers in the world; that fortified with the excuse we are doing great things for A.A. we can, through broken anonymity, resume our old and disastrous pursuit of personal power and prestige, public honors, and money- the same implacable urges that when frustrated once caused us to drink.”

What Happened: In a letter dated April 14, 1958, Bill W. told an A.A. member named Dewey: ” . .. the Tradition idea sort of grew. In the early days, the office was beset by group problems, millions of them. So many letters had to be answered by a limited staff that we were forced to codify the answers. A form letter, to be accompanied by a note, was, I think, the original idea. So in 1945 . . . I drew the draft which boiled down into the old ‘long form’ Twelve Traditions. As I worked at these, I could see that they might have implications, great implications in effect for the whole of our Society. So, on the spot, I named them Traditions to accelerate this effect. . .. “Though a lot of cooks stirred the Tradition broth, I 3

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think it was I w ho came up with the actual authorship. Later on, Earl T. of Chicago suggested that the long form be boiled down to a length similar to that of the Twelve Steps. He and I worked on this at Bedford Hills for two or three days. I felt the draft was too abbreviated and later extended it into what we have now.” Bill went all out to “sell” the Traditions to the Fellowship. To communicate his ideas to the widely scattered A.A. groups, he introduced the “Twelve Points to Assure Our Future” in the April 1946 Grapevine and, in articles published throughout the 1940s, explained his ideas. He talked about the new principles to anyone who would listen – and many who didn’t want to. Searcy W. from Texas recalls that in 1948, Bill visited Lubbock to meet with some A.A.s who were experiencing group problems. “Bill reached in his coat pocket and pulled out some handwritten notes saying, ‘I want you to read these notes and see what you think about it.’ I read them over carefully and looked at him and said, ‘Well, Bill, we don’t need this down here. We love each other. Oh, how we love each other.’ But it was the Twelve Traditions … the thing that saved A.A., but I didn’t know it then.” In A.A. Comes of Age, Bill poked a little fun at himself, telling us that when members wrote inviting him to speak they would say things like, “Tell us where you used to hide your bottles and tell us about that hotflash spiritual experience of yours. But please don’t talk any more about those damned Traditions.” Yet Bill persevered. “At first, practically nobody approved the Traditions,” his 1958 letter to Dewey continued. “As time went on, they became valuable in solving group problems. By the time of the Cleveland International Convention in 1950, the common consent was so large that we asked the Convention – a good cross-section of A.A. – to approve them, which it did.”

What We Are Like Now: In some respects, A.A. members haven’t changed much since the 1940s. Many of us still don’t want to talk about the Traditions, and it’s a truism that one of the fastest ways to clear a meeting room is to announce a Traditions meeting. Whether we are aware of it or not, however, we actually introduce newcomers to the Traditions before the Twelve Steps. Concepts like powerlessness, a higher power, moral inventory, and making amends can terrify a brand-new, shaky drunk. Yet at the very first meeting, we hold out our hands and say, “Ifyou want to stop drinking, you’re welcome, no matter who you are or what you have done” (the only requirement for membership is a desire to stop drinking). We offer phone numbers and literature, and share experiences of what helped us most in the beginning (our primary purpose is to carry the message). We reassure frightened drunks that their secrets and their membership are safe with us (anonymity). We offer a safe haven, 4

where sobriety is the only issue and there are no strings attached (no opinion on outside issues, self-support, no outside affi.liations). In the year 2000, A.A. is a worldwide Fellowship with more than two million members in 150 countries, widely known and respected, the prototype for many other similar fellowships. And our health and prosperity are direct results of living by the Traditions. Bill W. summed it up in the january 1955 Grapevine: “In our Twelve Traditions we have set our faces against nearly every trend in the outside world. “We have denied ourselves personal government, professionalism, and the right to say who our members shall be. We have abandoned do-goodism, reform, and paternalism. We refuse charitable money and prefer to pay our own way. We will cooperate with practically everybody, yet we decline to marry our Society to anyone. We abstain from public controversy and will not quarrel among ourselves about those things that so rip society asunder – religion, politics, and reform. We have but one purpose: to carry the A.A. message to the sick alcoholic who wants it. “We take these attitudes not at all because we claim special virtue or wisdom; we do these things because hard experience has told us that we must – if A.A. is to survive in the distraught world of today. We also give up rights and make sacrifices because we ought to and, better yet, because we want to. A.A. is a power greater than any of us; it must go on living or else uncounted thousands of our kind will surely die.”

Update: Big Book, Fourth Edition Prior to the General Service Conference, April 30 – May 6, 2000, members of the Conference Literature Committee received 38 new stories that had been selected by the trustees’ Literature Committee’s Big Book Subcommittee. The 38 stories represented the best from 1,222 stories that were submitted for consideration for the Fourth Edition Big Book. The Conference Literature Committee also received a list of 17 stories from the Third Edition Big Book selected for inclusion in the Fourth Edition. The trustees’ and Conference Literature Committees met jointly on Saturday, April 29, to give the Conference Literature Committee an opportunity to offer input and suggestions regarding the stories to the trustees’ Literature Committee. Following serious consideration of the comments and suggestions expressed at the joint meeting, the trustees’ Literature Committee selected 25

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new stories to be forwarded to the Publications Department for editing. The Conference Literature Committee reviewed a detailed progress report from the Subcommittee on the Fourth Edition and expressed their overall satisfaction with the process involved in the subcommittee’s choice of stories. The committee recommended that a draft copy of the Fourth Edition Big Book, Alcoholics Anonymous, or a progress report be brought to the 2001 Conference Literature Committee, keeping in mind that if a Fourth Edition Big Book is published, it will require Conference approval and the 1995 Advisory Action that: “The first 164 pages of the Big Book, Alcoholics Anonymous, the Preface, the Forewords, ‘The Doctor’s Opinion,’ ‘Doctor Bob’s Nightmare’ and the Appendices remain as is.”

New Class A Trustee K11o”rs A.A. Inside Out Seven years ago Leonard M. Blumenthal, A.A.’s new Class A (nonalcoholic) trustee, was awarded an honorary membership in the Grandin Group of Edmonton, Alberta, for his faithful participation as a nonstop “nondrunk” over a period of 25 years. At the same time, his wife, Linda, was given a plaque decorated with a ceramic red rose for “putting up with the A.A. guys” all those years. Len’s plaque, with medallion firmly attached (so he can’t lose it, a member observed), hangs on the wall of his home office; to this day he attends meetings of the group as well as countless roundups and retreats. On the General Service Board, Len succeeds Class A trustee Peter Roach of Peterborough, Ontario. He earned a Bachelor of Education degree from the Universi1y of Alberta in 1963 and headed, he believed, into a career in education, first as a teacher of English and Phys. Ed., then as a vice-principal. But in September 1966 he took a leave of absence to serve as “a rookie alcoholism counselor” with the Government of the Province of Alberta, and the scenario changed. “I was fascinated,” Len recalls, “but basically I looked upon my involvement in the alcohol-drug abuse field as an experience that would help m e determine what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. When I wavered between education and the alcohol-substance abuse field, someone said, ‘Maybe it’s time to decide what you want to do when you grow up,’ I did-and never looked back. My decision disappointed my parents, especially my father, who owned a country general store and, I’m sure, had thought I would one day

Leonard Blumenthal

work my way into the family business. ‘You mean to say you’d give up a principal’s job in order to work with a bunch of drunkards?’ he said to me once in disbelief. Yet he was the one who frequently helped the destitute families of alcoholics: providing them with enough groceries to get by, even though he knew they’d rarely be paid for.” For almost 30 years, from 1969 to 1998, Len worked for the Alberta Alcohol and Drug Abuse Commission (AADAC) and served as chief executive officer from 1987 until his “retirement” in 1998-a euphemism, because after three days’ rest he was appointed to the board of directors of the Capital Health Authority of Edmonton, which is responsible for about 900,000 people. He also works for the Organization of American States, “helping to map out national drug-and-alcohol plans for countries in the Americas and the Caribbean.” In a “Friendly with Our Friends” article he wrote for the A.A. Grapevine (May 1990, pp. 14-17) entitled “It Works!” Len recalled that “my first impression of A.A. was decidedly underwhelming. We met in a musty, low-ceilinged basement of a church. Someone handed me a cup of coffee and told me to be sure and wash it before I left. . .. I thought that if the alcoholics I counseled wished to attend A.A. meetings to fill in their leisure time, it probably wasn’t a bad idea. Did ‘I have a lot to learn! “At a meeting one night I ran across a man who had come to see me once several months before but never returned. He allowed as how he’d found it interesting 5

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to talk to me but didn’t feel he had found the right place. Now in AA, he said, he was well on his way to recovery and well-being. I was thunderstruck! How could discussing one’s problems in a smoke-filled room-a public forum consisting of testimonials and confessions-possibly be better than the carefullythought-out and scientifically researched counseling methods that I was using?” As time went on, Len comments today, “my question became irrelevant I saw again and again that the AA program works and works welL I realized that if I did nothing more than bring alcoholics looking for recovery to this Fellowship, I would come a very long way,” In the course of his work Len has acted as a consultant t o Grant MacEwan Community College, the Department of the Attorney General and the Government of Northwest Territories, for which he conducted a series of seminars with Native and non-Native Canadians, with special reference to management and control of alcohol and alcohol-related programs. In 1985 he was a speaker at the International Convention celebrating AA’s 50th anniversary in MontreaL And in 1993 he was presented with the Eagle Feather, the highest honor of the Nechi Institute on Addictions “for wisdom and brave1y in working with Native Indian addiction problems.” The plaque reads: “The vision AADAC and Len had in allowing us to make our mistakes. The courage to trust . .. that we would learn from our own mistakes. The balance between men and women, whites and Natives is like the feather, … Not every feather is equal, but the balance of the flying is maintained perfectly. If the wings are not balanced, the eagle could not fly, . , . Our eagle has been flying for 24 years with Len’s support The Eagle Feather is the highest honor for leaders, visionaries and medicine men. Len is all three.” Serendipitously, Len has incorporated skills acquired in his first career choice, teaching, into many asp ects of his work, whether he is explaining the AADAC’s issues to the public via personal presentations or representing AADAC, Alberta and Canada at a variety of provincial, national and international meetings and other events. In May, the University of Lethbridge, in southern Alberta, recognized him for his work in alcohol and drug addiction with an honorary Doctor of Laws degree. In AA. he anticipates serving on three trustees’ committees : Correctional Facilities, International Conventions/Regional Forums and Cooperation With the Professional Community. And he will continue to rely on the AA philosophy, “I found out early on,” Len says, “that the Twelve Step program of AA could be applied to anyone’s life … certainly to my own in every area, not least in family matters with my wife and three children and now the grandkids coming along. I still find that 6

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there are times when all does not seem well with the work I’m doing, yet I can’t pinpoint just why, Going to a meeting lets me focus on the importance of extending a hand to those who need help in this program of recovery-one where success is second to none.” As a trustee, Len sees himself as “a trusted servant of A.A.” He is in distinguished company: six other Class A trustees, serving six-year terms, and 14 class B (alcoholic) trustees, who serve four. The chairman of the board is traditionally elected from among the nonalcoholic trustees, mainly because, unlike A.A.s, who seek to maintain personal anonymity at the public level (Tradition Eleven), they can face the cameras and reporters with impunity. The Class A trustees today are a vital group with varying areas of expertise they share generously for the good of A.A. Besides Len Blumenthal they include: Chairman Gary A. Glynn, New York, president and chief investment officer of the U.S. Steel and Carnegie Pension funds; Linda L. Chezem,J.D., a former judge in the Indiana Court of Appeals; Elaine M. Johnson, Ph.D., Ma1y land, a former director of the Center for Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, the U.S , Department of Health and Human Services; Arthur L. Knight, Jr., Illinois, a retired businessman who has served as president, director and chief executive officer of manufacturing, distribution and financial service companies; Robert Oran Miller, D.D., retired Ninth Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Alabama; and George E. Vaillant, M.D., who is professor, the Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School; senior physician, Brigham and Women’s Hospital; and a member of the faculty of the Boston Psychoanalytic Institute. As AA co-founder Bill W. noted, over the years “our nonalcoholic trustees . . . have given an incredible amount of time and effort; theirs has been a true labor oflove.” (The A.A. Service Manual, p. S10).

Board \Velcornes Canadian and U.S. Class B Trustees Two new Class B (alcoholic) regional trustees have joined the General Service Board: Ted S., West Central U.S., and RJ.M. “Ric” D., Western Canada. Both share a common bond in their commitment to sobriety and the wide world of AA Both speak of having benefited from sponsors who introduced them to service when they were barely dry behind the ears.

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Ted S., of Aberdeen, South Dakota, steps into the shoes of Wyoming’s Carl B. “I am real excited and grateful for the opportunity to serve,” he says, adding that he looks forward to b eing part of the work of the trustees’ Conference, Finance and International Committees. Sober in A.A. since 1975, Ted stresses the role that sponsorship has played in his sobriety. “Almost as soon as I dried out, I was taught to start giving back the good that was coming my way in A.A.,” he explains. “I am still sponsored, and I sponsor a number of people in my group. Always I get back more than I give.” Looking back, he says he “started drinking in junior high school. I was 14 and drank to excess from day one.” By the time he was 20, Ted remembers, “my life was unmanageable. Then I went to a special doctor. He was an alcoholic who saw the illness in me but couldn’t see it in himself. He steered me to a treatment center in Moorhead, Minnesota, just across the river from Fargo. Among the A.A.s who brought in meetings was DonN. He started sponsoring me then and does to this day. My life turned completely around during those six weeks or so in treatment, thanks largely to that doctor, who helped me but couldn’t help himself and, a few years later, died of cirrhosis of the liver. That was the illness of alcoholism talking-denial is so much a part ofit.” Over the years Ted has stayed active in his Aberdeen Wednesday Night Group. He has served variously as general service representative, district committee memb er, area secretary, Public Information Committee chairman, secretary and delegate (1992-1993) . Last year he chaired the Dakota Prairie Round-Up. After graduating from high school in his native Fargo, Ted went on to Northern State University, then North Dakota State University. A restauranteur for 25 years, about as long as he has been sober, he has been secretary of the Upper Midwest Kentucky Fried Chicken Franchisee Association, representing 400 restaurants. H e also owns and operates his family’s farm a nd, “while I think about retiring,” he says with a grin, “I don’t think it will happen any time soon.” Dad to five children ranging in age from 25 to 11, Ted and his wife, Sharon, anAl-Anon member, are very involved in the children’s activities at the high school and university levels. Ted’s interest also has led to his serving as a board member of the Aberdeen Vocational Technical Institute. “I have so much in my life that is good,” he says. “And I am well aware that none of it would have happened without the miracle of A.A.” Ric D., of the Vancouver suburb of Burnaby, British Columbia, follows Garry MeA., from Stettler, Alberta. Sober in A.A. since December 1982, he recalls that “during that first year, I had my moment of clarity. I

simply realized I was an alcoholic, and with that came the realization that it didn’t have to be a problem. I began rather reluctantly to do the Steps. I stayed involved and to this day have never been without a service job. I was asked to be a trusted servant in many capacities, and I never took one of those jobs feeling I was competent enough to do it. My sponsor would just tell me, ‘It’s a God thing,’ and I have to agree.” After holding most of his group’s offices, Ric went on to serve in a wide range of service positions, among them .. . intergroup chairman; area chairman, treasurer, newsletter editor and delegate (1997-98); and chairman of the 1999 Pacific Northwest Conference. In February he co-chaired a committee set up to P.xamine the future direction of the Pacific Northwest Conference. Like Ted, he feels strongly about sponsorship. “When I came to A.A.,” Ric wrote in a Grapevine article-“A Hard Day’s Night” (Nov. 1999, pp. 46-50)-“I was fortunate to join an old -fashioned group of Twelfth Steppers. They decided I wasn’t the one who would decide whether I would quit drinking or not. They hounded me, and I couldn’t find a place to hide. I’m so grateful. I got a sponsor and hoped he would leave me alone, but instantly he started ‘suggesting’ all the things I should do.” Today, Ric reports, “I am still sponsored and in turn sponsor a number of men. I’m active and available on phones at Intergroup and as a TwelfthStep volunteer, and I plan to go on doing so. Carrying the message to other alcoholics keeps me sober.” For the past 35 years Ric has been associated with Pacific Elevators, Ltd. Presently he is working as part of a maintenance management team; and for some time he has had a hand in developing the programming, launching and training procedures of a broad computer operating system (SAP) for his company’s parent corporation. On the home front he is equally busy: The father of four children and two-and-two-thirds grandchildren (No. 3 is due in November), he is married to Vil<i, who, he says proudly, “has been sober longer than I have-24 years!” In addition to his A.A. activities, Ric has served on the board of Western Steps to Recovery in all capacities, including that of chairman. Recently he has been putting together a board and seeking funding for a ranch or farm offering sl<ills training to recovering alcoholics. He also is a member of the B.C. Coalition of Motorcyclists and of the Association for Injured Morotcyclists (AIM). On the General Service Board, Ric will serve on the trustees’ Archives, Conference and Public Information Committees. “In 1997,” he marvels, “I was in New York in April attending the Forty-Seventh General Service Conference as a delegate from my area-and totally in awe of the process. It works so well without me running it.” 7

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O~ ctober Intergroup

A.A. Web Site Gets A Major Overhaul

Seminar in Little Rocl~

In December 1996, the A.A. Web site of the General Service Office (www.aa.org) was set up in three languages-English, French and Spanish-as a Public Information vehicle that has fast outgrown itself. In 1999 the site experienced a marked increase in interest, jumping to 730,000 hits a year from 400,000 in ’98. Responding to requests for more extensive information, the General Service Board has broadened the scope of the site. Says G.S.O.’s Bill A., who heads the Public Information desk and serves as Web site liaison: “This is a major expansion, one that represents a broadening of our mission to reach the alcoholic. The information is presented in a sharper, user-friendly forma t, and the graphics are pleasing and clear, thanks in large part to Daniel Brown, G.S.O.’s nonalcoholic Web master extraordinaire, who has spent countless hours refiguring and reconstructing the site.”

It’s time to register for the Fifteenth Annual Central Office/ Intergroup/A.A.W.S. Seminar, which will be held at the Riverfront Hilton in Little Rock, Arkansas, Oct. 68, 2000. Says Sharon M., who heads the Arkansas Central Office: “We are delighted to be hosting this event and, because Arkansas is so centrally located, we look forward to welcoming more than the approximately 150 A.A.s who attended last year’s Seminar in Bradenton, Florida.” Registration forms have been sent out to all the intergroups and central offices, she notes, “and it is important to register early if you wish to take advantage of the special ‘early bird’ room rate.” The theme of this year’s Seminar is “Into Action,” the title of Chapter Six of the Big Book (pp. 72-88) that holds a light up to Steps Five through Eleven and ends with the words “Faith without works is dead.” The weekend of workshops, panel discussions and fellowship will bring together intergroup/central office managers and employees from across the U.S. and Canada. “The Seminar gives us a wonderful opportunity to ‘talk shop,'” Sharon says, “to exchange our experiences and ideas, to renew old friendships and start up new ones.” For those who can be on hand a day earlyThursday, Oct. 5-Sharon reports, “there will be a chance to visit the Arkansas Archives. That same night our Little Rock oldtirner Joe McQ. will lead an A.A. open discussion meeting at the Riverfront Hilton.” The registration fee for the Seminar is $20. For further information, or to register, contact Sharon M., Arkansas Central Office, 7509 Cantrell Road, Suite 106, Little Rock, AR 72207; or call (501) 664-7303.

Daniel Brown

A neat new sidebar on the Home Page offers quick and easy access to information by subject, from the A.A. Fact File to the Anonymity Letter to the Media, a link to the A.A. Grapevine site and more. Click on the last icon, labeled Fellowship Services, and up comes a menu of information on “Ten Most Frequently Asked Questions (and Answers) About A.A. W eb Sites,” “Alcoholics Anonymous Group Information Change Form,” “Regional Forums and Special Forums” and “Self-Support (which includes the pamphlet “Where Money and Spirituality Mix” and the flyer, “Memo to an A.A. Group Treasurer”).” This, Bill says, “is just the beginning. Even now we’re working to add a variety of subjects and material.” 8

The Deaf Can ‘Listen’ to Fellow A.A.s on Videotape The idea made perfect sense to the Arkansas Special Needs Committee: “Since hearing people can listen to tapes of A.A. talks, why not give deaf people the same opportunity?” Thanks to a cooperative effort between the committee and the Arkansas Rehabilitation Services-its Deaf Outreach Center (D.O.C.) and Deaf ACCESS-the idea has become a reality. Says Arkansas delegate Sandy L., “There are now a dozen tall<S available on videotape, both by hearing and nonhearing A.A.s, with more to come. The speaker is not videotaped-only the ASL (American Sign

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Language) interpreter is shown. When a deaf person does the qualifYing, the ASL interpreter speaks and signs at the same time. Most of the A.A. speaker tapes have been recorded at our Tuesday A.A. luncheon meetings at which an ASL interpreter is always present.” The introduction to each videotape states that “this video is developed . .. for use by deaf and hard-ofhearing individuals recovering from an addiction. The D.O.C. and Deaf ACCESS are not affiliated with A.A., N.A. (Narcotics Anonymous) or any recovery program. Individuals requesting use of the tapes will be allowed to view this tape and, if they desire, to copy it for use in their own recovery program. This video will not be sold nor will we provide anyone with the full names or identifying information about the speakers.” Sandy notes that “the D.O.C. has interacted closely with G.S.O. and our Special Needs Committee in developing the videotapes.” But there have been problems to surmount in the year-old program, Sandy recounts: “Some people have not been comfortable telling their A.A. story to a nonA.A. group. Nor has fmding qualified interpreters been easy. Some were excluded because they did not have experience interpreting for A.A. Others simply didn’t want to be videotaped, and several didn’t want to interpret A.A. stories because they found them emotionally disturbing.” “A big issue,” Sandy points out, “is the fact that ASL is a separate language with a different way of saying things. Thus, much A.A.-speak does not always translate accurately or consistently. For example: Step One’We admitted we were powerless over alcohol-that our lives had become unmanageable’-has been translated by some hearing-impaired A.A. members and interpreters into ASL as ‘Admit alcohol more strong than us. We can’t help ourselves.’ Step Three-‘Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Hirn’-becomes ‘We decided to allow “God” to help our minds and lives. We pick ‘God’ to believe.” In this interpretation of all Twelve Steps, available from G.S.O., it is noted that God can mean anything, group of things, anyone or group of people. “Recovery begins for all of us with one drunk talking to another,” Sandy says. “It is clear that our deaf members want very much to feel a part of mainstream A.A., but in order to overcome communication barriers and other problems, we first need to identify and understand them.” In this regard, she reports, “the D.O.C.’s David McDonald (nonalcoholic), a counselor with whom our committee works hand-in-glove, has been most helpful in providing information, such as: ‘There is a high percentage of substance abuse in those with disabilities (20%-50%). Also, sponsorship is a struggle. Many of these folks are not only deaf but have limited reading skills, so that writing notes back and forth does

not work either. Owing to these and other challenges, only a few deaf people have been in recovery programs for a long time. Meetings with deaf people tend to consist of those with short-term sobriety. Long-term sobriety and involvement with A.A. is rare.’ ” Across the U.S. and Canada, A.A.s individually and in service committees are malting an effort to carry the message to the deaf alcoholic. Noting that a large number of people have trouble hearing at meetings, “many more than we might guess,” the Santa Clara (California) Intergroup, for one, has developed these common-courtesy guidelines: “(1) When you speak, stand up, speak in a normal or slightly louder tone of voice than normal. Most hearing-impaired people read lips to a certain extent, whether they realize it or not, so face your audience. (2) If there is a microphone at the meeting, please use it. Speak directly into the mike, and don’t lower your voice. If your meetings are in a room with poor acoustics or much background noise, consider purchasing a mike if you don’t already have one. (3) Keep background noise to a minimum. If you need to get up during the meetings, do so quietly, especially if you are wearing high heels or hard-soled shoes. Don’t talk while someone is speaking. Keep your young children quiet. (4) Close the windows and doors if possible to help block out traffic or other outside noise.” In their efforts to help hearing-impaired alcoholics, many areas are turning to the G.S.O. catalog “A.A. Literature and Audiovisual Material for Special Needs” as a resource. Among other things, the catalog lists two books on video in ASL: a five-volume, VHS video of the Big Book, and Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, also a five-volume, 1/2-inch video. Also listed is the A.A. Guideline “Carrying the Message to the Deaf Alcoholic,” offering members’ shared experience.

This new anthology from the Grapevine draws stories togetherfrom all over the world: a loner who was the only AA member in Indonesia, starting a meeting in Dubai, strugrjling to swvive in jamaica, how a Bombay man hit bottom, and pioneer days in]apan. Plus intervielvs with AAs in many countries. 165 pages, $5.00 each (25 or more, $4.50 each). Make check or money order (in U.S. fonds) payable to the G1·apevine. Send to: P.O. Box 1980, Grand Central Station, New York, NY 10163-1980.

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Treatment Facilities New Mexico A.A.s liang On to Sobriety By ‘Bridging’ It Away “We began going into treatment centers several years ago, meeting with staff about A.A.’s Bridge the Gap (BTG) program and holding study group sessions with the clients,” says Caroline R., who chairs the New Mexico Treatment Facilities Committee. “Since then, my own sobriety has improved by leaps and bounds.” Noting that “this is a state in which the disparity between urban, rural and small towns is enormous,” Caroline says that “some A.A.s may have to drive 100 miles just to get to a meeting. Furthermore, many of the rural districts are very poor and don’t have money to pay for A.A. literature. So helping newcomers to find our program of recovery and stay with it becomes even more urgent. This is what Bridge the Gap is about: providing temporary contacts for alcoholics just released from treatment or correctional facilities-to accompany them to their first outside meetings, introduce them to potential sponsors and help them to understand they don’t have to go it alone.” Writing in the january issue of the New Mexico area newsletter El Farolito (translate: The Little Light, or Beacon), Caroline points out that “treatment facilities frequently assume responsibility for helping wet chunks, a job that A.A. members used to feel obliged to share with their sponsees as soon as possible.” But even today, if you’re a little bit sober and toying with the idea of drinking again, she says, “there’s no deterrent like having to confront, clean up, encourage and take a still active alcoholic to a meeting.” What the BTG committee does, she explains, “is encourage eve1y A.A. group to get active by designating a contact person who can receive calls from the district BTG coordinator. The contact person can ask for a volunteer to get in touch with the newcomer while still in treatment-and then arrange for a ride to the nearest meeting. Ideally the whole group will be ready to welcome newcomers to their first meeting. We tell the A.A.s: ‘Try to remember how you felt going to your first meeting. Try once again to walk those steps from the door to a chair in a newcomer’s shoes. Help your fellow group m embers to remember this–they’ll be glad you did.’ ” In order to meet the needs of newcomers emerging from treatment and to train volunteer A.A.s to help them, workshops are held three times a year in key 10

locations. “We cohost these one-day events with the area Correctional Facilities Committee,” Caroline says. “Other service committees are represented-members of our area committees on Public Information and Cooperation With the Professional Community-along with individual A.A.s and professionals from around this vast, sparsely populated state. We usually get a good turnout, with three-fourths of our 16 districts represented.” The effect, she reports, “is synergistic, and the channels of communication opened up are incalculable. In the morning, after a general introduction, we break up the assembled people into two main sections: treatment and corrections. Each group is given a BTG presentation and an A.A. literature orientation geared to its interests. Then, after lunch, we have a panel largely composed of both T.F. and C.F. speakers, followed by an open discussion period. We keep the format simple so that people will have ample opportunity to air their questions and concerns.” With a critical eye, the BTG committee looks at the results of its work as a fruition of the referral system. “If it works,” says Caroline, “if the person fresh out of treatment gets to a meeting within 24 hours, it means we’ve done our homework.” She points with pleasure to one young man who, after making a successful transition from treatment to A.A. to service, quietly said, “I’m glad to be needed more than I need to drink.” That, she exclaims, “translates into a need to serve.” She is quick to credit all the New Mexico service entities, from the C.F. committee right up to the General Assembly. “We are ever in each other’s pockets,” she says, “sharing experience, ideas and optimism-it’s how we get things done. We’re also grateful for LIM [LonersInternationalists Meeting by mail]. It’s important to us in making contacts for our rural population.” Over time, Caroline observes, “it seems to me that we’ve gotten away from Twelfth Step work. We plan dances and other social events, but what about our Primary Purpose-carrying the message to the alcoholic who suffers? What about working with drunks? As a recovering alcoholic, I need newcomers for fresh awareness of why booze isn’t part of my diet these days. I need newcomers on a personal, eyeball-to-eyeball basis-sitting with people already in recovery just is not enough. By nature, my alcoholism automatically forgets the physical and emotional anguish. It requres living reminders.” The 10th Annual BTG Temporary Contact Workshop Weekend will be held Sept. 29-0ct. 1 in Kansas City, Missouri, at the Ramada Inn/Airport. For more information, or to register, call: Andy M., 952-890-6467; Sharyn B., 713-697-2225; or james R., 816-231-8776.

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DOXt 8 41519 BULLETIN BOARD Items and Ideas on Area Gatherings for A.A.s-Via G.S.O.

Calendar of Events Events listed here are presented solely as a service t o readers, not as an endorsement by the General Service Office. For any additional information, please use the addresses provided.

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3-6-Mountain View, AT”kansas. 60th Old Grandad/Arkansas State Conv. Write: Ch., 2003 McCracken, Stuttgart, AR 72160 3-6-Kaunakakai, Hawaii. Fifth Annual Molokai Roundup. Write : Ch., Box 1559, Kaunakakai, HI 96748 4-6-Indian Wells, California. 26th Maad Dog Daze Conv. Write: Box 4383, Palm Desert, CA 92261 4-6-Los Angeles, California. Foothill Roundup. Writ e: Ch., Box 184, Montrose, CA 91021 4-6-Normal, Illinois. 27th Illinois State Conf. Write: Ch. , Box 423, Normal, IL 61761 4-6-0gallala, Neb1·aska. Friendship Group Eighth Camp Out. Write: Ch., 1008 West A St., Ogallala, NE 69153 4-6-Amherst, New Ym·k. 21st Annual NY State Informational Workshop. Write: Ch., 17 Hurlock Ave., Buffalo, NY14211 4-6-Somerset, Pennsylvania. Seventh State Conv. Write: Ch., 5377 Thomas Ave., Philadelphia, PA 19143 4-6-Seattle, Washington. Emerald City Roundup (hosted by gay and lesbian members). Write: Ch., 1122 E. Pike St., #1006, Seattle, WA 98112-3927 4-6-Tacoma, Washington. Freedom in Sobri e ty. Write: Ch. , Box 111914, Tacoma, WA 98411-1914 4-7-DaT”win, Australia. Darwin Roundup. Write: Ch., Box 40760, Casuarina, NT, 0811, Australia 7-12-Stu,.gis, South Dakota. Sturgis Rally. Write: Ch., 8816 Valley View Dr., Sturgis, SD 57785 9-13-0rlando, Florida. 44th State Conv. Write: Ch., Box 1414, Orlando, FL 32802 10-13-Celilo, Oregon. 14th Celilo Summer Campout. Write: Ch., Box 1052, Stevenson, WA 98648 11-12-Washington, D.C. The Capitol Roundup . Write: Ch . , Box 76786, Washington, D.C. 20013 11-13-FoT’t Assiniboine, Alberta, Canada. District 9 Roundup. Write: Ch., Box 5873, Westlock, AB T7P 2]3 11-13-Squamish, Briti sh Columbia, Canada. 27th Roundup . Write: Ch., Box 2238, Squamish, BC VON 3GO

11-13-Ucluelet, British Columbia, Canada . 16 th Annual W es t Coast Rally. Write: Ch., Box 854, Ucluelet, BC VOR3AO 11-13-Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. 12th Courage Roundup (presen ted by gay m embers). Writ e: Ch ., #2-9 Victoria, St., Truro, NS B2N 1Y5 11-13-Sault Ste. Mad e, Ontario, Canada. Annual Family Ca mpau!. Write : Ch. , 202 Chambers ve. , Sault Ste. Marie, ON PGA 4V7 11-13-Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. 31st Annual Central West Onta rio Conv. Write: Ch., 31-130 Cedar St., Ste. #434, Cambridge, ON N1S 5A5 11-13-Woodstock, Ontal’io , Canada. 19th Annual Marathon of Unity Conv. Write: Ch., Box 22002, Woodstock, ON N4S8Y1 11-13-Tiel, The Netherlands. Scanelux Intergroup 14th Annual Round-Up. Write: Ch., Harstenhoekweg 74, 2587 SM The Hague, The Netherlands 11-13-]ackson , Mississ ippi. 14th Annual Mississippi Old Timers Roundup. Write: Ch ., Box 20664, Jackson, MS 39289 11-13-]ejjerson City, Mi ssoul’i. State Conv. Write: Trsr., Rt. # 2, Box 165, Elkland, MO 65644 11-13-Reading, Pennsylva nia. Reading Area Conf. Write: Ch. , Box 181, Reading, PA 19603 11-13-0dessa, Te.ras. We st Texas Roundup . Write: Ch., 2806 Henderson, Odessa, TX 79764 11-13-Plano, Teras . 25th Dallas Lone Star Roundup. Write: Ch., Box 836221, Richardson, TX 75083-6221 12-13-Kat herine, Australia. Katherine Roundup . Write: Ch., Box 40760, Casuarina, N.T. 0811, Australia 17-20-0maha, Nebraska. Cornhusker Roundup . Write: Ch. , 1904 Virginia Ave., Bellevue, NE 68005

AUGUST – SEPTEMBER 2000

Closed Meeting Topics From the Grapevine For more detailed suggestions, see the pages noted.

August (page 36): The Four of Us September (page 17): Along Spiritual Lines 18-20-Green Lake, British Columbia, Canada. Green Lake Campout. Write: Ch., C203 Shertenlib Rd., RR 1, Lone Butte, BC VOK 1XO 18-20-0shawa, Ontario , Canada. Lakeshore Conference “Gateway to Fr:eedom.” Write: Ch., 536 King St., E., Oshawa, ON L1N 1G1 18-20-Alice Springs, Australia. Alice Springs Roundup. Write: Ch ., Box 40760, Casuarina, N.T. 0811, Australia 18-20-McGaffey, New Mexico . Sobriety Under the Stars. Write: Ch., Box 347, Gamerco, NM 87317 18-20-]amaica, New Yo7’1<. Fellowship of the Spirit. Write: Ch., 91 Charles St., Floral Park, NY 11001 18-20-Powers, Oregon. Tenth Annual Powers Campout. Write: Ch., Box 242, Coquille, OR 97423 18-20-Beawnont, Teras. 19th 9th Dis!. Conf. Write : Ch., Box 1655, Winnie, TX 77665 18-20-Kal’iville, Texas. 25th Hill Country Roundup. Write : Ch ., Box 2391, Kerriville, TX 78029-2391 18-20-Bec/dey, West Vi1’ginia. Summer of Fun Roundup. Write: Ch., 118 Orchard Ave., Beckley, WVA 25801 19-20-Hantspo,·t, Nova Scotia, Canada . Windsor &> Area MiniRoundup. Wri te: Ch., Box 141, Hantsport, NS BOP 1PO

Planning a Future Event? Please send your infonnation on October, November and December events, two days or more, in time to reach G.S.O. by Au_stlst 10, the calendar deadline tor the October-Novem ber issue of Bar 4-5-9. For your convenience and ours – please type or print the information to be listed on the Bulletin Board page, and mail to us:

Date ofevent:fi’Dm – – — – – – – — – to _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ , 1.9 _ _ __ Name of event: – – – — – — – – – – — – – – – – – — – – — — Place (city, state

or pmv.): – – – – – – — – – – – — – – – – — – – – – – — – – For injbrmation , write:

(exact mailing address) – – – – — – – – – – – — – – – – – — – – —

Contact phon e # !for office use only): – – – – – – – – – – – – — – – — – —

Flip up this end of page -for events on reverse side

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25-2 7-Writing-on-the-Stone Park, Alberta, Canada. The Corn Roas t. Write: Ch., Box 158, Shelby, MT 59474 25-27-Burbank, California. Pacific Regional Forum. Write: Forum Coordinator, Box 459, Grand Central Station, New York, NY 10163 25-27-Eureka, California. 10th Annual Pamplin Grove Campout. Write: Ch., Box 8072, Eureka, CA 95502 25-27-San Luis Obispo, California. 33rd Annual 22nd Dist. Conv. Write: Ch., Box 13308, San Luis Obispo, CA 93406 25-27-Maui, Hawaii. Fifth Annual HICYPAA. Write: Ch., Box 522, Kula, HI 96790 25-27-Biloxi, Mississippi. State Conv. Write: Ch., 1015 Pass Rd ., Ste. A, Gulfport, MS 39501-6457 25-27-joplin, Missouri. 13th Annual Summer Hummer. Write: Ch., Box 2075,Joplin, MO 64803 31-Sept. 3-Albuquerque, New Mexico. 43rd ICYPAA. Write: Ch., Box 13402, Albuquerque, NM 87192

September 1-3-Slave Lake, Alberta, Canada. Slave Lake Roundup. Write: Ch., Box 1202, Slave Lake, AB TOG 2AO 1-3-Quepos, Costa Rica. Sixth International Conv. of the Pacific Group. Write: Apartado 13118-1000, San Jose, Costa Rica 1-3- Houma, Louisiana. Bayouland Jamboree. Write: Ch., Box 2251, Houma, LA 70361 1-3-Houston, Texas. 55th Annual State Conv. Write: Ch., 15315 E. Antone Cr., Houston, TX 77071 2-4-Powell River, British Columbia, Canada. 53rd Annual Labour Day Rally. Write: Ch., 3958 Marine Ave., Powell River, BC V8A 2J1 8-10-Dunnville, Ontario, Canada. 34th Anual Dunnville Conv. Write: Ch., 112 Church St., Dunnville, ON N1A 2N2 8-10-Qwibec City, Quebec, Canada. 50th Anniv. Write: Ch., 1445 Boul. Pie XI N., Val Belair, PQ G3J 1H7 8-10-Balibago, Angeles City, Philippines. Fifth Fall International Conv. Write: Ch., 1012 Marcelius St., Diamond Subd., Balibago, Angeles City, Philippines 2009 8-10-Kingston, Ontario, Canada. Eastern Canadian Regional Forum. Write : Forum Coordinator, Box 459, Grand Central Station, New York, NY 10163 8-10-Polacca, Arizona. Seventh Annual Freedom in Sobriety. Write: Ch., Box 241, Polacca, AZ 86042 8-10-Cromwell, Connecticut. 42nd Annual Area 11 Conv. Write: Ch., 144 Streamside Lane, New Britain, CT 06052 8-10-Evansville, Indiana. INCYPAA 2000. Write: Ch., Box 2606, Evansville, IN 4 7728-0606

8-10-Many, Louisiana. Western Louisiana Intgp. Conv. Write: Ch., 602 S. Royal St., DeRidder, LA 70634 8-10-Park Rapids, Minnesota. 10th Heartland Roundup. Writ e : Trsr., 22623 Bass Lake Rd., Osage, MN 56570 8-10-Black Mountain, North Carolina. Blue Ridge Conf. Write: Ch., Box 18412, Raleigh, NC 27619 8-10-SeaTac, Washington. Sponsorship Conf. Write: Ch., Box 248, Lopez Island, WA 98261 14-17-Norman Park, Georgia. Woman to Woman. Write: Ch., Box 30344, Sea Island, GA 31561 15-17-Grandjunction, Colorado. ColorDaze 2000. Write: Ch., 3251 E. Road #99, Clifton, CO 81520-7977 15-17-Topeka, Kansas. 43rd Annual Kansas Area Conf. Write: Ch., P. 0 . Box 396, Topeka, KS 66601-0396 15-17-Lenox, Massachusetts. 18th Annual Back to Basics Weekend. Write: Ch., 368 Congress St., Boston, MA02210 15-17-Taos, New Mexico. Taos Mountain Fiesta. Write: Ch., Box 995, Ranchoes de Taos, NM 87557-0995 15-17-Seaside, Oregon. Women in Recovery. Write: Ch., Box 851, Seaside, OR97138 15-17-Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Area 74 Fall Conf. 2000. Write: Ch., Bos 261, Eau Claire, WI 54702-0261 16-18-Swift Current, Sasaketchwan, Canada. Swift Current Roundup. Write: Ch., 14 Site 6, R.R. 1, Wymark, SKSON 2YO 21-24–Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. 29th Myrtle Beach Fellowship by the Sea. Write: Ch., Box 818, Lowell, NC 28098-0818 22-24–Mendocino, California. Serenity 2000 Backwoods Assembly. Write: Ch., Box 366, Westport, CA 95488 22-24-Duluth, Minnesota. Duluth Roundup. Write: Ch., Box 16771, Duluth, MN 55816 22-24–Houston, Texas. SE Texas Area Correctional Service Conf. Write: CFC Trsr., Box 925241, Houston, TX 772925241 22-24-Lake jackson, Texas. Seventh Annual Mouth of the Br azos Conf. Write: Ch., Box 1641, Clute, TX 77531 22-24–Winchester, Virginia. 46th Four State &>DC Fall Get-Together. Write: Secy., Rt. 1, Box 164-C, Boyce, VA 22620 29-0ctober 1-Port Alberni, British Columbia, Canada. 21st Annual Rally. Write: Ch., 2314 Anderson Ave., Port Alberni, BC V9Y 2W6 29-0ctober 1-Aspen, Colorado. Joy of Living Roundup. Write: Ch., 987 Vito’s Way, Carbondale, CO 81623 29-0ctober 1-Troy, Michigan . 13th Annual Tri-County Conf. Write: Ch., Box 564, Farmington Hills, MI 483320564 29-0ctober 1- Seattle, Washington. Fifth Annual National Archives Workshop. Write: Ch., Box 98526, Lakewood, WA 98498-0526

October 5 – 7-Hagerstown, Maryland . NERC 2000. Write: Ch., Box 19958, Baltimore, MD21211 5-8-Lafayette, Louisiana. 17th Annual Cajun Country Conf. Write: Ch., Box 3160, Lafayette, LA 70502 13-15-Petit jean Mountain, Arkansas. ARKYPAA XVIII. Write : Ch., 8528 Shimrod Rd., Benton, AR 72015 13-15-Stateline, Nevada. 25th Lake Tahoe Fall Festival. Write : Ch., Box 91307, So. Lake Tahoe, CA 96151 19-22-Memphis, Tennessee. Bluff City Fellowship . Write: Ch., Box 240831, Memphis, TN 38124 20-22-Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. 56th Keystone Conf. Write: Ch., 208323 Portage Ave., Winnipeg, MB R3C 2C1 20-22-Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada. Area 81 Assembly Conf. Write: Ch., 220 Kent St., #3, Charlottetown, PEl C1A 1P2 20-22-San Bernardino, California. Inland Empire 13th Annual Conv. Write: Ch., Box 962, Moreno Valley, CA 92556 20-22-Louisville, Kentucky. KCYPAA. Write: Ch., Box 39091, Louisville, KY 40233-9091 20-2~Mackinac Island, Michigan. 12th Annual Fall Weekend. Write : Ch., Lansing Central Off., 302 So. Waverly, Lansing, MI 48917 20-2~Austin, Minnesota. Hiawathaland Get-Together. Write: Ch., Box 5792, Rochester, MN 55903 20-2~Greensburg, Pennsylvania. 54th Laurel Highlands Conf. Write: Ch., Box 6, Bovard, PA 15619-0006 27-29- St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. 14th Annual Caribbean Conv. Write: Ch., Box 303435, St. Thomas, VI 008033435 27-29-Broken Bow, Oklahoma. Beaver’s Bend Round Robin. Write: Ch., Box 132854, Tyler, TX 75713-1328

November 1-4–Cheyenne, Wyoming. Area 76 2000 Fall Conv. Write: Ch., Box 2785, Cheyenne, WY 82003 10-12-Fitchburg, Massachusetts. 37th Annual State Conv. Write: Rgsr. Box 344, Westminster, MA 01473-0344 10-1~Cincinnati, Ohio. Eighth Annual Buckeye Roundup. Write: Ch ., Box 5314, Cincinnati, OH 45205 17-19- Huntington, West Virginia. Southeast Regional Forum. Write : Forum Coordinator, Box 459, Grand Central Station, New York, NY 10163