October, 1958

CHANGE BULLETIN NEWS VOLUME

3

AND

NOTES ON ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS \VORLDWIDE

Published by General Service Office of A. A., P. 0. Box 459, Grand Central Station, New York 17

NuMBER

10

MINNESOT1\ TO NONIINATE GSB TRUSTEE Many Groups Will Celebrate ~Gratitude Week’ The week of Monday, November 24, will be celebrated as “Gratitude Week” in many A.A. groups in the United States, in accordance with suggestions made by Delegates to r e c e n t General Service Conferences. (Canadian groups participating in this spreading A.A. custom will do so the week of Monday, October 13, Thanksgiving Day in Canada.) The concept of “A.A. Gratitucte Week” is generally regarded as both “spiritual” and “practical.” Many members have long felt that it is fitting for recovered alcoholics to set aside an appropriate season of the year for special appreciation of the meaning of the gift of sobriety. At the same time it was felt that the Thanksgiving period, which coincides roughly with the traditional appeal for voluntary contributions to support A.A.’s world services, provides a special opportunity for reviewing those services and the demands upon them. In some granos this has Jed to the designation~ of November as “Traditions Month.” Brief talks on the Traditions are presented at open meetings and individual Traditions are discussed at closed meetings. The importance of the Traditions to the survival of A.A. is emphasized and the role of the General Service Office is explained.

GeJtet•al Service Briefs NEW PRINTS Four new prints of the Loretta Young television show, Case 258, dealing with A.A. in industry, have recently been made available to G. S. 0. by Procter & Gamble, who sponsored the original telecast. They can be borrowed by groups on a “first come, first served” basis.

RECORD SALE To close out its inventory of LP recordings formerly priced at $6.00 each, G. S.O. is offering the following items at the special price of $2.75 each: (1) Milestones Ahead by Bill W. and A. A., The Conference & Society by Bernard B. Smith, former chairman of the Board of Trustees; (2) A. A.’s Three Legacies by Bill W.; (3) A.A.’s Traditions, a recording of the key meeting of the International Convention at Cleveland. The number of records available is limited; all orders will be filled in the order in which they are received.

RECEPTION A reception for out-of-town members will be held at the Hotel Astor, New York City, from 3:00 to 5:00 p. m. Monday, November 17th, preceding the annual New York Intergroup Dinner. All out-of-towners are invited to meet G. S. 0. staff members and others at that time.

GROUPS O.K. CO lVVENTIO N

~GRAPEVINE’

First reactions to the “official” confirmation of plans for a 25th International A.A. Convention in 1960 have all been enthusiastic. The Convention, originally proposed by the Conference, was approved by the General Service Board of A.A. at its quarterly meeting late in July. The site selected is Long Beach, California, adjacent to one of the largest “A.A. Areas” in the world. The dates are Friday, Saturday and Sunday, July 1-3, 1960.

Twenty-nine different datelines ranging from the Fiji Islands to French Morocco are featured in the first “International” issue of The A.A. Grapevine being distributed this month. “Let us read this issue from cover to cover-and thank God,” Co-founder Bill W. urges in a brief introductory note. Bill recalls that the original charter for A.A.’s international monthly journal was drawn by “an A.A. lawyer with vision.” This man, Bill notes, pictured the Grapevine as the Fellowship’s “magic carpet which could instantly transport every reader to countless cities and hamlets and to those still lonesome outposts on distant, shores where our society would one day flourish.” Correspondents in the October issue represent such A.A. “outposts” as: South Africa, Australia, New Guinea, Belgian Congo, Brazil, Finland, Ghana, England, Nigeria, North Ireland, Singapore, Greece, India, New Zealand, Eire, Okinawa, Colombia, Denmark, Japan, Lebanon and Puerto Rico.

CENSUS EXTENDED ONE MONTH Has your group filled out the “Special A.A. Census Report” form enclosed with the September Exchange Bulletin? If not, this is a gentle reminder from G.S.O. to please use the yellow slip enclosed with this Bulletin. The census survey was originally requested by the General Service Conference in April. Preliminary analysis of the reports that have already reached G.S.O.

indicate that this study was long overdue as a means of developing increasingly accurate figures on the total number of active and “inactive” members. Estimates of A.A.’s membership range from 135,000 to more than 200,000. But no reliable count will ever be possible unless a substantial percentage of groups cooperate in the present census.

GOES GLOBAL

Third Legacy Vote Procedures Are Suggested Delegates and Committeemen in the State of Minnesota have been asked to take steps leading to the nomination of an alcoholic Trustee to fill the position that will become vacant next April when the four-year term of Icky S. of Texas expires. The procedure for nominating prospective Trustees, approved by the General Service Conference in 1955, is designed to give the larger “A.A.” States and Provinces, successively, the first opportunities to suggest nominees. The General Service Board presently consists of seven alcoholic members and eight non-alcoholic friends of the Fellowship. Several proposals for changing the ratio of alcoholic and non-alcoholic Trustees have been referred to the groups in recent years. The Board has been delegated the responsibility of supervising the work of A.A.’s service agencies in New York City. It also acts for the movement in public relations matters and other matters affecting the Fellowship as a whole. Minnesota’s Delegates and Committeemen now have several options. They may themselves nomiate a Trustee without consulting Area groups, or they may hold a State Assembly, following the electoral methods suggested in the Third Legacy Manual_ in either case. (Continued on Page 4)

INDIVIDUAL “BULLETIN” SUBSCRIPTIONS NOW AVAILABLE $1.00 A YEAR

THE A. A. EXCHANGE

BULL E TIN

Publislte<l n tontltly by General Service Offic e of A. A., P. 0. Box 459, GI’nlul Cen t1•al Station, Ne,,~ Yorli: 17, X. Y.

SERVICE TO A. A. OVERSEAS Some years ago one of the most n:specteu magazines in the United States descnbed A. A. as “an American phenomenom.” For once, its usually perceptive editors were just ab<;mt as wrong as any observers of the changmg social scene have ever been. The intervening years have demonstrated amply that our unique program for recovery from alcoholism has outgrown any claim to a “Made in America” label- if, indeed, any such label was justified. (The wisdom of many lands and of many ages is certainly an important element in the program.) And yet it is not entirely an accident that A.A. Loners and groups can be found today in more than 70 countries this side of the Iron Curtain. Some one had to provide literature for overseas travel – literature that frequently found its way into the hands of interested alcoholics, their families, doctors, public officials and others. Some one had to answer inquiries about how to set up a group, or a committee service structure. Some one had to answer inquiries about the location of A. A contacts overseas. Some one had to be a~ailable to answer other requests for guidance based on practical experience and straight forward interpretation of the Twelve Traditions. Only one collective “someone” could do all those jobs: the staff of A. A.’s General Service Office in New York. Had there been no such central clearing house for the Fellowship as a whole, it is doubtful whether global A.A.-reflected so inspiringly in the current issue of The A.A. Grapevine-could have developed as it has. To the individual member in Chicago, Montreal, London or Brussels, the importance of this service to members and groups beyond his nation’s borders may seem remote. To the Loner in Praetoria, however, hopefully awaiting a letter from a correspondent at G. S. 0., to the founder of a small group in Latin America, desperate for literature in Spanish, to the non-alcoholic doctor in a Scandinavian country who seeks authoritative information about the A. A. program-to all these people, dependable service and help and friendship are vital matters indeed. Today, thousands of copies of A. A. pamphlets and bulletins and hundreds of personal letters go out each year from G. S. 0. (Many of the pamphlets are available in six translations.) Many travelers armed with the A. A. World Directory, strengthen their sobriety while moving from one country to another, since they are now able to locate another member nearly anywhere in the free world. A. A. has taken giant strides in the past two decades. Some of the most important ones have been those taken by the Fellowship overseas.

Areas Pick Alternates As Full-Term Delegates The 1959 Conference will include at least two “new” Delegates who have already served their areas as representatives to the Spring meeting in New York. Wes P. of Pompano Beach (South Florida) has been elected to serve a two-year term, after serving one year as an alternate. Fran R. Alaska’s first Delegate, also did such a fin~ job as an alternate that she will return for a full two-year term next Spring. Louisana has announced its choice of a ’59 Delegate. He’s Pat O’B. of Baton Rouge. California was awarded a fifth Delegate by the ’58 Conference. The individual chosen by the new Area is Art B. of Long Beach. The following Areas have advised G.S.O. that they have scheduled Assemblies for the near future: British Columbia, North Florida, Washington State and Northern New Jersey.

Travels 2,000 Miles Cec C., Canadian Delegate from Saskatchewan, has covered more than 2,000 miles to present his report on the ’58 Conference to members in Regina, Weyburn, Bounty, Gravelbourg, Prince Albert and North Battleford.

Two Texas Meetings C. B. T., Northwest Texas Delegate, reports successful Conference report meetings were held recently at Shamrock and Pampa.

A. A. C.ALENDAR OCTOBER 3-5 -ATLANTIC REGION CONVENTIONN e’yfol.uullaiul, No-va Scotia, Canada. rt-12-:i!USSOURI STATE St. Louis, lllo.

CONI<‘ERENCE-

11-12-SASRATECHE”\VAN 9TH ANNUAL ROUNDUP-Bes!iboroug·lt Hotel, Sasl;;:atoou (Box 331). 10-12-5TH GEORGIA STATE CONVENrriON-Don .1′-h.• Hotel, Aug·usta (Contact: P. 0. Box 3454 Augusta) 11-12-iUOHA”‘R-HUDSON CONl~ERENCEHendrick Hudson Hotel, Troy, N.Y. 16-12TH ANNUAL NEW JERSEY BANQ.UET-:illo!itlne ‘l’ltcater, Newark. 17-19-liTH ANN U AL ”l’OP 0′ TEXAS’ ROUND P-Her1’ing· Hotel, Amarillo. 17-19 -SOUTHERN E CE-SAN

CALIFORNIA CONFERLUIS OBISPO.

IS-l9- 9TH STATE CONVENTION-Hi Way Ho n se lUotel, Phot”nix 26- 14TH ADA)

ANNUAL JUONT’REAL (CANBANQUET-“\Vitulsol’ Hotel. NOVEJUBER

S-9 -EASTERN PENNSY LVANIA CONVENTION-I:.enn-Sber·n oot1 Hotel, Pltilatleltlllia. S-9 -BRITISH COLUUBIA REGIONAl, CONFERENCE Cana<lian Legion Hall, Vun(•on-ver. 17-N. Y . INTERGROUP BANQUET (“Bill’s .A nni versar y”)-Hotel Astor, N .Y. C. (Contact: N.Y. Intel’g1’0UI> Office, 133 East 39tlt Street). APRIL 3-5 -3UD AN N UAL CONVENTION, SCOTTISH GROUPS-Dunblane Hydro.

NEWS & NOTES FROM THE FIELD G. S. C. VOTING A member in New Mexico writes to ask why Tmstees and G.S.O. Staff Members have a vote in the General Service Conference in view of the fact that they represent no particular segment of A. A.

Co-founder Bill W. has answered similar questions in talks and writings ia recent years. He has pointed out that in the early days of A.A.’s service agencies, paid staff members and many informed volunteers were excluded from meetings of the committees that “ran” the office. The result was that decisions were occasionally made by people who knew less about particular situations than the staff members did. Also, different committees both ill-informed, sometimes issued conflicting directives to staff people. This situation was corrected when corporate management principles were applied to the handling of Service Office affairs. When the Conference was set up, Trustees and Staff Members were included, with both a voice and a vote in the Conference, so that their knowledge and experience could be applied effectively to problems affecting the entire movement. Area Delegates constitute a three-to-one majority in the Conference and thus have the ultimate authority. Had Trustees and Staff Members been excluded, as paid workers had been excluded from committee deliberations in the first days of the Service Office, the Conference could be placed in the unfortunate position of having to make uninformed decisions on many matters.

HORSEMEN, UNITE! A member whose occupation is the breeding and racing of horses is anxious to get in touch with a fellow-A.A. with the same interests . . . G.S.O. will gladly forward correspondence. The West Roxbury, l\1assachusetts, Group is expanding 1 its Sunday night raffle plans. Now, in addition to awarding a copy of the Big Book to the big winner, a year’s subscription to the Exchange Bulletin will be donated to a “consolation” prize wmner.

SEAMEN, RELAX! A.A. seamen who happen to be in the Long Beach, California, area are invited to rest their sealegs at the Saturday evening meetings of the Maritime Group. (M. M. & P. Union Hall, 533 Marine Avenue, Wilmington, California.) Does any one have a copy of the first edition of the Big Book that he (or she) would be willing to sell? If so, please write to G. S. 0. and we will relay the information to an interested buyer.

HAPPY HOLIDAY(S) A Happy Thanksgiving to all the Canadian Groups this month! And next month, too, of course.

Around The World With A. A. The story of A.A.’s groiVth overseas unfolds daily in correspondence received at G.S .O. Here are excerpts from typical letters received recently:

FIJI ISLANDS Joan S. writes from Vatukoula, Viti Levu: Just five months ago I was the only A.A. member in the whole of the colony Now, with God’s guidance and the wonderful help of the Fiji Broadcasting Commission and Fiji Times (our daily paper), we have our little group. It is at present fairly scattered. Still, we keep in touch via ‘phone, letters and meetings as often as we can get together. l have no doubt we shall increase in numbers in the very near future.

Need Pamphlets One of our difficulties is literature . . . Would it be an imposition to appeal to some of our wonderful friends for any pamphlets they may have to spare? In a few months we should have some funds and be able to negotiate with the Bank for dollars (with which to order literature from the States.) All our members are keen to get mail.

CURACAO Pedro M. reports from the Netherlands Antilles: September 22 will mark our second anniversary and we plan to dedicate our day to prayer, in which we’ll pray for all A. A. groups everywhere, a&king the blessing, mercy and gift of sobriety as found in our principles, based on the Grace of God, as we see Him.

AUSTRALIA Gerard S. tells of a new development in Melbourne , Victoria : On the 25th of June we started in Melbourne a group of A.A. for young people. Its purpose is to assist young people to find an answer to their drinking problems before they hit “rock bottom .”

Trouble and Grog Most of our present members found it difficult to believe they were alcoholics so· young in life. We had not all been hospitalized and lost personal possessions but we were continually getting into trouble, directly and indirectly, througli grog.

THE NETHERLANDS

EL SALVADOR

H enk S., Amsterdam, writes in the Dutch A.A. newsletter, “De Boei,” of the day, some years ago, when Bill W. visited his city: Later that day there was a meeting of a few doctors and judges and a handful of “us drunks.” I don’t know what I expected from that meeting, but it went altogether different from what I had visualized . That tall guy straddled a little wooden chair that was much too small for him and sat down right in front of his audience.

Eddie F. has just retumed from a month’s trip to the States: .A distinguished medical doctor here, Dr. N. C. of San Miguel, about 100 miles away, has formed a new group in that city. Please send him $5.00 worth of “44 Preguntas & Respuestas” with my best wishes. He has been dry ten years on his own and hasn’t been able to help other drunks. He wants to. Now, with the A.A. program as a means of doing so, he has six or seven sober members already. We’re coaching him in the A.A. pattern and Traditions.

Deeply l\’fuved Not once did he mention alcoholism or even alcoholics. He spoke slowly and clearly and suddenly I could understand every word he said. He told us the story of his life, without any theoretical whys and whatfors. Just plain facts . The small group of alkies in the audience was deeply moved, for we all felt that, in telling his own story, Bill had pointed out the highlights in our own distorted lives.

Deciding Factor I remember our indignation when some of the non-alcoholics tried to corner Bill with some theoretical questions and how proud we were when he refused to be drawn into any controversies and plainly stated that he had told his own life story for his friends in the back of the room–with a nod towards usand that he hoped that something he had said would be of help to them. l am convinced that Bill’s visit has been the deciding factor in the growth of A.A. in Holland over the past eight years.

LEBANON Richard F. is with an American civilian mission in Beirut: I would definitely like to have names of other lone mem·bers with whom I can correspond: I have contacted both my doctor and my minister about sending anybody with a drinking problem to me. My minister told me that the YMCA here has at times searched frantically for somebody like me to talk with alcoholics who have come to them for help. I shall go to the YMCA and leave my name.

ALASKA

Robert C. is G.S.R. of the Totem Group, Elemendorf Air Air Force Base, Anchorage: Several of the members of the various groups in and around Anchorage have been regularly attending meetings at the Federal Prison Camp here. We have an Eskimo boy who has been attending regularly and has become very enthusiastic about the program. He expressed his desire to take A.A. home to his people. However this ENGLAND’ would involve a translation of Bill S., an lntemationalist, the Big Book, or at least porwrites of a recent experience in tions of it. I have m ade the Southampton : necessary connections as to who There I was laying up at can do the job. However we feel Southampton for three days. it necessary to ask permission Finally, on sailing day, while to do so and we would like to talking to the gangway watch- know what portions of the book man, by golly the conservation have been translated in other got around to A.A. Here was languages so that we may sima good fellow looking for A.A. plify the matter. So I, who had no chance to We are very anxious to get “make” a meeting there, told this project under way. The few him all about the place and the Eskimos we have here in attime of the meeting and gave tendance have some difficulty him some literature . . . A getting over the language barYank had to come over to rier and we believe that this Southhampton to help a new- translation will open a new comer find A.A.! door to sobriety for them.

Group Queries Cover Variety Of Experience Following are digests based on recent correspondence between local groups and G.S.O. In all cases the answers are based on experience recorded in G. S. 0 . files. Members in our city have approached a Catholic priest for permission to hold a meeting in his church and have been assured his cooperation. Should we ask a priest who is in A .A. to participate in the meeting? The location of a meeting is of absolutely no significance as far as suggesting endorsement of A.A . by any denomination. A.A. Groups meet in churches of vir· tually all major faiths, simply because in so many communities churches offer convenient meeting facilities. No liaison with a denomination is ever implied. As to inviting a priest to take part in the proposed open meeting, this would certainly not be unnatural if the priest is a member of A.A. He would be joining with you as a fellow alcoholic, not in his role as a priest. What can be done to help assure the survival of a group which does not seem to hold its new· conurs and in which “the same old warlzorses” seem to do all the chores year after year? Some groups that have faced this basic problem have been successful following an approach along these lines : 1. They have instituted weekly meetings for beginners at which newcomers are encouraged to ask questions about the program and to discuss problems that may be troubling them. 2. They have placed more emphasis on sponsorship, not oniy where newcomers are involved but also where personal interest might be helpful to an older member having difficulty with the program. 3. They have en~ouraged the “warhorses,” in spite of their proved loyalty to the group and their willingness to help, to step aside as soon as new members are ready to take over group re· sponsibilities.

NEW IN A. A. New registrations during August: 63 Local Groups 1 Intergroup 1 Club 10 Loners 1 Internationalist 2 Prison Groups 5 Hospital Groups

at

G.S.O.

INTERNATIONALISTS

Bombay Unit Grows Rapidly, Seaman Reports In May, the Exchange Bulletin reported Bill H.’s adventures in working with a small group of alcoholics in Bombay, India. Here’s a follow-up report, received at G.S.O. last month:

When I returned about two months after my first trip, the group had grown to about twelve members and I was asked to conduct its first official meeting in Bombay. From a more recent lelter, I learn that not only has the group increased to 17 but the Bombay government has admitted that there is an alcohol problem and has approached the group for help. The government has also given them two hospital beds free of charge . . . and a big write-up in the Bombay paper. The group is now getting more calls than it can handle. I am proud to have had a small part in helping. In Calcutta I received word that there were three scattered “members” who did not know each other and who knew little or nothing about A.A. So I chased up and down those streets and back alleys and again I rode taxis and buses and rickshaws and again I asked a thousand questions . . . and finally five of us got together for a meeting.

Dolphins The three members of the Dolphin Group, first A.A.s ever to hold a meeting in a submarine submerged 300 feet or deeper, believe that the group has in1pressed others aboard the U. S. underseas vessel. “There have been many questions about A.A. and alcoholism since we began meeting aboard and, all in all, I think many crew members have a little clearer understanding of both now,” writes Bill 0. “Believe that the one thing that has made the greatest impression on the rest of the crew is that, contrary to expectations, we are not ‘do-gooders’ or ‘reformers,’ but merely trying to follow the program the best we can, a day at a time.”

DIRECTORY An up-dated directory of A.A. Internationalis’ts (seamen) was mailed September 15th to all members in that category registered at G.S.O.

~BUCK-OF-MONTH’

MEJYIBERS HELP INSTITUTIONAL GROUPS In 1949, when they learned that literature was supplied to A. A. groups inside the institutions by the Institutional Committee of Southern California either out of the individual panel members’ own pocket-books or with funds “confiscated” from their home groups, members of the Lacrescenta Men’s group decided this situation should be remedied. They formed the Buck-of-theMonth Club to which each member of the group donated $1 a month for the purpose of supplying the Institutional Committee with literature to distribute to institutions. The idea caught on so well in the other nearby groups that they decided that all the A. A. members in the Los Angeles Area should have this privilege of belonging to lhe Buck-of-theMonth Club. In 1954, the Lacrescenta Men’s Group turned Buck-of-the-Month Club funds over to the Institutional Committee of Southern California for collection and processing since Committee members belonged to groups , in the entire area. A chairman is elected each year to keep the accounts (separate from all other Institutional Committee funds) and purchase the literature for distribution to the Panel Chairmen of the various institutions. Only a very small amount of this fund is used for the purchase of stamps, envelopes and miscellaneous expenses.

During 1 9 5 7 approximately $2500 was spent for literature for the institutions. This money came only from donations to the Buckof-the-Month Club. Literature and books distributed included: fifty “Big Books”, twelve “Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions”, twenty library folders (cellophanebound notebooks containing one copy of each piece of A.A. literature), 5,000 local meeting directories and 2,400 miscellaneous pamphlets of Conference-approved literature from General Service Office. A.A. members, who wish to contribute to this literature fund and become Buck-of-the-Month Club members, can put $1 in a Buck-of-the Month Club return envelope with their name and address and mail it. Envelopes can be obtained at group meetings, at the monthly Institutional Committee meeting or from members of the Institutional Committee. After receipt of the $1, the Buckof-the-Month Committee mails. another return envelope for the following month’s contribution and a copy of the Institutional Committee Monthly paper, the “Sounding Board.” As long as the A.A. member continues to mail $1 each month, he or she remains a member of the Buck-ofthe-Month Club. All donations are strictly voluntary and the contribution each month of $1 is completely up to the discretion of the A.A. member.

jt[innesota A.A.s Libraries Need To Pick Nominee A. A. Literature (Continued from Page 1)

All groups in Minnesota have been advised of the request for a nominee from their Area. All Trustees arc expected to attend quarterly meetings of the General Service Board in New York City, While the privilege of nominating Trustees is rotated from Area to Area, Board members are not considered to be “geographical” representatives. Instead in their joint deliberations and in other work outside of meetings, they are considered to represent the broad interests of the Fellowship as a whole.

Does the patients’ library in the hospital nearest your group have A.A. literature on its shelves? Carol K. of Cleveland, Ohio, happened to learn that there was a dearth of such literature at the Cleveland State Hospital. Her solution? She contributed a year’s subscription to the Grapevine and is working on plans to obtain A. A. books and pamphlets for the institution. Carol points out that many larger hospitals have two libraries, one for patients and the other for the medical staff. Perhaps there’s a place for A. A. materials in both.

PAMPH LETS The Lainette Group, Iowa State Prison (Fort Madison), needs pamphlet material “and I guess we always will,” writes D. H., secretary. Dick says the pamphlets give an inmate an opportunity “to work the thing out in his own mind, in privacy, as only the individual can determine whether or not he is an alcoholic.”

SEEK LETTERS The Crossroads Group at Paparua P rison, Christchurch, New Zealand, is “still holding its own” even though its Sunday meetings conflict with the institution’s sports program, writes secretary Johnny R. The group would welcome correspondence from other A. A. members.

INSTITUTIONAL

Adtninistrators In W. Australia Welcome Help Prison authorities in Western Australia “are giving A.A. every possible assistance, within bounds,” Jack F., secretary of the Services Council for Western Australia, points out in a letter to G.S.O. The Council has been asked to prepare the text for an introductory pamphlet on A.A. that can be handed to every alcoholic committed to Fremantle Prison, the largest in Western Australia. The two new pamphlets, Partners in A.A. and Questions and Answers on Sponsorship have given members answers to several questions about A.A., according to Bill B., secretary of the Eureka Group, Fremantle Prison, Western Australia.

NEW ZEALAND “It is very gratifying to see how well A.A. is catching on in the penal institutions throughout New Zealand, and the progress it has made towards the rehabilitation of men who would not be incarcerated today were it not for their alcoholism.” The above is an excerpt from a report by Dick S., secretary of the Eden Group, H. M. Prison, Auckland, New Zealand, in the group’s new quarterly bulletin, Kia Ora. (The title is from a Maori phrase meaning “Wishing You Well Being!”) The Eden Group now has about 30 members.

BEGINNERS Beginners’ meetings are a feature of the Retriever Grmm 3Ctivities at the U. S. Penite’ntiary, Steilacoom, Washington, Tad T. writes. These meetings also at-, tract older members, he notes. The sessions for newcomers are scheduled as the first hour of regular Wednesday evening sessions. The group also holds Sunday afternoon meetings. Guests are welcome at all times. Members, working with outside sponsors and with representatives of the prison administration, recently developed a “charter” which provides a definite routine for group business meetings.

CAMARILLO Thirty former patients joined with current members to help celebrate the 14th anniversary of the group at Camarillo ( California) State Hospital recently. Some of the ex-patients “graduated” as far back as 1950.