Logo - Small Wisconsin Map highlighting Area 75
Alcoholics Anonymous in Southern Wisconsin
Alcoholic’s Anonymous - Area 75

Alcoholic’s Anonymous - Area 75

9:00 a.m. Sunday, June 12, 2005

Agenda Planning Meeting

Madison Senior Center

Madison, WI



MINUTES

AGENDA PLANNING MEETING



OFFICERS PRESENT: Howard P, Area Chairperson; Monica M, Alternate Chairperson; Nancy G, Delegate; Robert S, Alternate Delegate; John B, Secretary; Kathy W, Alternate Secretary; George B, Treasurer; Nancy H, Alternate Treasurer



STANDING COMMITTEE CHAIRPERSONS PRESENT: Nancy S, Archivist; Terry R, Archives; Ken Y, Bridging the Gap (BTG); Paul H, Corrections; Stu E, Cooperation with the Professional Community (CPC); Jo Mc, Grapevine; George P, Public Information (PI); Michael N, Special Needs; Marian B, Treatment



DCM’s PRESENT: D1-John N, David F; D2-Susan J; D3-Ray Z; D6-Jim Mc; D7-Dale W; D8-Toni M; D9-Margaret S; D11-John W; D12-Annette D; D13-Chris C; D14; D16-Patrick R, Dave (Alt); D17-Carol Mc; D19-Bonnie W (Alt); D20-John C (Alt), Mark H, Tom G; D25-Mark C; D27-David W; D28-Dave F; D29-Ron G; D30-Lori M; D32-Dale H



GSR’s & DISTRICT COMMITTEE CHAIRPERSONS PRESENT: D1- Al B; D2-Rose K; D6-Fred K, Liz Y; D9-Ted K, Patty M, Catherine C; D11–Greg P, Don K; D13- Cheri C, Shelly D, Mark S, Dolly H; D14-Renuka V, Frank S; D16-Bill K, Dave P; D17-Sam M; D20-Bebra B; D25-Aaron M, David D; D29-Beth S, Dennis D, Bill E; D30-Nora F; D32-Mike A, Chris E



OTHERS PRESENT: Past Delegate (Area 75)- John B, Ken G, Joan J, Leo M; Fall 2005 Co-Chair-Jim S; Unity Conference 2006 & 2007-LaVonne S; Conference Advisory Chair-Rick J





  1. Howard P, Area Chairperson, opened the meeting with a moment of silence, followed by…



  1. The Serenity Prayer.



  1. Ken G, Past Delegate-Panel 49, read the Twelve Concepts.



  1. John B, Area Secretary, took Roll Call.



  1. Secretary’s Report - John B reviewed the minutes from the Spring Conference, which were approved unanimously. John reminded those in attendance that the minutes from the area meetings were now posted on the area website, www.area75.org. John asked that those individuals desiring to be included on the distribution list for the area minutes provide him with a valid email address or mailing address. John then asked that anyone currently receiving the minutes through the mail, who have an email address, please let him know, as the spring conference report was approximately $3.50/mailing for copying and postage. John then asked for information on the upcoming area conferences as he would like to list the conference chairs in the area directory. John then reminded those in attendance that anyone making a report at an area meeting is required by assembly action to submit a written report to the area secretary. The preferred method would be electronic as a word document or a typed report that can be read by the area’s OCR (Optical Character Recognition) software. Hand written reports must be re-typed or scanned in as a PDF file. These files can be difficult to open due to the many different virus protection programs and they take up quite a bit of storage space as well.



  1. Treasurer’s Report – George B reviewed the current area balance sheet, which was approved unanimously. George reported that four members of the finance advisory committee had been selected although only two were in attendance for the morning session. George is working on filling the other two openings and has a couple of leads to check out.





  1. Chairperson’s Report - Howard stated that all districts need to be involved for the area to work. Howard asked that the DCM’s consider inviting the delegate to their district to get the report from the General Service Conference. Howard also asked that the districts consider workshops on the 7th tradition.





  1. Delegate’s Report – Nancy G invited remarks and concerns for the 2006 general service conference. Nancy stated that first quarter reports from the area indicate that only 23% of the groups in the area contributed, compared to 18% last year. 44% contributed in the fourth quarter of 2004.





  1. Coffee Volunteer – District 8 volunteered to make coffee for the Pre-Conference Assembly meeting.



  1. Announcements - Dist 14 is hosting an event featuring service panels and an ice cream social, July 30th at Milwaukee Psychiatric Hospital, followed by an open speaker meeting. Jo Mc will be the open meeting speaker.





  1. Treatment Committee Report - Marian reported that a directory for substance abuse services in Wisconsin is available. Subscriptions for the publication “About AA” are available through the CPC desk at GSO. It is suggested for anyone working with professionals. Received a letter from GSO treatment desk regarding an inquiry from an individual in Wisconsin seeking literature. It turns out that the Department of Corrections located in District 15 runs the facility. The appropriate contacts have been asked to get in touch with this facility.





  1. Bridging the Gap Committee Report - Ken needs feedback on whether or not the contact was made for BTG referrals. Ken reviewed his plans for the balance of the year. BTG workshop – Ad Hoc committee on the handbook met this morning. Only minor changes were suggested along with formatting issues. A couple of forms will be added and the hope is that it will be available soon to the DCM’s.





  1. Special Needs Committee Report - Michael reported that he has mailed out 25 copies of the AA marketing information, which essentially gives contact information. Michael reports that the AA service manual is on seven cassette tapes now. It was not available through GSO so he got it done locally. Michael will present a copy to the special needs desk (Julio) at the international. Next project will be getting the area 75 workbook put on tape. Had twenty-five individuals attend the afternoon session at the fall conference. Information on signers was made available at that session. Intends to recruit others for his committee before the end of the year. Has been invited to the July 12th meeting at the Milwaukee Area Central Office and has been asked to participate at the international as well.





  1. Corrections Committee Report - Paul asked again for volunteers for the John Burke facility. Had their first meeting but still needs more help. Help is also needed at Waupan for the Saturday morning meeting. Rainbow fund has made possible the purchase of $1250 of literature. The growth in the funds recently has been generated through the cans that were recently distributed. Rainbow Can funds can should be forwarded to the area according to assembly action. Paul feels that funds could be collected and distributed at the group level and doesn’t feel the need to be personally involved in every literature transaction.





  1. Public Information Committee Report - George will be making a schedule and visiting districts shortly. He received a letter from GSO regarding the upcoming distribution of the PSA – Living in Chaos, listing the stations that the PSA will be sent too. Will have a proposal upcoming to modify the website guidelines. The website has information on district meetings input by someone from their district. Renuka is the designee for the AA calendar on the website. Requesting information on district GSR meetings to be posted on the website. Al reported that there were 57 hits on the website daily for the month of June. The greatest number of hits occurs at the meetings page. The district PI’s still can request distribution of the PSA to additional television stations, but the request needs to be made by 7/8/05.





  1. Archives Committee Report - Terry reported on the doings of the committee as discussed this morning and the spring conference. The Archives workbook has been distributed to all districts except two or three. Terry then reviewed Nancy’s written report. Nancy presented the findings of the ad hoc committee to look for a permanent location for the archives as it has outgrown Nancy’s basement. She has approached her local parish regarding renting currently vacant space formerly occupied by their school. A proposal has been submitted to rent space from the parish. $150 per month is the price quoted to Nancy. The cost of the rent will be offset by an annual fundraising event and donations can to be placed at the point of display. Holy Assumption has public liability insurance and the area will not need a separate insurance policy. A digital archive is needed to protect the material gathered so far. Nancy pointed out that the space at Holy Assumption would be a perfect place to begin storing the material digitally. Proposal was amended to allow for latitude in negotiations increased from $150 to $200. The proposal was unanimously approved under emergency business.





Note: The following email communication was received from Nancy on June 28…



Hello John,



    I have the best Archives news. I don't even believe it's real yet. I just got off the phone with Fr. Massey. He loves Alcoholics Anonymous!! We are able to rent the music room!! Not only that but for $100.00 per month. He said we will start out at that price, but knowing him it will be that price for a long... time if not forever. I'll keep touch and let you know when the move will begin.             

 

5 minutes later..............                             

         

Fr. Massey contacted the man that has the keys for the room already. I am picking up the keys July 5th. I can't tell you how I feel at this moment or what's going though my head, but I'm sure you can imagine how I'm jumping around the house!

 

Nancy S



  1. Cooperation with the Professional Committee Report - Stu thanked those districts that are submitting minutes and then proceeded to review his written report. Stu is available to visit districts and participate in workshops if desired. Participated at the district 24 workshop recently (not detailed in written report). Most professionals are not aware that there is specific literature directed at them and most are happy to discover this previously unknown tool. Stu proposes to work with corrections to get the message to those recently paroled from jails and prisons. Stu has currently used up funds set aside for booths at conventions and is asking the area what their feelings are should another opportunity present itself in 2005. GSO has asked that area 75 CPC share the guidelines they have developed.





  1. Grapevine Committee Report - Jo reported that some good ideas came out during the a.m. meeting. Has organized a staple-pulling/meeting/potluck to ready collected issues for distribution into correction facilities. Jo will be asking those districts with large treasuries to donate to the count on us fund to carry the message. Jo displayed a tee shirt sold by area 15 to raise funds and plans to have a similar project within the area. Plans to distribute additional literature to prison libraries.





19) Literature Committee Report - Bob made note of the fact that not all districts have a literature chair and asked that those districts that don’t have one, reconsider. He read an article from Box 459 that supports his plea for reconsideration, that a literature chairperson could make a big difference. He has included a copy of this article with his written report. Bob plans to send a letter to GSO to point out the fact that page numbers have been omitted from books on tape.





20) Conference Advisory Committee Report - Rick J reported that he is rotating out of his position as the committee chairperson and will be replaced by Cindy H. The future Conference Advisory Committee will be reviewing the current conference guidelines (from 2002) to see if they require any strengthening or clarification.



  1. Spring Conference 2005 Report - Cindy H reported that the final report is not yet available, as there are still some outstanding expenses. It would appear that the conference generated approximately $2500 in excess funds after expenses and repayment of the seed money. The conference recorded 481 total registrations (261 pre-registrations). Approximately 320 people attended the dinner buffet and 200 attended the breakfast.



22) Fall Conference 2005 Report – Jim S announced that Hwy 164 has been renamed Hwy F, make sure you get off at the right exit. The conference committee is concerned about the number of rooms that have reserved. So far only five reservations have been made against a contract guarantee of 200 room nights. Flyers have been distributed and a flyer will be posted at the area website.





  1. Unity Conference 2006 Report – Lavonne reported that she will be chairing the 2006 Unity Conference. The dates for the conference are July 7 – 9, 2006 at the Hotel Mead in Wisconsin Rapids. The conference committee is about a week away from signing a contract at this time. The room rates are $89.00/night for up to four people and suites are available for $125.00/night. Lavonne announced that she is in desperate need of a Hospitality Chair from Area 75 for the conference. Please see Lavonne if interested.



  1. Fall Conference 2007 Report





25) Agenda Item #1 – George P is sponsoring a proposal to replace paragraph three, section six, to read that the Area 75 website may link to other websites at the discretion of the Area 75 Public Information Chairperson, amending the current guidelines to link only to GSO.



Voting: 24 in favor, 0 opposed. No minority opinion. Item has been placed on the agenda.





26) Agenda Item #2 – Monica M proposed to withdraw support to the Unity Conference immediately, as the Unity Conference has lost money the last two years and is poorly supported by the fellowship (both Area 74 and 75).



Discussion: Termination is too abrupt, need to let area 74 know what we’re doing. There is area 75 business conducted at the Unity Conference Sunday morning, a mandatory session involving both area committee chairs. Conference should be canceled ASAP to save the $2000 - $3000 spent sending the area officers. Item should be placed on the agenda for the districts to decide. Attendance has been falling off from year one. We have learned to keep commitments in AA. It’s not prudent to spend funds to keep commitments when a contract has not been signed. Last years conference lost $300.00 and there currently is $1600 in the Unity Conference treasury. Monica was asked to amend the proposal to go through with the 2006 conference and to pull out beyond that and she declined.



Voting: 17 in favor, 5 opposed. No minority opinion. Item has been placed on the agenda.





  1. Fall 2008 Confernce Bid - Bids for the fall 2008 conference will be accepted at the pre-conference assembly in September.



  1. The meeting closed with the Lord’s Prayer.



Upcoming Area Dates

September 25, 2005 – Pre-Conference Assembly, Madison Senior Center, Madison WI

October 14 – 16, 2005 – Fall Conference, Waukesha WI

January 22, 2006 – Agenda Planning Meeting, Madison Senior Center, Madison WI





Appendix 1



AREA 75 ASSEMBLY





Balance Sheet





May 31, 2005










ASSETS










Current Assets





Cash in Checking-M&I

$1,132.61



Prudent Reserve-M&I


$4,000.00



A/R-Conference Seed Money


$2,500.00



Total Current Assets




$7,632.61






Property and Equipment





Equipment


$1,467.37



Total Property and Equipment




$1,467.37






Other Assets





Total Other Assets




$0.00

Total Assets



$9,099.98











LIABILITIES AND CAPITAL










Current Liabilities





Total Current Liabilities




$0.00






Long-Term Liabilities





Total Long-Term Liabilities




$0.00

Total Liabilities




$0.00






Capital





Retained Earnings

$8,916.01



Net Income


$183.97



Total Capital




$9,099.98

Total Liabilities & Capital



$9,099.98

Unaudited - For Management Purposes Only








Appendix 2



Treasurer’s Report



June 12, 2005





The checking account has $1132.61.



The prudent reserve is $4000.



The Conference seed money is $2500.





Respectfully submitted,



George B





Appendix 3



AREA 75 ASSEMBLY






Income Statement






For the Five Months Ending May 31, 2005














Current Period This Year

Current Period Last Year

Year to Date This Year

Year to Date Last Year

Revenues






Group Donations

$736.38

$1,764.66

$6,977.49

$10,270.33

Conference Proceeds


$42.00

$0.00

$42.00

$807.30

Other Income


$0.00

$4.65

$0.00

$8.65

Membership dues


$0.00

$0.00

$0.00

$0.00

Interest Income


$0.00

$0.00

$0.00

$0.00

Finance Charge Income


$0.00

$0.00

$0.00

$0.00

Shipping Charges Reimbursed


$0.00

$0.00

$0.00

$0.00

Fee Discounts


$0.00

$0.00

$0.00

$0.00

Total Revenues


$778.38

$1,769.31

$7,019.49

$11,086.28







Expenses






Bank Charges


$0.00

$0.00

$0.00

$0.00

Coffee/Donut Expense


$0.00

$0.00

$0.00

$0.00

Conference Loss


$0.00

$0.00

$0.00

$0.00

GSO Fees


$0.00

$0.00

$0.00

$800.00

Interpreters/Equipment


$0.00

$0.00

$0.00

$0.00

Literature


$0.00

$0.00

$0.00

$0.00

Lodging


$62.00

$554.82

$425.40

$1,326.35

Meals


$29.00

$130.00

$307.00

$413.00

Mileage


$513.32

$853.61

$1,388.17

$3,743.22

Misc/Office Expense


$133.51

$0.00

$643.74

$494.37

Postage


$23.26

$0.00

$353.61

$548.69

Printing/Copies


$17.35

$91.94

$781.35

$808.39

Registration Fees


$35.00

$60.00

$249.00

$216.00

Rent


$0.00

$0.00

$1,200.00

$1,640.00

Telephone


$0.50

$0.00

$0.50

$3.80

Web Site


$0.00

$0.00

$0.00

$0.00

Travel-Airfare


$228.35

$0.00

$475.75

$10.70

Wages Expense


$0.00

$0.00

$0.00

$0.00

Other Expense


$0.00

$0.00

$1,011.00

$0.00

Purchase Disc- Expense Items


$0.00

$0.00

$0.00

$0.00

Total Expenses


$1,042.29

$1,690.37

$6,835.52

$10,004.52

Net Income

<263.91>

$78.94

$183.97

$1,081.76

For Management Purposes Only










Appendix 4



Area 75 Finance Committee Meeting

June 12, 2005



The Finance committee held it’s first meeting during the committee meeting time at 9:00 a.m. during the Area 75 Agenda Planning Meeting.



The following were in attendance: George B, Nancy H, Leo M, Mark S (Dist 13 Treas), John B, and Howard P



George B, Area 75 Treasurer announced that the following have agreed to be on the committee.

George B, Area 75 Treasurer

Nancy H, Area 75 Alt. Treasurer

Barb W, past Area 75 Treasurer

John B, past Area 75 Delegate

George stated he has had difficultly filling the remaining two positions on the committee but was continuing to work on this. He had thought Barb was going to be at this meeting. John B was in the Conference Advisory Committee meeting.



Once the full committee is able to meet we will need to elect a chairman.



Leo reviewed the purpose of the committee:



Discussion was held on possible functions of the committee. Included were:



Anyone with recommendations of possible committee members should provide George with their name and phone number.



The next time the committee is scheduled to meet will be at the September 25th pre-conference Assembly.



Notes submitted by: Nancy H





Appendix 5



JUNE 12™ 2005

AREA 75 AGENDA PLANNING MEETING CHAIRPERSON REPORT

Dear Fellowship

My name is Howard P. I'm an alcoholic and I have the honor of being Area 75 Chairperson.

I thank you for giving me this A. A. Service opportunity.

In keeping with the spirit of A. A. rotation we have come to the first 6 months of this Area Committee rotation. I need to thank the current Area 75 DCM's, Standing Committee members, Chairs and elected Area Officers. As you will see, each of our Standing Committees and Officers has been busy in providing Services to our Fellowship.

That being said each Area Committee and elected Officer can only perform their task with your help. This is where each District, within Area 75 needs to be involved. Please just ask us as to when we could come to either your District Meeting or District workshop or A. A. event. I would encourage each District to invite our Area 75 Delegate to attend your District where Nancy G. can give her report. You will have the opportunity to see what a great job Nancy is doing for us.

If there is any District DCM here today which do not have our current Area 75 Directory, please make sure you get with our Area Secretary John B. before leaving here today. I need to thank all those Districts who have been sending me your District minutes. I also thank those Districts of which I have vested and shared what duties they need our Area to provide.

With the idea of District and/or Area A. A. Service workshops I would ask you to consider one of the topics to be on our 7th Tradition. By your Assembly action you had recently voted to create a committee under the direction of our Area Treasurer to oversee how Area 75 Committee Chairs and Officers budget it's expenses. Here again this needs your input and participation. So please see our Area 75 Treasurer regarding this topic. We need to be self-supporting through our following the 7th Tradition.

Please feel free to contact me with any questions or suggestion you want me to work on. And I am continuing to setup my personal calendar, which will include in attending your District meeting. I have asked our PI Chair, George P. to create a listing the time and locations for each of your District Meetings. Myself and other Area Offices need this information to assist us in finding your District Meeting. But in the mean time each DCM who I have not been in communication with regarding this topic, I will be talking with you to find out the time and location of your District meeting. Hope to see you soon. God Bless.


Yours in Service and Fellowship Howard P Area 75 Chair











Appendix 6



DELEGATE’S REPORT

Agenda Planning Meeting

June 12, 2005



General Service Conference

For those of you who could not attend the Spring Conference in Fond du Lac, and would like a copy of the report I gave on the General Service Conference, please complete the sign-up sheet on the registration table. Please indicate which reports you would like, and if you would like them sent via email or regular mail.



I also now have the summary of reports from the ten workshop sections held during the General Service Conference. The topic was “Do I Carry the A.A. Message, or My Own? If you would like a copy of that summary, please let me know. The 2005 final Conference report is scheduled for publication later this summer.



A request came from the 2005 Policy/Admissions Committee for a report on the feasibility of a more balanced composition/structure of regions. The staff coordinator for that committee has asked for input from the Areas on that topic by mid-July in the form of a letter to the General Service Board. I am inviting your opinion on that topic, as well as any other topic you would like considered for the 2006 General Service Conference agenda.

New Groups

At the registration table are copies of the new group sheets I received from GSO since our last meeting. These new groups are in the following Districts: 1, 2, 12, 16, 32, and 34. If you are the DCM for any of the new groups, please take the sheets and invite them to participate in your GSR meetings. There is also a sheet with no District listed for a meeting in Cashton. If the DCM for Cashton is present, please pick up that sheet so that we can make contact and also notify GSO of the district number.



Group Contributions

I received the first quarter 2005 group contribution report for our Area from GSO. If you are interested in seeing which groups have made contributions, I have the sheets with me today. We had 23% of our groups donating to our General Service Office for that period, up from 19% for that quarter in 2004. There was a lot of discussion regarding the Seventh Tradition at the General Service Conference. It was reiterated that self-support is our spiritual responsibility, and we must inform the groups in our Area of that responsibility.

Nontrustee Director Vacancy

A.A. World Services, Inc. will have a vacancy for a non-trustee Director, following the General Service Conference in April 2006. Review of resumes will commence in August 2005, and therefore should be submitted by July 15,2005. Qualified resumes will then be presented to the trustees’ committee on Nominating for review at its October 2005 meeting. If you would like more information, please see me for a copy of the requirements letter and resume form.

Flag Ceremony

As you probably know, the 2005 General Service Conference recommended that an encrypted delayed broadcast of the 2005 International Convention opening flag ceremony be made available to each area. To date, I received two requests to participate in this project. Lori M. from District 30 graciously agreed to be the Area 75 contact for coordination of the project for our area, with help from David F. of District 1. I submitted Lori’s name and email address to GSO and she will be receiving the password for Area 75. We will have the opportunity to broadcast the ceremony up to six times. I have copies of the letter from GSO outlining the process, but the details will need to be worked out with Lori and David if you want to participate.





Thank you for allowing me to serve as your Delegate. God bless.





Respectfully submitted,



Nancy G





Appendix 8



Treatment Committee Report-June 12, 2005



It seems like such a short time ago that we were all here, and ready to respond to the work that is here before us. I hope you are having fun, …I am.

By the way, my name is Marian B. and I am an alcoholic and your treatment Chairperson.



First, I would like to offer you the Wisconsin Substance Abuse Directory, which can be more that helpful in identifying Treatment facilities, both inpatient and outpatient in your Districts. I have a few left, and if you, or your District wants one, please see me during a break. I also have some copies of the Spring 2005 “About AA” which deals with AA and the Treatment Professional. “About AA” as a free publication, that I most sincerely recommend for all of us who deal with any type of professional people (Drs., lawyers, corrections, police), not only for us, but more importantly for them. You can get on the mailing list for “About AA” by writing to GSO, and if a professional with whom you are dealing would like to be on the mailing list, you can accomplish this easily by the same method. “About AA” comes out four times a year. Just a note, I believe that Stu E. may have some cards that can filled in for “About AA” that would get you and “your professionals” on the list.



On May 23 the Area 75 Treasurer and I traveled to Platteville to attend the District 9 GSR meeting (it’s ok, guys, we are married….to each other). As one might expect, the Area Treasurer talked about self-support, and I talked about (get ready for this…) Treatment! Those were not the only subjects discussed, however. It is my personal opinion that when going to a District meeting, all Service opportunities should be mentioned. If a District or Group is interested in a particular Service opportunity, a Workshop (!!!!) would be great. Workshops give a expanded venue to discuss what works and does not work in each place. We did have a productive meeting, and hope that our friends in District 9 feel the same way.



At our Treatment/BTG meeting this morning, I brought to the attention of our group a letter, which I received from GSO on Monday last. I will read to you portions of this letter. (John, I will give you a photocopy of the letter, which you may use, or not, as you see fit.) After doing some research on the facility, it turns out that it is a 90-day inpatient facility run by the DOC. I have given copies of the letter to our Area 75 Corrections Chair, Paul H. and also to our BTG Chair Ken Y. I would love to give this information to the DCM of the District involved, so that an opportunity for service is not missed. The problem is this, in that in the City of Milwaukee, I don’t know exactly where D.4, D. 22, and D. 5 start and end. So, if anyone has that information, for all of the Districts on the “little map” off of the website, would they please let me know??



Did I mention workshops??

Any Questions?



Respectfully Submitted:

Marian B. Treatment Chairperson





Appendix 9



BRIDGE THE GAP REPORT FOR JUNE 12, 2005

 ALL TEMPORARY CONTACT REFERRALS ARE DONE IN LESS TIME THAN EIGHT HOURS.

THE ONLY PROBLEM IS THE RESPONCE BACK FROM THE PERSON THAT ACCEPTS THE TEMPTORY CONTACT. WE NEED TO KNOW IF YOU’VE DONE THE CONTACT, IN A TIMELY FASHION.

SO I AM ASKING THE AREA COMMITTEE OFFICER AND THE STANDING COMMITTEE TO GO BACK TO YOUR HOME

GROUP AND STRESS THE IMPORTANCE OF FULFILLING THE COMMITTMENT.

I AM ALSO ASKING OUR AREA 75 CHAIR TO ASK OTHER AREA CHAIR TO HELP FULFILL THE REQUEST.

WE ALSO NEED OUR AREA 75 DELEGATE TO TALK TO OTHER DELEGATES TO HELP FINISH THE TEMPORARY CONTACT.

TO OUR DISTRICT COMMITTEE MEMBER PLEASE KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK. MAKE SURE THE TEMPORARY CONTACTS ARE DONE IN A TIMELY MATTER. THE NEW CONTACT LIST WILL BE COMING OUT ON 12-28-2005. SO LET’S HAVE A 100% ON THE CONTACT LIST.

I WROTE A LETTER TO THE G.S.O. ABOUT HAVING A COMMITTEE DESK FOR BRIDGE THE GAP. I FEEL THERE IS A NEED FOR A BRIDGE THE GAP. I HAD THE SUPPORT OF OUR NEW REGONIAL TRUSTEE BOB M. HE FELT LIKE ME, THERE IS A NEED. THEY SAID THEY DON'T PLAN TO START ONE AT THE PRESENT TIME. BUT WE PLANTED A SEED MAYBE IN THE NEAR FUTHER WE WILL HAVE ONE.

MY PLAN FOR THE REST OF THE YEAR ARE:

1. I WILL BE ATTENDING THE INTERNATIONAL IN TORONTO. I WILL BE WORKING ON A COMMITTEE WHILE I AM THERE.

2. FINISH VISITING THE DISTRICTS.

3. ATTEND THE BRIDGE THE GAP WORKSHOP IN ST.JOSEPH, MISSOURI 9-9-05 TO 9-11-05. I WILL BE TAKING A PROPOSAL TO BRING THE BRIDGE THE GAP WORKSHOP TO MADISON, WISCONSIN IN 2007.

 4. ATTEND THE JAMBOREE IN WAUKESHA 09-17-2005.

5. ATTEND THE PRE-CONFERENCE ASSEMBLY 09-25-2005 IN MADISON, WISCONSIN.

6. ATTEND THE FALL CONFERENCE IN WAUKESHA, WISCONSIN 10-14-05 THRU 10-16-05. BUT I WILL NOT BE STAYING THERE BECAUSE I LIVE IN WAUKESHA.

7. I WILL ALSO ATTEND ANY DISTRICT WORKSHOP THAT THEY SEND ME A FLYER ON.

 

IN LOVING SERVICE

KENNETH Y.

AREA 75 BRIDGE THE GAP CHAIR



Appendix 10



Area 75 Special Needs Committee Report

June 12, 2005

Submitted by: Michael Nelipovich

Area 75 Special Needs Committee Chair

1. A one-page informational piece has been sent to 20 agencies and organizations that provide services to individuals with disabilities in the state of Wisconsin informing them about the existence and availability of A. A. The phone numbers of all of the Central Offices were included as primary contacts.

2. Our efforts to get the A.A. service manual recorded have been successful. A seven cassette tape set allows someone who is not a print reader to access the service manual. Cost for creating the first set was $70.00. We are now free to make as many copies as we want. On behalf of Area 75,1 will present a complete taped set of the service manual to Julio, who staffs the special needs desk at GSO in New York at the Convention in Toronto. It will be the first time GSO will have a taped copy of the service manual at A.A. Headquarters.

3. Approximately 25 people attended the Special Needs meeting at the Area 75 Spring Conference. I have contact information from 5 Special Needs Chairs in 5 districts. They are the beginning of an Area 75 Special Needs Committee. Our goal is to develop a systematic plan for meeting the needs of AA members with special needs.

4. I have discussed with Nancy G., Area 75 Delegate, and Julio, Special Needs Contact at GSO, the inclusion of a Special Needs Workshop at the National Conference in 2006. A letter requesting this workshop should come from the Area 75 delegate.

5.1 have contacted the Area 75 2006 Spring Conference Chair to plan for the inclusion of people with special needs on the program.





Appendix 12



6/12/2005



Public Information Committee Report





I have not yet begun to visit Districts but will make a schedule and begin doing that next month. Please invite me if you would like me to come to your District meeting. I will begin dropping in next month regardless of any invitations.



I will be helping with the NAACP convention in Milwaukee on July 9-12. This event is being co-staffed by the CPC committee and the PI committee and is being coordinated by David W, DCM of District 27.



The 2005 General Service Conference approved production and distribution of the newest television public service announcement (P.S.A.) "Living in Chaos." Distribution is scheduled for the end of July. Stations in Wisconsin scheduled to receive this distribution are WEAU – Eau Claire, WQOW – Eau Claire, WACY – Green Bay, WFRV – Green Bay, WGBA – Green Bay, WIWB – Green Bay, WLUK – Green Bay, WISC – Madison, WKOW – Madison, WMSN – Madison, WCGV – Milwaukee, WITI – Milwaukee, WVTV – Milwaukee, WAOW – Wausau, and WFXS – Wausau.

Centralized distribution is not intended to replace the activities of local P.I. committees in cooperating with local TV stations. The distribution will only cover larger stations in the U.S. and Canada, and committees will have the opportunity to bring this P.S.A. to other local stations.

Areas may request changes to the list, either to add markets or stations or to delete them. We will take these requests into account as the distribution list is finalized. Your area may choose not to have the P.S.A. centrally distributed in a particular market, because you would prefer to deliver the P.S.A. personally. If your committee would like to request changes, please let me know by July 8.

If you or others decide to request a change, you may contact me by phone, e-mail or regular mail.



Once the P.S.A. has been mailed by our distribution vendor, GSO will provide a complete list of each station which received it, for our committee's information, so committee members in our area will have the opportunity to follow up with stations that received the P.S.A.

For six months after the distribution is completed, we will receive reports as to how often and when our P.S.A. is played. This information will be forwarded to area P.I. chairs periodically. Especially effective for those stations that air the P.S.A. is a thank you letter directed to the station manager.



Area Website Report:



Our Area website is found at http://www.area75.org

Please visit when you can and let us know if there are any ways we can use it to communicate to the alcoholic who still suffers, the general public including professionals who deal with alcoholics and to the recovering AA community.



We will present a proposal at today’s assembly requesting a modification of the Area 75 Website guidelines so that we may link to sites other than aa.org. We are currently linking to the AA Grapevine site (which wasn’t even in existence when the original website guidelines where approved) in technical violation of the guidelines.



Al B., our area webmaster, presented some statistics regarding website visits. They indicate that most visitors visit our meetings pages but that we have gotten visits from all over the world.



Currently meetings are posted for districts 1, 3, 6, 7, 8, 12, 15, 17, 19, 28,
30, 31, 34, 36. If your district is not currently posting meetings on that Area 75 meetings list, you may send an email to gpossley@wi.rr.com. All we need is the name and email address of the person in your district whom you would like to designate as your meeting poster. Our Webmaster will send a login name and password to your designee. He will include simple instructions as to how to post meetings. Each district is responsible for getting their own meetings posted and keeping the listing up to date. Please contact me if you have any questions whatever regarding posting AA meetings in your district.



The website subcommittee (George P., Al B., and Renuka V.) is in the final stages of collecting information as to when and where each district holds their GSR meetings. This information will be posted on the Area 75 website so that AA members can refer to it and so that Area 75 officers may attend various District GSR meetings.



If you have any events that you wish to have listed on the Calendar section of the website, please send that information to me. If it is an AA event (generally, events qualify if they have an AA meeting as the basis for the event), I will see that the event gets posted on the Area website.



Once again, if you have any questions or suggestions about the Area 75 website, please direct them to George P, gpossley@wi.rr.com, 920-694-1322.



It is my privilege to serve as your PI chair. Thank you for the opportunity to serve Area 75.



Respectfully submitted,





George P

Area 75 Public Information Chair, 2005-2006





Appendix 13



Area 75 Archives Report

Agenda Planning Meeting

June 19, 2005



There seems to be a misunderstanding within some Districts of what materials to send me for your Districts History. The Archives has been receiving District Meeting Minutes from most of the Districts now and that is great. To keep your Districts History alive and interesting it is important to also have District Flyers for Mini Conferences, Workshops, Newspaper Articles, and any other item that your district wants in their binder. When a flyer is sent; please follow up with a program if one is provided at the function. Many Districts now have District Meeting Brochures or the meetings in their District on Cards. These materials are very significant for your District to have in their history. Please put the full date on everything. (Day, Month, Year) From District meeting lists to Area 75 Proposals. If your District doesn’t have an Archives Chair please pass on the prior information to the person that sends me your Districts materials.

PLEASE provide your District Archives Chair with the Archives Workbook. All District Archives Chairs are part of the Archives Committee and participate in developing policy and procedures. Let them know that they need to send me the form in the workbook informing me of whom they are and pertinent information so I can keep in contact with them.

A member of Alcoholics Anonymous has donated a 27 inch TV to our Archives and another member donated a VCR. We will now be able to have tapes such as “A House Full of Miracles” playing at our Conferences.



Thank you for allowing me to serve you,

Nancy S

Area 75 Archivist







AREA 75 PROPOSAL FORM



Agenda Proposal Sponsor: Terry R

Sponsor’s Service Position: Archives Committee Chair



Provide Complete Details of Your Proposal:





List The Primary Benefits of your Proposal to the Area:





Who Does It Help? How?





Cost to Area 75:





To help offset Rent Cost:





Appendix 14



REPORT TO AREA 75 AGENDA PLANNING MEETING



June 12, 2005





Our Area 75 Cooperation with the Professional Community (CPC) Committee met most recently at the Spring Conference and again this morning prior to the Agenda Planning Meeting. We continue to enjoy the positive benefits of an enthusiastic, very participatory membership. I am particularly impressed with the very regular attendance of many in the group. We share our experiences in a round-the-table setting, review literature that seems particularly applicable to what members are doing right now, announce the results of past efforts and unveil new plans. Our members like the format we use to conduct these meetings; George P., Area 75’s P.I. Chairman and I have committed to using it at our future sessions. Any District CPC Chair, DCM, GSR, or any interested regular member of AA is most welcome. If you are unable to come by in person or know who somebody who cannot but would like to be in contact with us, please e-mail me. I maintain an e-mail address book group listing so that we can share and forward during the time between scheduled meetings. I expect we will be using it during these next months until our scheduled meeting at the Fall Conference.

I am available to visit your district meetings, to participate in your workshops, and to assist in carrying our message to groups of professionals should you need/want me there. I work for you and for your groups first and foremost. I do have literature and other resources available. But I am not clairvoyant—I do not know your needs unless you communicate them to me.

Recent activities include:



At this point, my committee has used all it has budgeted for booths and conventions. The question I must ask all of you now, with our Area 75 Chairman’s permission, is how do you want me to respond if another invitation comes along in 2005? I also am not sure what input our recently formed Finance Committee must make at this point.



One other point I wish to make is what an asset our newly redesigned website has been in getting our message in front of professionals. With only limited time to get our message across in person either at a booth, in a talk, or one on one, being able to point a professional to an excellent and up to date website is a huge advantage for all of us carrying AA’s message to professionals.



Finally, it seems GSO feels that we in Area 75 do a pretty good job with these convention booths. I have been asked for permission to share our locally prepared guidelines for manning AA booths at conventions and about the possibility of an article for “BOX 4-5-9”. After conferring with our Delegate and with our Area 75 Chairman, a final copy of the guidelines has been sent to the CPC Desk at GSO. We will be undertaking the writing of the article in August or September.



Once again, many thanks for the trust you have placed in me as your CPC Chairman. Please do not hesitate to contact me with your district’s/group’s/committee’s questions and concerns.







Yours in Recovery and Service,

Stu E., Area 75 CPC Chairman





Appendix 15



Area 75 Grapevine Committee Report from June 12, 2005



The Grapevine Committee met and discussed the various ways the Grapevine and La Vina International magazines can carry the message to the still suffering alcoholics in our area, districts and groups. I look forward to reading all the district meetings I receive via e-mail or snail mail.



Recycle-Recycle-Recycle your Grapevines & La Vinas! Put them in newcomers packets, prisons, Probation & Parole agencies, Doctors offices, treatment facilities, hospitals, nursing homes, Emergency rooms, libraries, Senior Citizen Centers, jails, shelters, church libraries, detox units. Use then in your committee displays for CPC/PI/Treatment/Corrections. Go to aagrapevine.org and order 50 back issues for $26 and circulate them. Keeping a “personal” collection in a closet, shed or boxes doesn’t help anyone not even us.



Grapevine Staple Pull 6 to 9 PM June 17, 2005 at the OC After bar in Kenosha. Sponsored by the “Joy of Living” Women’s A.A. Group we expect to have fun, eat well and make many Grapevines and la Vinas OK to be taken into facilities that do not allow staples inside the walls. We will also be searching for the “missing” Grapevine & La Vinas for the Area 75 Archives collection.



Count on Us donation slips are available for your use. They will help both the Treasurer and I keep accurate records of the balance in the Count on Us fund and who to send thank you notes to. The form will eventually be available at our website – area75.org.



Grape nut t-shirts saying I subscribe – do you? Are sold by Area 15 for $10 each. That area sold the t-shirts after Grapevine approval and donated $1,000 to the Carry the Message Fund at Grapevine. The committee feels that we should investigate this t-shirt idea further. Anyone out there in Area 75 make t-shirts for as living? Let me know. jo_mc75@hotmail.com or call 262-551-7371 or in Packwaukee 608-589-5718.

There is going to be a Grapevine writing workshop at the International Convention in Toronto. I will attend and bring back new ideas for sharing our stories to the rest of the A.A. world. The AA Grapevine is your meeting. Please feel free to share.

The Grapevine is always looking for new stories to share with their readers, especially for our Special Sections. If you would like to share a story with them, please keep in mind that they need to receive it at least three months prior to publication. Following is a list of the special sections through 2005: Example - Write about Young People in AA now to submit for the September issue.
July -- AA Around the World
August -- Anniversaries: How do you or your group celebrate sobriety?
September -- Young People in AA
October -- Overcoming Depression in Sobriety
November -- Classic Grapevine -- Gratitude
December -- Twelfth-Step Work -- How does your group carry the message? Are we doing enough?

How to submit your work: Suggested manuscript length is three to seven double-spaced pages. Include your full name, address, phone number, and e-mail address. Please keep a copy of your work because manuscripts cannot be returned.

Email: gveditorial@aagrapevine.org or Mail to: Editorial department, Grapevine, 475 Riverside Drive, New York, New York 10115, Fax: 212-870-3301

Grapevine, Inc has many books, tapes, calendars, posters, pocket planners, slogan prints and if you are looking for a copy of The Man on the Bed – Grapevine has it.

I subscribe to the Grapevine – do you? One year $18 - let’s see how many drinks would that be at today’s prices? Not enough!

Thank you for another chance to serve, Jo Mc Area 75 Grapevine Chairperson



Appendix 16



Literature Report

6/12/05





Today I’m going to talk about the importance of Literature chairs, or literature coordinators. I’m aware that not all districts have Literature chairs. I believe this is because of a shortage of people interested in doing service work. We need to find ways to spark that interest. I know of groups that have Literature chairs, so the question is, why not at our districts?

What brought these thoughts to mind was an article forwarded to me by the Literature Coordinator at G.S.O. For those who wish to review it, I am attaching the article to my report.



Sometimes we tend to judge a book by it’s cover. I suggest we try not doing this without first reading the entire book or pamphlet. Then, if we aren’t certain that we fully understand the contents, ask questions. Some things are like the Big Book. They need to be reread many times before we get the full meaning. Also, sometimes we need others interpretations to understand. I read this article when it was first printed. Why did it take reading it a second time before it had significant meaning?





Respectfully submitted

Bob S

Area 75 Alt. Delegate/Literature Chair





Appendix 17



2005 FALL CONFERENCE COMMITTEE UPDATE FOR AREA 75

ALL COMMITEES HAVE REPORTED THAT EVERYTHING IS IS ON SCHEDULE SO FAR. THE ONLY REAL CONCERN AT THIS TIME IS THE LACK OF CONFERENCE AND HOTEL ROOM RESERVATIONS THAT HAVE BEEN MADE. WE MUST HAVE 200 ROOMS RESERVED AND CURRENTLY ONLY HAVE 5 RESERVATIONS. WE RESPECTFULLY REQUEST THE SUPPORT OF THE AREA IN "TALKING UP" THIS CONFERENCE AND ENCOURAGEING PROMPT REGISTRATION ALONG WITH ROOM RESERVATIONS. THE COMMITTEE PUBLIC INFORMATION CHAIR REPORTS THAT 10 BROCHURES HAVE BEEN DISTRIBUTED TO EACH OF THE 23 AREA CHAIRS, 50 BROCHURES TO EACH OF THE 32 DISTRICT COMMITTEE MEMBERS, 300 TO EACH OF THE CENTRAL OFFICES, 800 TO MILWAUKEES CENTRAL OFFICE, 400 TO THE SPRING CONFERENCE AND AREA CLUBS. THE GRAPE VINE WAS NOTIFIED ON 5/31/05 AND THERE IS WORK BEING DONE TO HAVE BROCHURE ON THE AREA WEBSITE.

RESPECTFULLY SUBMITTED BY SARA H

COMMITTEE SECRETARY





Appendix 18



Fall 2007 Conference Report



We have signed a contract with the Holiday Inn in Manitowoc to host our Fall 2007 Area 75 conference. They are excited to host our event.

While we were not able to secure Lyle P., author of “Grounded” in the stories section of the 4th Edition of our Big Book, if any other conferences are interested in contacting him about speaking, you can be put in contact with him by contacting the Georgia Intergroup in Atlanta. Just send email to atlantaaa@mindspring.com

We have secured Otto M. of Plano, TX as our main speaker. We are excited at the prospect of welcoming Otto to Wisconsin. From his tape of the Cincinnati talk we are advised that he may celebrate 20 years of continuous sobriety on July 11 IF he, as I, can stay sober one day at a time.

The dates for the Fall 2007 conference are October 12-14, 2007.

We will be holding Conference Organizational meetings on Saturday June 25 at 10 a.m. at the 1907 Club in Sheboygan and on Saturday July 23 at 10 a.m. at the Alano Club in Manitowoc. The purpose of these meetings is to discern a Conference Chair or co-chairs, and a secretary and treasurer as well as allowing people to learn more about how to become a part of this conference.



Respectfully submitted,



George P, Temporary Conference Servant





Appendix 20



AREA 75 AGENDA ITEM FORM



Used for documenting proposed agenda items for the Agenda Planning Meetings



Agenda Proposal Sponsor: Monica Mutchler Phone # 262-792-1490

Sponsor’s service position: Alternate Chairperson

Votes on this proposal: Yes__________No________Passed?____Defeated?_____

Provide complete details of your proposal (attach any supporting documentation)



AREA 75 WITHDRAW ITS SUPPORT FROM THE UNITY CONFERENCE EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY.





List the primary benefits of your proposal. Who does it help? How?



1. Area 75

2. NO AREA BUSINESS IS CONDUCTED yet

3. Area 75 pays

1. Area 75 Delegate’s Expenses

2. (1 night lodging, registration and mileage) for the area chairperson, secretary, treasurer and the standing chairs with 2 nights lodging for the Archivist.

3. The Alternate Chair, Secretary and Treasurer receive reimbursement for mileage and registration and 1 night lodging if the distance is further than 100 miles.

4. The Unity Conference has lost money the last 2 years.

5. “If the Unity Conference would incur expenses beyond conference funds Area 74/75 cover these costs 50/50

6. Lack of attendance (support) by Area 75 and Area 74 membership.

7. Area 75 is hosting the 5 STATE EAST CENTRAL REGIONAL CONFERENCE in 2007. The conference will be back in our area-AREA 75.





Total cost to Area 75 members? ZERO



0 The Area has the potential of saving $2,000-$3,000 per year.





One time expense? ______________________Ongoing? ____________________

Where would funding come from? ______________________________________