Alagram ~ Winter 2011

Transcription

1 1 P a g e Newsletter of the New Jersey Area 36 Assembly Alagram ~ Winter 2011 New Jersey Assembly will meet on Saturday, March 5, 2011 St. Cecelia RC School, Large Auditorium (Lourdes Hall) 45 Wilus Way, Iselin, NJ Coffee and refreshments provided by District # 4 at 9:30 The meeting starts promptly at 10:00 AM All Group Representatives, District Representatives & Area Officers are encouraged to attend Did you know: April 20 th is the 60 th Anniversary of Al-Anon! NJ AWSC has approved changes to the By-Laws. These changes will be presented to NJ Assembly for a vote by the Group Representatives at the March 5, 2011meeting. The changes have been posted on the NJ Al-Anon website to provide the required written notification to all Al-Anon Family Groups. Here is the link: Scroll down, and click on NJ Assembly Proposed By-laws. Highlights from November Assembly The meeting was brought to order at 10:15 AM by Chairperson Chris K. A moment of silence was followed by The Serenity Prayer and the reading of the Traditions and Concepts. Officer Reports Chairperson - Chris K discussed three resignations: Deb B, Recording Secretary, Web Coordinator and the District Representative from District 3. Chris has been working on the Budget for WSO Delegate - Paul G reported his activities since June: Hard to believe but 2011 Conference is already in the planning stages and really not that far off. Our next Conference will take place April The theme for next year s Conference is: Expanding Our Community of Hope by Embracing: Yesterdays Foundations, Today s Successes, Tomorrow s Possibilities. Have any plans for April 16th 2011? Maybe you would like to meet me, and some of my good friends in Virginia Beach VA for a get together that WSO is planning. We will all be celebrating the 60th anniversary of Al-Anon. There will be an open house at the WSO from 1-4 PM. A flyer/order form has been posted to the Members Website. The Flyer will also be included in the November Forum as well as the Winter 2010 issue of Area Highlights. The open house is free of charge the banquet is a ticketed event and seating is limited. Please note that ticket sales close March 31, 2011 and will not be sold at the door. As your Delegate I receive a letter from the Chairman of the Board of Trustees. This is a means with which the Board of Trustees can communicate with the Delegates and their Area the activities of the Board. During the most recent meeting the Board welcomed four new Trustees: Paula B., U.S. Southeast Regional Trustee (RT); Ann C., Canada East RT; Anne F., U.S. Northeast RT; Connie H., Trustee at Large (TAL); and one new At-Large member on the Executive Committee, Mary G. The following is a quote from the letter: Because the Board is responsible for prudent management of funds, the Board asked itself: "What strategic decisions should the Board consider to increase the revenue stream for the World Service Office?" Some of the factors to consider were: that the sale of electronic books is beginning to exceed hard copy sales; that the WSO is dependent upon the sale of literature to maintain its services; that the number of groups contributing in 2009 equal 57.39%, 2.4% higher than in 1960; and if the WSO moves away from printing literature, what impact will that have on our service arms like LDCs and the GSOs that also depend upon revenue from the sale of literature to support their offices? When the Board is making decisions, it is important to consider the effects those decisions will have on worldwide Al- Anon. The Board has committed to gathering more information and continuing this conversation. No decision has been made yet and it could be some time before one is reached. I choose to mention this for several reasons. The first being to remind you that there is a Board of Trustees and this group of dedicated volunteers is work that there is a Board of Trustees and this group of dedicated volunteers is working very hard to insure the wellbeing of Al-Anon as a whole. The second is that

2 2 P a g e this is an excellent example of how our service structure can work. Less than a year ago Ken K. SJIS Chairperson mentioned ebooks to me, and his concern how they might impact the finances of LDCs (Literature Distribution Centers) and AIS (Area Information Services) offices. While at Conference I had an opportunity to communicate this concern to several Trustees. I do not know if this was the cause for the discussion but it does show that the Board is aware of Al- Anon s concerns and is willing to consider them. The Chairman of the Board letter, Finance Committee report, and the Policy Committee report can all be found on our member s website. You can download them in PDF format, read them in their entirety as well as share them with your District and Group. The current as well as past letters can be found at While you re at the members website downloading these letters please note the many other goodies available to you. You can find useful information regarding: Publication, Group Services, Inside World Services, and Public Outreach just to name a few. You may also wish to share some of your ESH (Experience Strength and Hope) concerning our Legacies the: 12 Steps, 12 Traditions and 12 Concepts of Service on our blog. All three of the Legacies are open for sharing and the information gathered there will be compiled into an upcoming workbook on the Legacies. I have included a printed site map of the members site for visual reference of what is available for our groups. The English version of the Al-Anon/Alateen Service Manual (P24-27) is now available for download on our members website. Groups with up to date current mailing addresses (CMA) should be receiving their copy of the printed version shortly as it is on schedule to be mailed in November. There are now currently 21 podcast available for downloading (20 topics plus introduction) and more are in the works. A podcast is a pre-recorded audio program that's posted to a website and is made available for download so people can listen to them on personal computers or mobile devices. If you have itunes installed on your personal computer you can easily download all the podcasts from the itunes site. The podcasts are titled First Steps to Al-Anon Recovery and you can search for them using that title while in the ITunes store. You may also find them on our website: The podcasts are provided free of charge. Some podcast topics include the following: Family Secrets, Unacceptable Behavior, Is Drinking Your Fault, Drinking during the Holidays and many others. Please take the time to familiarize yourself with these and consider using them as part of your outreach to new members within your group. AFA (Al-Anon Faces Alcoholism) will continue to be available as a public outreach tool for potential members. WSO is currently soliciting sharings from members for AFA A form for submitting a personal share to be considered for publication in AFA 2012 can be found on the WSO members site. The next printing of AFA 2011 will ship before April 1, Members can order AFA 2011 until 5 p.m. ET Wednesday, February 9, As always plan ahead and do not expect special treatment if you are late or forget to make your order, past experience has shown that no orders are accepted after the deadline. So you are probably wondering how is our Delegate involved, what activities has our Delegate been asked to participate in at WSC? Well so far I have been part of a Thought Force considering to Show Areas how Service Contributes to Growth and is an Integral Part of the Al-Anon Program. I have also been asked to be part of a Thought Force on the Current Conference Structure. In both case we are brainstorming and may present the Conference with some strategies that it can considered. When a strategy is decided on a Task Force will be put in place to decide how it can best be implemented. I want you now to take moment and imagine yourself in a beautiful city in the Pacific Northwest. To the east you can see the rugged Rocky Mountains when you look west you see the majestic Pacific Ocean. You are on a spiritual holiday, surrounded by people from all over the world. They like you have suffered from the affects of the family disease of alcoholism but now share their experience, strength and hope in the worldwide fellowship of Al-Anon Family Groups. Picture yourself at the Al-Anon International Convention July in Vancouver, British Colombia. I hope to see you there. Alternate Delegate - Rich M reported on a Teleconference with AWSC about obtaining DRs. Rich has been attending many South Jersey meetings. We are looking for Camden County DR. The 2011 Calendars are here! There were 300 copies printed at a cost of $575.00; and $ has been collected so far today! Rich reminded all GRs to talk about The Forum in their Groups. Rich passed the Ask it Basket for attendees so any questions can be answered later. Rich thanked District 18 for the refreshments, and asked for volunteers for the next meeting. District 4 will provide refreshments at the March meeting.

3 3 P a g e Treasurer Katie O reported: $7,000 was taken out of the Money Market account and put into checking. The Balance Sheet begins with the total amounts from our Checking and Money Market accounts as of 1/01/2010 and that is $18, according to the Wachovia Bank Statements. The Cash Receipts amount is taken from the total Income on the 2010 Approved/Actual Budget Report and the actual amount is $12, The Cash Disbursements amount is taken from the total Expenses on the 2010 Approved/Actual Budget Report and it is $9, Donations received from 06/05/2010 to 10/01/2010 were $3, approved Budget numbers are on a separate sheet. Two additional reports are included for the last quarter for 2009 and 2010 to observe differences between 2009 and Calendar sales in 2009 and Hard Assets sheet are available in hard copy. The budget will be discussed later in the meeting. There has been a problem with the Microsoft software and printing the data but it will be supplied at a later date when corrected. UPDATED: 11/06/2010: The balances as of 11/05/2010 are: Wachovia Checking Account is $12, and the balance in the Wachovia Money Market Account is $12,507.49, for a total of $25, A question was asked; instead of letters usually sent to confirm donations, a decision was made at a past Assembly that a printout of Group donations be distributed at Assembly. Why is that not being done? Recording Secretary Debbie B said this was her last meeting as Recording Secretary. She asks that everyone submit all reports from AWSC and Assembly Meeting prior to 11/12/10. Minutes from the June 2010 Assembly meeting will be submitted by Chris K for approval at next Assembly meeting as the Recording Secretary was absent at the June Assembly meeting and minutes were not copied for this meeting. Corresponding Secretary Gail M reported that she was very busy this summer typing in meeting details and descriptions and Group and District Representatives data. WSO updated contacts. There are 7 new meetings, 6 are in Spanish. 4 meetings are inactive. 30 GRs were present. Gail asked the Assembly if they could help her with a puzzle; she was told a meeting in Holmdel was dissolved, and there was not group listed in Holmdel, is it the Lincroft one? Someone confirmed that it was. A pastor told the WSO that the Friday PM Luncheon meeting was no longer active. AA notified us that the Union Monday 7:30 meeting was no more. CMA - Reminder: all meetings need a current mailing address. A list of Meetings without a Current Mailing Address is available for review. Meetings on the No Mail List not only do not receive information from WSO and Assembly, they are in danger of being removed as an active meeting. Any meeting on the No Mail List for 2 years is automatically inactivated. SJIS has been provided a no mail list for South Jersey meetings. They are working on gathering current mailing addresses to be forwarded to WSO and NJ Assembly. Please check for meetings in your area and bring back a message to update meeting information using the Group Records Change Form. The form can be folded, stamped and sent directly to WSO. Mailing labels were provided to SJIS so their groups could be notified of a proposed change in the SJIS Constitution The Alagram Coordinator was sent labels for its mailing. Coordinator Reports Alagram Coordinator Millie H reported return addresses were put on all of the Alagrams mailed out, and we only got 2 returns (editor s note: 2 more were received the week after the meeting.) the deadline for submissions to the next Alagram is December 31, Alateen Coordinator Christine S was not present; Chris K reported. ALATEEN ASSISTANCE NEEDED Alateen Area Process Person is needed to help in processing of Alateen group registration forms, AMIAS certification paperwork, updating Alateen records and other administrative responsibilities. This is an essential function necessary to keep our Alateen Meetings current and in compliance with WSO guidelines and requirements. North Jersey Alateen Chairperson is needed for the North Jersey Information Services Steering Committee. In this Service position, you will assist the New Jersey Alateen Coordinator with outreach efforts, including interacting with other AMIAS, assisting in AMIAS Certification/Training and other Alateen activities in North Jersey. Attend monthly Steering Committee Meetings and Quarterly ISR Meetings. If you are interested in either of these Service Positions, and if you are an AMIAS (Al-Anon Member Involved in Alateen Service), or an Al- Anon Member with at least 2 years in the program and at least 25 years of age who is willing to become a Certified AMIAS, please contact Christine S., New Jersey Alateen Coordinator at Thank you. Fran explained that the Alateen Process Person is a job someone can do from home. Rich M added that the job was easy. Does your home group want to sponsor its own Alateen group? You only need a minimum of two trained AMIAS to make that happen. Or do you want to rotate into service at one or two of the existing Alateen groups statewide to prevent burnout of the current AMIAS? Archives Coordinator Roseanne S was not present. Literature Coordinator Jesse T-A reported that the 2012 calendar is in the planning stages; the deadline for submission of photos is the June Assembly meeting, 06/04/11. All photos must be at least 300 DPI, and the photographer needs to provide written permission for their use in the calendar. The 2012 calendar will be ready at next year s Jal-Con. There is a small misprint on the cover of the 2011 calendar; can someone volunteer to fix this during lunch?

4 4 P a g e Public Outreach Coordinator OPEN Kathy Boyd read Step 12 with focus on outreach. Listen to the list of facilities Catholic services, Catholic Spirit, Dept Justice, Diocese of Metuchen, UMDNJ, Maternal and Child Health, DYFYS, Esperanza in MH Association, and any police stations and psychiatric groups can carry the message. We need to start carrying the message especially to police and hospitals. There was a public outreach in November in Verona/Cedar Grove. An article about it, entitled Taking Each Day Twelve Steps at a Time was printed on the front page of the Verona Cedar Grove Times on 11/04/10. Liz S sent a copy to Paul; it is available to look at. As is usual, a letter of thanks will be sent to the paper, but if anyone wishes to send their own, a personal note can be sent to vcgtimes@northjersey.com Jeannie M, DR, District 11 they are doing a little PO Job Corps in Edison. Carol M will be there to discuss Al-Anon. There was another PO in December; cannot remember the details, forgot to bring them. Union County College wants a speaker in March or April; anyone who is interested, chairl@nj-al-anon.org Mirta stepped forward and said she felt the call to be Public Outreach Chairperson. She was appointed unanimously. She was formerly PO for Institutions in NY at Spanish intergroup. Mirta shared that sometimes the message has to be carried inside the program to strongly encourage people into PO and added that where there are no DRs, GRs should meet on a regular basis, and there should be coffee and cookies. Liaisons Jal-Con Liaison John S was not present, Chris reported. Leslie H, who was Co-Chair of Jal-Con 2010, and became Chair due to a resignation, spoke. She will Chair again this year. She reminded us every group should have A JR, Jal-Con Representative, and brought our attention to the flyer. Jal-Con always needs volunteers. Please consider it. Jal-Con Meetings will take place at Our Redeemer Lutheran Church in Fords, NJ Jal-Con Trustee President submitted the following report to Assembly via the AWSC Yahoo site: What is Jal-Con? For those who do not know, Jal-Con is New Jersey s annual Al-Anon convention. It s a weekend event, which begins on a Friday night and continues through Sunday morning, and features over 40 different meeting topics, Al-Anon, Alateen, and A.A. speakers, as well as a banquet and a dance. Jal-Con 2010 was held this past July at the Hilton in East Brunswick and the theme was Recovery: Extreme Makeover! Between the economy and an international A.A. convention this past summer, our attendance was down this year, but the convention was an outstanding sharing of experience, strength, and hope. Jal-Con 2011 will take place August at the Hilton in East Brunswick. Jal-Con Committee Chair I m happy to report that Leslie H. is the Chairperson for Jal-Con She will be a familiar face to those of you who attended in 2010, because she began the year as the Committee Co-Chair and then became the 2010 Chairperson due to a resignation three months before the convention. She has gone above and beyond in her service by being willing to take on this major commitment for these two years. Leslie still needs volunteers to join the 2011 committee. Please consider in sharing in the fellowship of Jal-Con service, and thank you all for the Al-Anon service you are already performing. North Jersey Information Service - NJIS Liaison Mike reported that Susan M is Chair; she brings a lot of energy. Mike is Treasurer; they need an Alateen Chair, plenty of opportunities to serve. Contributions are up. Literature sales are significantly down, due, they suspect, from competition with WSO, digital world and the economy. They are considering adopting Pay Pal to allow credit card transactions. They have open positions; Alateen Chair and Public Outreach. Our Spring Workshop, Sow the Seeds of Serenity, will be on Saturday, March 26, 2011 at Trinity Episcopal Church, 18 Ryers Lane, Matawan, NJ. Price is $5.00/$2.00 for Alateens. Bring your own lunch and something to share for desert. For more information, contact: NJAIS northjerseyais@yahoo.com or (973) The NJAIS office moved down the hall; they have two rooms, and it is more coordinated now. South Jersey Information Service - SJIS Liaison Larry A, standing in for Ken K, reported that SJIS, Inc. has been approved as a Corporation in New Jersey, and received approval from the IRS for tax exempt status under section 501(c)(3) on October 30. A resolution to transfer assets and empowering SJIS Trustees to take all necessary action to effect the change to SJIS, Inc. was approved at the ISR meeting on July 24, Carol S was elected SJIS Chair at the October 23, 2010 ISR meeting. She begins her year-long term on November 1, 2010 and elevates to Immediate Past Chair/Liaison to Assembly for a year-long term on November 1, Rich N, last year s Public Outreach Chair, was elected Secretary at the same ISR meeting. Donna S, previously appointed as Treasurer for the remainder of the 2010 term, continues as Treasurer through October 31, Kate O who had volunteered to be Public Outreach Chair previous to the meeting was appointed to that position for the remainder of the 2010 term and continues for another yearlong term on November 1, Ken K, 2010 Chair, elevates to Immediate Past Chair/Liaison to Assembly for his year-long term on November 1, Still open for the terms beginning on November 1, 2010 are those of Vice-Chair and Group Services Trustee. Under the new Bylaws of SJIS, Inc., there are just seven Trustees. Particularly encouraging is the fact that the newly elected/appointed Trustees all hail from different Districts:

5 [Date] 5 P a g e Carol (22), Rich (25), Donna (27), Ken (24), and Kate (20). SJIS covers only 8 Districts: 20-27, so this is the most District diversity the group of Trustees/Steering Committee has had in a while. This diversity helps the SJIS personal connection to a larger number of groups and offers broader points of view as to help serve all of the South Jersey groups. The new By-laws of SJIS, Inc. do not identify Coordinators. This is left up to the Trustees. This Steering Committee revision was done to limit those actually taking responsibility for the business of SJIS, who attend monthly meetings, and to encourage others to participate at the level of a Coordinator without being a Trustee or having a monthly meeting commitment. Currently, we identify Annual Coordinators and Event Coordinators: Annual Coordinators: Al-Anews Editor Karen P. (21), Alateen Activities Coordinator Carole B. (27), Website Coordinator Lynn M (24) Event Coordinators: New Year s Even Fundraising Party OPEN, Participation in Area 45 AA Convention Paul C. (22), Workshop Coordinator OPEN, Luncheon Coordinator OPEN. Please consider service in the Al-Anon Participation in the 47 th Annual Southern New Jersey Area 45 General Service Convention in March. Contact SJIS if you are interested in the Program Committee, Literature Table, or the Skit. Job Descriptions for open Trustee & Coordinator positions are available on the SJIS website, The annual fund-raising Luncheon was held on October 30 at La Bove Grande in Lakehurst. Although attendance was lower than in the past, some last minute negotiating by Coordinator Eileen A., and some creative fund-raising efforts by Eileen, Sue C., and the rest of the Luncheon Committee netted the following financial results: Income: Ticket Sales: $1,168.00, Book Cover Sales: $286.00, Silent Auction: $211.00, Total Income: $1, Expense: La Bove Grand: $1, for a Profit of: $ The SJIS meeting list including Districts and WSO ID numbers is available on the SJIS website, SJIS now has the capability of mass ing up to 5000 e- mails per month. The current list has about 550 valid e- mails, voluntarily given to SJIS. These addresses are also identified and organized by District. Using these sub-lists permits SJIS to send specific s only to certain Districts to which they apply. SJIS has made a formal request that Area 36 change its Bylaws to reflect that the SJIS Liaison to Assembly be an invited guest to the Area s AWSC meetings, rather than a de facto Trustee. Larry A is staying on for a couple of months to help. Projects Adopt a District - Paul G, dressed in a Safari hat and wearing binoculars around his neck, Welcome to the Service Safari! I see a nice herd of GRs here today, and a DR a rare sighting the rumors of them eating newcomers are not true. After we all laughed, Paul got down to business reporting on an AWSC Conference Call. An invitation was posted on the AWSC yahoo group site, and the conference call was open to all AWSC members. Chris K, Fran M, Jeannie M, Kathy B, Larry A, Paul G, and Rich M. participated. The purpose was to discuss ideas how to help form and open Districts throughout Area 36 as well as consider ways that they may sustain themselves. Experience was shared that when a District is formed group members are more connected and likely to be involved in service. Districts can also provide a stepping-stone for service at an Area level allowing members to grow in Al- Anon Service. Key Points are listed below: 1. Education: Many members not having experience with having an active District may want to know why an active District is important. The following CAL helps identify a District s purpose and value to group members. Guideline G-37 District Representative Guideline G-15 District Meeting Guideline G-11 Group Representative World Service Conference (Area Committee Structures) page Service Manual Experience Strength and Hope 2. Adoption: Small groups of AWSC members on a grassroots level that reach out to an individual District s groups to encourage member participation in the forming and opening a District. Invite neighboring groups in dark Districts to visit a District meeting. 3. Projects: Once a District is formed projects can help in unifying the District. A new DR may be unsure of how to begin a project. Provide some DIY (Do It Yourself) public outreach projects; these could be step by step hand outs for new Districts to follow. Use current District projects as a template. Get ideas from Area Highlights Newsletter. Framework for workshop that new Districts can use. Build unity and fellowship within the District. 4. Communication: District to Groups: Encourage new District Representative to travel to each meeting to make contact with individual groups and group membership. AWSC to New DR: Follow up calls to offer encouragement and support Area to Members: Report District success stories in Alagram. Serene Jean the DR Machine, from District 11 reported on an Alkathon for AA, a luncheon and a mailing. Jesse, DR for District 18, reported The GRs meet for one hour; if they are really accomplishing something, no one minds going over.

6 6 P a g e Rich encouraged by Anita to be DR for meetings in Camden and Burlington Counties. For Public Outreach the District added their meeting days and times to town websites. Break Out Sessions We split up into groups of four; someone taking notes, and after seven minutes, shared with the larger group on the following questions. Q - What do we know about our Districts? Q - What resources do we have available? Find out in each district and step away from our home group and share our experience with others. Q- What do we wish we knew about the Districts? Encourage and help walk through newcomers for positions. Q - What do we know about our current conditions and realities that will help us with the Districts? Spoke to isolation keeping it simple with newcomer welcome, and place fewer time limits on positions, encourage mentoring, invite past delegates to the meetings. Bring back Unity Day. The use of Traditions in meetings to encourage, and register the group with WSO. Problems within groups are solved within district meetings. Picnic Henry, District 16, spoke for himself and Sam. They were co-organizers. Henry said there was a great turnout, and everyone had lots of fun. Sales, $ Expenses, $164. Net Income of $863. Line Item Budget 2010 $300 allocated to Henry and Sam C. Henry said that he would like to see some of the proceeds go to buy literature for groups in District 16 & 17, as their literature demands have increased. It was explained that the Picnic is an Assembly fundraiser, and that is where the funds will go. When Henry asked how to get literature to assist Public Outreach, Kathy B answered: contact the Public Outreach Coordinator that was placed in position at this Assembly meeting. Paul G suggested that he forms a project and bring to the AWSC for vote. Proceeds were given to Katie O, Treasurer. Karen explained that the Assembly gave seed money for the picnic; the proceeds come back into the general fund for special requests given to the AWSC that are not being paid for by the area group. Cookbook Pam sent a report, read by Lynn. Any recipes with alcohol were replaced with non-alcohol substitute; there will be no last names, just initials. 44 recipes have been contributed we need to reach 150.We need MORE Recipes! Please go to gocookbook@gmail.com and remember to leave information how you can be reached in case there are questions. The flyer is online at the AWSC site. There was a question, how can it be printed, and who can it be sold to since it is not CAL? Answer: The Cookbook can be printed because it is not to be considered CAL nor is it to be used in our meetings as a recovery tool. It can be sold to Al- Anon members in accordance with Tradition 7 as it is a fund raiser supporting the Area. Members can purchase the book as a gift for non members. Team Event TEAM (Together Empowering Al-Anon Members) events have replaced Regional Service Seminars (RSS) which occurred every 3 years. NJ Assembly Area 36 is part of the Northeast Region; this includes Maine to Washington DC RSS were not well attended in the past. TEAM events allow local members to work together with WSO for a unique event. Kathy B. & Pam attended a TEAM Event in CT to see what one was like. CT had 177 participants at their two day event, theirs was a skit based on Mama Mia and participation is the key to harmony. The WSO requires that "The Spirituality of Finances" be included during the event. Many Areas are planning upcoming TEAM events. Kathy suggested our TEAM event take place in one day. The committee for the TEAM event will meet in the future and give reports to AWSC and Assembly as planning progresses. Old Business Proposed By-Law Changes- Policy Manual By-Laws-Tim S.- Not present and no report. New Business Open Positions- The position of Recording Secretary is open. Kalpana K. was appointed as Web Coordinator Budget 2011 Proposed Budget- Ann Marie Z. worked with Katie O. updating and correcting budget records. Chris K. reviewed a $ charge for Public Outreach, and discovered it should be under Literature. Travel total should be $3,900.00, Misc. Column s/b $510.00, and Subtotal s/b $ Page 2 Changes - Travel s/b $750, Misc. Column s/b $7155, not $9630. Page 3 Changes - Total Printing Column s/b $3295, Total of Travel s/b $6650, Grand total of Misc. s/b $10,190, Budget Total s/b $27,088. Motion- NJAWSC recommends to Assembly that the 2011 Proposed Budget be approved as proposed. The vote was 23 in favor, 0 against, 0 abstaining. Jesse asked why do Groups need to be sending money to Assembly if they have an overage. Answer, we need an ample reserve. Most groups figure their own prudent reserve as 3 months rent and literature costs. Ask-it-Basket How much money is allowed in a group treasury? Answer: It depends on the size of the group. They need to have enough for Rent, Literature, GR expenses, Contributions to Assembly and WSO and a prudent reserve. See G41-Reserve Fund Guideline Since the Web Coordinator is so important, should we hire someone to do the job? Yes, we can hire a special worker in accordance with Tradition 8. (note that a volunteer did fill this position at this meeting) Would the Public Outreach dollar amount in the budget be raised by the amount we earned at the picnic? Answer: No, Our budget is an expense budget; it projects what we expect to spend in The picnic is a NJ Assembly fundraiser, not specifically Public Outreach.

7 7 P a g e o Karen P - Past Delegate & Past Coordinator for the picnic noted that the picnic coordinators can ask NJ Assembly for seed money because it is an Assembly Project. Address association of advertising in church newsletters and newspapers. Answer: This is not promotion, but community service to let new members know how to find meetings. How do you handle people who continually use the word addict at the meeting? Answer: an extremely lively discussion ensued. Page 26, page 107 Dilution of program. Since it is in the listening area, is NJ Al-Anon co-funding the Al-Anon spots on NY radio stations? Answer: WSO sends these PSAs (Public Service Announcements) out to an extensive list of media outlets and members are free to do so also (see CAL Order Form). Motion to close at 3:10 PM by Tanya, seconded by Jesse T-A New Jersey Districts and towns therein 1. Sussex Blairstown, Budd Lake, Columbia, Hackettstown, Hopatcong, Lafayette, Netcong, Newton, Schooley's Mt., Sparta, Stanhope, Sussex 2. Morris Boonton, Cedar Knolls, Chester, Denville, Dover, Morris Plains, Morristown, Mountain Lakes, New Vernon, Parsippany, Randolph 3. Hunterdon/Warren Alpha, Clinton, Flemington, Frenchtown, Hampton, Glen Gardner, Lambertville, Lebanon, Milford, Washington, Whitehouse Station 4. Passaic/N. Morris Hewitt, Kinnelon, Oak Ridge, Pompton Lakes, Pompton Plains, Ringwood, Vernon, Wayne, West Milford 5. Bergen North Fair Lawn, Hillsdale, Ho Ho Kus, Midland Park, Oakland, Paramus, Ramsey, Ridgewood 6. Bergen South Clifton, Garfield, Hackensack, Little Falls, Lodi, Lyndhurst, Maywood, North Arlington, Passaic, Rutherford, Wood Ridge 7. Bergen East Closter, Englewood, Fort Lee, Leonia, Norwood, Ridgefield Park, River Edge, Teaneck, Tenafly, Westwood 8. Hudson Bayonne, Hoboken, Jersey City, Kearny, North Bergen, Secaucus, Union City, Weehawken 9. Essex North Belleville, Cedar Grove, Essex Fells, Livingston, Montclair, Nutley, South Orange, Upper Montclair, Verona, West Orange 10. Essex South Newark 11. Union Clark, Cranford, Elizabeth, Hillside, Linden, Rahway, Union, Westfield 12. Watchung Hills Basking Ridge, Berkeley Heights, Bernardsville, Chatham, Milburn, Scotch Plains, Short Hills, Springfield, Stirling, Summit 13. Somerset Bridgewater, Manville, Middlesex, Martinsville, North Plainfield, Piscataway, Somerville, South Plainfield 14. Middlesex North Carteret, Colonia, Edison Fords, Iselin, Metuchen, Perth Amboy 15. Middlesex South East Brunswick, Franklin Park, Helmetta, Milltown, New Brunswick, North Brunswick, Old Bridge, Somerset, South River 16. Monmouth Northwest Colts Neck, Hazlet, Holmdel, Keansburg, Marlboro, Matawan, Middletown, Morganville, New Monmouth, South Amboy 17. Monmouth Northeast Little Silver, Red Bank, Rumson 18. Monmouth Southeast Asbury Park, Belmar, Bradley Beach, Brielle, Deal, Manasquan, Neptune, Oakhurst, Spring Lake Heights, Wayside 19. Monmouth Southwest Farmingdale, Freehold, Howell, Manalapan 20. Mercer East Cranbury, Hightstown, Hillsborough, Plainsboro, Princeton, Rocky Hill, Mercerville 21. Mercer West Hamilton, Hamilton Square, Lawrenceville, Pennington, Trenton 22. Burlington Beverly, Browns Mills, Hainesport, Maple Shade, Medford Lakes, Moorestown, Mount Holly, Westhampton, Willingboro 23. Ocean North Bay Head, Brick, Lakehurst, Lakewood, Point Pleasant, Toms River 24. Ocean South Brant Beach, Forked River, Manahawkin, Tuckerton, Waretown, West Creek 25. Camden & Northwest Gloucester Berlin, Cherry Hill, Gibbsboro, Haddonfield, Haddon Heights, Magnolia, Stratford, Voorhees, Westmont 26. Gloucester, Salem & Cumberland Bridgeton, Carney's Point, Elmer, Franklinville, Millville, Pittman, Seabrook, Turnersville, Vineland, Woodbury, Woodstown 27. Atlantic & Cape May Absecon, Linwood, Marmora, Mays Landing, Ocean City, Cape May, Cape May Courthouse, Sea Isle City, Stone Harbor, Villas You can now get your own copy of the Alagram, ordering information below. Individual Subscriptions to the Alagram are now available as follows: Individual: one copy, 3 time a year for one year, $ copies of each issue to one address 3 times a year for one year $10.00 Name Address Amount enclosed $ Most mailings are received by the group secretary. The Alagram is intended for your entire group to read. Scan the Alagram. During your report, highlight any articles of interest. Consider using some as a topic for a service meeting. Finally, pass this copy around the room for three consecutive meetings so everyone can read it. Then leave it on the literature table so it can be read at any time.