La Treasure Chest Volume 45, Issue 2, August 2014 This publication is part of the Louisiana Al-Anon Area Assembly

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1 1 La Treasure Chest Volume 45, Issue 2, August 2014 This publication is part of the Louisiana Al-Anon Area Assembly You are invited! Join us at Area Assembly You do not need to hold a Group, District or Area service position to attend and participate in Area Assembly You need only be a member of the worldwide fellowship of Al-Anon and Alateen NEXT ASSEMBLY August 23, 24 Holiday Inn South 9940 Airline Hwy Baton Rouge, La Make your reservations early and mention Louisiana Area Assembly for a group rate Concept Four: Participation is the key to harmony Newsletter Editor: Dave K, latreasurechest@la-al-anonorg Reporters: all Louisiana Al-Anon members To subscribe to La Treasure Chest online go to wwwla-al-anonorg and enter the Members section of the Web site Click on La Treasure Chest, Subscribe, and then enter your address The newsletter editor will add it to the distribution list Silent Auction at Assembly Remember to bring new or gently-used items for the silent auction at August Area Assembly The auction at April 2014 Assembly earned $10000 Workshop to prompt spiritual growth Our Delegate, Angela A, will be holding a workshop and information forum at August Assembly The subject will be "Our Spiritual Principles in Action" Louisiana AFG Area Assembly, Inc Mission Statement The mission of the Louisiana AFG Area Assembly is to foster participation in service and interest in the Steps, Traditions, and Concepts; to provide opportunities for groups to associate with other groups; to inform about the activities and services in our region; and to maintain representation to and from the World Service Conference How to make your Louisiana Area Assembly Donations Instructions to make donations can be found on the members page of our state website If we live spiritually in our daily life, then we find a deeper fulfillment for ourselves I don t think there is a spiritual part of the program I think Al-Anon is a spiritual program Every activity can have a spiritual motive Lois W, First Steps

2 2 SCRDM 2014 Alternate Delegate thanks members for support by Carmen O Thanks to all of you who responded to the How important is it? and First Things First survey at our last Assembly It will be a great guide in planning workshops that you want The workshops on Saturday will be FUN as well as helpful in our personal recovery and growth in service I have been privileged as your Alternate Delegate to Keep an Open Mind by attending two wonderful worldwide Al-Anon experiences The Delegates Meeting in Lafayette was great and a TEAM Day in Mississippi It was excellent! A day filled with sharing s from Trustees and World Service Office staff you know---those folks we read about in the Manuals but don t know much about?? Well they are members seeking recovery and growth like you and me I received good material from them on of all things-traditions and Concepts that stuff we don t understand how it can apply to us personally or so I thought a few One Day at a Time ago My personal goal as your alternate delegate is get to know my Assembly family, you, better so we can support and learn from each other; to understand deeper the principles of the program embodied in the Steps, Traditions and Concepts applying them in and through our workshops Are you willing to grow with me? Your grateful trusted servant, Carmen O M, Alternate Delegate Minutes of the Business Meeting of the Membership of the LA AFG Area Assembly, April 13, 2014 A regular and properly-noticed meeting of the membership of the non-profit corporation, LA AFG Area Assembly, Inc was held on April 13, 2014 with 29 voting Group Representatives (GRs) present Area Assembly Chairman: Chair opened the meeting with the Serenity prayer followed by the Mission Statement of the LA AFG The Area Assembly tentative dates for the remainder of 2014 are Aug and Nov Secretary: The minutes for the January 2014 Business meeting were made available to review Emily made a motion to accept them with a revision to the date to reflect January 2014, not January 2013 They were seconded by Beverly and accepted

3 3 Treasurer: Jan V presented the Treasurer s Report and Group Donation sheet She reported the checking account balance on Dec 31, 13 as $ The net income through March 31, 14 was The checking account balance is, less the reserve of $4,000, less the Alateen fundraiser of leaving $ cash on hand The Group Donations from your group are listed on the Account Quick Report from through March 31, 2014 As a reminder please put your group name and number on every check you turn in The expense reports will be revised to make them easier to use and turn in Alt Delegate: Carmen O handed out proposed workshop ideas for future workshops at our Assembly; please return them to Carmen as completed Please add your name to the proposed workshop idea as well to help facilitate them Thanks to everyone that participated in yesterday s workshop! Thank you to Bob H for being the Saturday night speaker! Delegate: Angela A started with an announcement that we have a La Treasure Chest Editor! Thank you to Dave K from Abita Springs! Thanks to everyone that participated in Service 101 workshop yesterday Items discussed during the workshop will be brought to the World Service Conference We have 19 districts in Louisiana, and 9 of those districts still do not have DR s (District 2, 3, 5, 9, 11, 14, 17, 18) Please discuss and pray about this to consider filling this position as applicable Officers, Coordinator's, Liaison's, past Delegates, and all DRs, should have received login information from the WSO so you can log in to your ecommunities at the Alanon World Service website for important information If you have any difficulty logging in please speak with Angela Please explore the Alanon World Service website for so much valuable information! For convenience, the link can be found on our Louisiana Alanon website The password for our State website is serenity Thank you for all the hospitality shown to the visiting state delegates, from 6 different states, at the SCRDM in Lafayette in March World Service Conference is in Virginia Beach, VA in May 2014 The theme is Our Spiritual Principles in Action Please send your Mardi Gras beads again this year! Please visit the Delegates Corner for all the good information that will be shared while at the World Service Conference Submitted by Angela A, Delegate, Panel 54

4 4 Special Committee Reports: Newcomers: Cindy D reports that it was great to have 8 at the newcomers meeting! Several of our newcomers were Convention: Erica F reports hotel is booked for July 18th, 19th & 20th at the Ramada Conference Center (formerly the Holiday Inn Holidome) on 2032 NE Evangeline Thruway in Lafayette The theme is Spicin up Recovery Registration is $20/person for adults & $5/person for Alateens Registration is open online & brochure is uploaded to state AFG website & wwwacadianaafgorg Incentive for early registration: limited supply of gift packets register ASAP for a chance to have one waiting for you at Convention! Room rate is $98/person if using LA AFG Convention Rate by June 17th Banquet will be $26/person Convention brochures & raffle tickets are available in packets being passed out in Assembly registration area Packets contain 1 appeal letter, 2 AFG Convention brochures (1 in color so groups can display it & 1 in black & white so groups can make copies), 2 books of raffle tickets & a return envelope Groups are encouraged to contribute assembled gift baskets to the Silent Auction, or whatever else you would like to give GRs please sign off & get packets for your groups DRs, please take the packets that are not picked up by your GRs & get them to your district Tote bags are available for sale $18 per bag in two color options It s a great way to carry your CAL around in a discreet way while supporting the Convention Take a picture of them or buy one to bring back to your group & let others know these will be available in limited supply at the Convention Bags can be purchased from Erika H & other AFG Convention Committee members Terry s Audio & Video is confirmed to record speakers & workshop Don s Downtown is booked for Friday night dinner with speakers Catering arrangements with M&S Grocery have begun DJ is booked for dance yes, there is a dance on Saturday night!!! Our past Delegate, Sylvia G spoke on the Assembly as well, and wanted to share that her good friend, David B who arranged for the speakers for the Assembly, owes her one for helping arrange some of the speakers! Sylvia reminded us that Shirley R from Arkansas will be speaking on Friday night and was Sylvia s partner in crime while she was our State Delegate, which should tell you something special about Shirley! You will thoroughly enjoy Shirley! The 1030 Saturday speaker, Clif B, Sylvia G doesn t have a clue what to think about that speaker wink, wink The Saturday night speaker, Doris W, is not to be missed! She served as the Delegate in Oklahoma, and as a Regional Trustee and Executive Committee Board Member Her husband, Don W will be the AA speaker (who has 40+ years of sobriety!) One of our own, Angela A will be speaking on Sunday! South Central Regional Delegates Meeting: Clara E recognized all the volunteers for making the SCRDM a wonderful success! There were 64 paid registrants representing 7 areas and 6 states The new delegates were prepped for the World Service Conference that included workshops on The Spiritual Components of our Third Legacy and on Our Spiritual Principles in Action Next year the SCRDM will be in Dallas, TX Financially, the SCRDM was able to return the $400 seed money the State Convention provided due to being so successful Recommendation was made to Treasurer to post the refund of $400 for the next SCRDM in Louisiana in 2020 Action Committee Reports:

5 Group Services: Kathleen F read the description of the committee, Strength and connection between the Assembly and existing groups; encourage each group to have a GR; attend the assembly; reach out to newly registered groups to invite participation; keep the mailing list current and record history of the group Note: when an Archivist position is currently filled, that person is a member of this committee Kathleen reports that they met their goal of having more than two people at the committee meeting, by having 7 people present We talked about the goals of the committee as stated in the description and decided that we will extend an invitation to the next area assembly in August to GR s as well as others We are going to make a half page printed invitation that we will have available at the Convention We are also going to or snail mail (regular postal mail) that invitation to GR s throughout the state This goal to increase GR s attending Assembly can be measurable to identify GR increased participation To note: A GR cannot be a GR for two different groups A GR (and their applicable mailing address) can however be the CMA (Current Mailing Address) holder for more than one group Also, if you are filling out a change on the meeting updater, it is really important, that we end up with all of the information, including addresses, telephone numbers, and mailing addresses Website Coordinator: Todd B reports about the updates to the state website, particularly how to update your meetings using the meeting updater Go to wwwla-al-anonorg and click on the blue button Members then use the password serenity From there, click on Meeting Updater You will need and is mandatory to place your Group Name, District, and WSO ID# to make changes A list of this information is located at the top of the Meeting Updater page, by clicking the red Find your Group WSO ID# button Then choose the appropriate section you wish to update and submit! This is the only way meetings will be updated with the State! Fellowship Communication: Patti V reports that our La Treasure Chest coordinator is Dave K and will be reporting for Fellowship Communication next Assembly As a new committee, with 10 people present, their current goal accomplished is to get to know one another and share our experiences with our groups Their planned goals are to do a workshop in November 2014 celebrating the 60th anniversary of The Forum We will have cake (from District 2) and other activities to help celebrate We also discussed encouraging groups to use Al-Anon pamphlets for sharing at their meetings and to remind groups that only CAL should be used at meetings A suggestion was made to sell raffle tickets at group level with a prize of a Forum subscription Please spread the word, if anyone has published something in the Forum, or know someone that has, please contact Patti V or Dave K with that information to include this in the Forum 60th anniversary workshop Membership Outreach: Claire D reported 10 members present Goals Accomplished: Clara E was able to collect contributions for the South Central Regional Delegates Meeting and Pebble B and Sheila S's group (Dist 11) made "Life Saver" bookmarks for the event District 7 distributed bookmarks to promote the 2014 Convention in Lafayette on July 18-20, 2014 Website Coordinator, Todd B, had business cards prepared listing the State web address with members password on one side and WSO, Acadiana, Baton Rouge, Lake Charles, and New Orleans web addresses on the opposite side Planned Goals: Also to promote the State Convention, Clif B 5

6 suggested displaying a convention tote bag (with Spicin' It Up logo) at meetings and award the tote as a prize, drawing from all who attend The Committee encourages members to peak interest in the Convention by: personally inviting a newcomer or a member who has never attended; relate uniqueness of speakers; and, reminding members that on-line registration is available Erica F will consult with the Convention Committee and if receptive, we will initiate another "Name the Convention" contest for 2015 Kay B is working on a way to determine the largest Assembly attendance of a district, percentage-wise, so they may be recognized as well as number alone The Committee will present a Workshop at the first Assembly in 2015; it will be a "WEBSITE SCAVENGER HUNT" - details to follow! Public Outreach: Sandra P reports District 10 had District meeting and they discussed Public Outreach (POR) and is working on getting a committee together for POR POR committee voted to offer a public outreach workshop at the LA State Al-Anon Convention in July We had a productive POR Action Committee meeting and we are getting comfortable in our roles Planned goals are to have monthly e-meetings with the POR committee, do a public outreach workshop and state convention, make contact list of all DR s in LA in hopes to offer state wide POR opportunities and be able to contact DR s Our long term goal is to be able to meet or Al-Anon declaration, When anyone anywhere reaches out for help, let the hand of Al-Anon and Alateen always be there Note: The WSO contacted our committee to let us know that the Dear Abby website, for April 17, 2014 has a story that references Al-Anon Old Business: No old business to report New Business: Clair D reports that we had budgeted $25000 per person for the Alternate Delegate and the Past Delegates to attend the South Central Regional Delegate Meeting (SCRDM) that has already taken place It was suggested that $300 per person be better Motion was made to Approve the funding of the immediate past delegate, the alternate delegate and the other past delegates who attended the 2014 SCRDM at a maximum amount of $300 per person Submitted by Claire D from Dist 7, Seconded by Jan B, was voted on by 29 GR s, with 27 yes s, 1 no, and 1 abstained Motion #14-01 passed Eric N reports that during January 2014 Assembly, the La Treasure Chest mailing list was used as an emergency contact list due to the ice storm that caused delays and more As well it was used for the April 2014 Assembly to pass out minutes and the schedule Suggestion is should we have a separate recall list or emergency notification list that has all GR and DR s on it to communicate when situations exists to communicate state-wide If no separate list created, then to at least manually add all GR and DR s to La Treasure Chest list to use as needed for any future emergency contact In any event, please subscribe to the La Treasure Chest to be added to the protected member database Sylvia G reports for informational purposes, that with the increase in electronic publication of CAL, more electronic readers (ipad, Kindle, Nook, etc) will be in meeting rooms being used This may be a potential item of interest to committees to develop an informational message or something to be mentioned before meetings to ensure continued use of only CAL during meetings rather than outside material being read during meetings to stay with group conscious and traditions 6

7 Kay B, Alt Chairman, invites everyone to spread the message to consider filling missing District Rep positions These are the links between the Assembly and the Groups! Let s fill those Districts with missing reps! Those Districts are: 3, 5, 9, 11, 14, 17, and 18 (As of April 2014) DR guidelines (G- 37) are on our state website, WSO website, and page 63 of the Al-Anon Service Manual The DR needs to have been a GR, current/incoming, or past GR You can be a GR and DR at the same time Ask at your groups, who has been a GR in the past (in any district) and invite them to become a DR! Rotation in service positions is healthy and needed! Thank you to everyone that stepped up to volunteer to assist with lunch! 65 registered Al-Anon members for this Assembly meeting Approximately $360 sold in Literature 14 rooms sold for the hotel Silent Auction total was approx $99 Newcomers meeting, 8 attended; Membership Outreach, 10 attended; Fellowship Communication, 10 attended; DR meeting, 14 attended; Group Services, 7 attended; Public Outreach, 13 attended; Tote bags sold (for State Convention), 38 bags sold For Assignments for August 23-24, 2014: Saturday Morning Meeting: District 6, Elein B Saturday Registration: District 15, Bob H Sunday Registration: District 19, Jane S Hospitality: (Salts: District 12, Emily T & Sweets: District 7, Robert J) Saturday Night Owl Meeting: District 1, Steve B Sunday Morning Al-Anon Meeting: District 10, Eric N Silent Auction: District 8, Sara M Spirit stick for highest number of attendees from one district is: District 10 August speaker will be Jan V, our Assembly Treasurer! Plenty fun Workshops coming! Door Prize of a beautiful Convention Tote Bag went to: Emily M! It is being noted and thanks given from this Assembly for the dedicated, hard work given by Marsha R to review, compile, and the creation of a new Procedures Digest that is now on the website! It is a contribution to the Louisiana Al-Anon program as a whole and is very appreciate! Thank you! There being no further business to come before the committee, the meeting was adjourned The Chair closed the meeting with a few moments of silence to allow time for personal prayer, followed by the Al-Anon Declaration Submitted by Bob Herring, Secretary 7

8 8 LOUISIANA AREA ASSEMBLY ACTION COMMITTEES FELLOWSHIP GROUP SERVICES MEMBERSHIP PUBLIC OUTREACH COMMUNICATIONS OUTREACH *Newsletter Editor *Group Records *Budget and Finance *Public Outreach Coordinator Coordinator Coordinator Literature Coordinator Archives Coordinator Convention Coordinator Assistant Public Outreach Coordinator Forum Coordinator Alateen Coordinator Assembly Alternate Delegate Web site Coordinator Assembly Chair Assembly Treasurer Assembly Alternate Chair Assembly Secretary District & Group District & Group District & Group District & Group Representatives, and group Representatives, and group Representatives, and group Representatives, and group members from Districts 2, 8, members from Districts 1, 5, members from Districts 6, 11, members from Districts 3, 4, 9, 15, 17 14, 18, 19 12, 13 7, 10, 16 SIERRA 3 MESA 1 SEDONA 3 MESQUITE *These Coordinators serve as Action Committee chairmen and are responsible for the following: 1 Read Action Committee reports at the Assembly business meeting 2 Submit a written report to the Newsletter Coordinator in a timely manner 3 Maintain a summary page of the Action Committee goals and objectives and publish it in La Treasure Chest ACTION COMMITTEE GOALS AND OBJECTIVES Fellowship Communications Committee Encourage the use of Conference Approved Literature (CAL) and The Forum, encourage member response to need for new literature, and provide guidance on the use of CAL and The Forum in group meetings and all Al-Anon functions Group Services Committee Strengthen connection between the Assembly and existing groups, encourage each group to have a GR attend the Assembly, reach out to newly registered groups to invite participation, keep mailing list current and record history of the group Membership Outreach Committee Find ways to communicate within the fellowship about Al-Anon and Alateen activities, plan cooperation and information sharing for Al-Anon and Alateen participation in Area conventions and workshops, and reach out to members to invite unity and participation Public Outreach Committee Carry out our primary purpose through outreach to the public and professional community, help reach the goal that every person will know that Al-Anon and Alateen are the best source of help for families and friends of alcoholics, and make getting in touch with Al-Anon and Alateen easier in Louisiana

9 9 Welcome to Your LA Area Assembly August 23-24, 2014 Saturday: 08:30 9:30 Assembly officers meeting

10 08:30 9:00 Saturday Morning Al-Anon/Alateen Meeting 9:00 1:00 Registration ($5) Lobb 10:00 11:00 Newcomer s meeting All 1 st time attendees are invited to attend 10:00 11:15 Area World Service Committee meeting All are welcome to attend 11:15 11:30 Break 11:30 12:30 Delegate s Report from WSC-PartI All are invited to attend 12:30 1:30 Lunch available in the Hospitality Room Everyone is welcome 1:30 2:30 Delegate s Report from WSC Part II All are invited to attend 2:30 2:45 Break 2:45 3:45 Action Committee groups meet [AA needs all these rooms except Sedona 3 by 4:15] Districts 6, 11, 12, 13 MembershipOutreachCommit Chaired by the Budget and Finance Coordinator Districts 2, 8, 9, 15, 17FellowshipCommunicationCommittee Chaired by the Newsletter Coordinator Districts 3, 4, 7, 10, 16 Public Outreach Committee Mesquite Chaired by the Public Outreach Coordinator Districts 1, 5, 14, 18, 19 GroupServicesCommittee

11 3:45 4:00 Break 4:00 4:45 The DR s meeting ChairedbyKayB Chaired by Group Records Coordinator The GR s meeting Chaired byjayp 7:30 8:30 Al-Anon Speaker Meeting JanVH speakerallareinvited 08:45 Al-Anon/Alateen Night Owl meeting(followingthespeaker) Sunday: 08:00 08:30 Sunday Morning Al-Anon/Alateen meeting Front of Sedona 3 08:30 10:00 Registration Lobby 09:00 12:00 LA Area Assembly Business MeetingAllareinvitedtoattend At end of the business meeting the Silent Auction is concluded let the understanding, love, and peace of the program grow in you one day at a time

12 10 Group Representatives Meeting Summary Suggested Draft of GRs Meeting Goals: 1 Fellowship Meet GRs and other Service Volunteers serving the Louisiana Al-Anon fellowship and make new friends 2 Service Learn how to improve unity and harmony within our groups by learning to resolve conflicts by applying principles of Al-Anon Traditions 3 Personal Growth - Learn to apply principles of Al-Anon Traditions into our personal life Business Meeting (BM): During the last Assembly we discussed the purpose of business meeting Who, what, when, where, how and why Any change requiring short discussions may be addressed during regular meeting However group members do not like to sacrifice the meeting time for lengthy discussions sometimes necessary for making changes Such discussions can take place during the BM Through the group conscience process GR assists the group to decide when to conduct BM GR is responsible for organizing and conducting the BM The purpose of the BM is to make changes within the group in an orderly manner It can be held routinely either before or after the regular meeting or on an as needed basis at a predetermined date and time GR keeps the group members informed when and where the BM will take place so as to keep all members informed The GR initiates BM discussions either through a proposed motion / agenda or develop a motion through discussions that will lead to solution Group members are the authorized voters for all motions affecting the group functioning The group members may delegate their voting right to the attendees of the BM The GR handles the voting process based on the direction of the group members GR keeps group members informed on activities of BM GRs Guideline G-11 includes a general format on how to conduct BM GR may routinely solicit group members for ideas to improve the group functioning or any group issues that may need to be addressed A group inventory may also generate new ideas There are two guidelines available for taking group inventory G8a and G8b All guideline documents are on the WSO website During the last meeting many had difficulty hearing our discussions I have submitted a written request to the Assembly Chairperson and Delegate to explore the possibility to secure a separate room with sound system for the GR meeting During the last GRs meeting we had discussed to have conversation on Statement of Purpose Majority of the groups have a statement of purpose that is read at the beginning of each meeting The following is an old but still applicable suggested guidance published in 2005 We can use this as a starting point for our discussions or may choose other topic GROUP CONSCIENCE DECISIONS FOR MEETING FORMAT The format for the group meetings is suggested, the group may take a group conscience on any or all of the following: To read all of the Steps, Traditions, and Concepts of Service How long the meeting will last When the Seventh Tradition basket will be passed and how it will be announced How newcomers will be welcomed > Newcomer packet > Greeters > What will be said when newcomers introduce themselves Closing see Suggested Closing Ideas to include in your group s conscience: Turn cell phones off or to vibrate during the meeting Refrain from side conversations Limit your sharing so that everyone will have an opportunity to speak

13 11 Or the group could use the following sample statement: Our meetings last for approximately one hour During this hour we come together for mutual help We come to learn how to live the Al-Anon program This group conscience requests that all present refrain from gossip, dominance, and discussion of religion, treatment centers, self-help programs, counseling and the use or mention of material other than our Al-Anon Conference Approved Literature Please remember that in Al-Anon we keep the focus on us and not on the problem drinker We thank you for your cooperation in our group effort to stick to Al-Anon principles Remember: Use only Conference Approved Literature Keep the focus on us and not on the alcoholic The three obstacles to success are discussion of religion, gossip, and dominance (See Alcoholism the Family Disease (P-4), and Al-Anon s Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions (P-17), Keep a record of group conscience decisions Group conscience taken: Date Decisions for Meeting Formatdoc Revised 07/01/05 GRs are requested to submit their thoughts and ideas on how we can achieve our goals I can be reached at or grcoordinator@la-al-anonorg Jay P - GR Coordinator Al-Anon Members Web Site: wwwal-anonorg/members/, La Al-Anon Web Site: wwwla-al-anonorg