Maritime Assembly Area 91 Newsletter February 2016

Size: px

Start display at page:

Download "Maritime Assembly Area 91 Newsletter February 2016"

Russell McBride
6 years ago
Views:

1 Maritime Assembly Area 91 Newsletter February 2016 Statement of Purpose News & Views is published in February, April, July, September & November. Subscriptions are $10/yr. The newsletter presents service related news and information to Al-Anon Family Groups in Area 91. Send submissions to: All items for the April 2016 Newsletter MUST be sent by 1st of the subscription month Chairperson s Corner: As I sit here writing this note I am thankful that I live in New Brunswick this weekend. The news is showing pictures of Nova Scotia after this latest snow storm. As the saying goes, You can have it. I would like to welcome everyone to this year s assembly in my home district, District 15. A special welcome goes out to those who will be attending assembly for the first time. Service has been an important part of my growth in Al-Anon and has taken me on a wonderful journey. I hope, you too, will enjoy this spiritual journey. I have had only two s from the World Service Office (WSO) concerning the upcoming TEAM event. The first confirmed that we will be hosting the event just before this year s assembly. The second I received was from one of the three members from WSO who confirmed that they would beat the Team event. One is the head of the literature committee at WSO and is a resource of knowledge on what the literature department is presently working on and what pieces of literature are still needed. I had hoped to hear more this week from WSO so thus I have put off writing this note. Watch the April edition of the News and Views for better updates. I still do not have a complete list of all the new D. R. s. I am hoping that all districts have sent in their information so that the News and Views can include a list of all Officers, Coordinators and District Representatives for 2016 to I do have a couple of items I need to discuss with these members of the Area World Service Committee (AWSC) before Assembly. Our Literature Depot Coordinator/Literature Coordinator would like to resign at this year s assembly and pass over everything at that time. This means we will be looking for someone to replace them and also someone to help the new coordinator as a treasurer. In the past, the treasurer is someone in the coordinators home district. Please take time to consider these positions. I know the current coordinator and past coordinators have used a room in their basement so the new coordinator will need to have an empty space. The literature is purchased online from WSO. Orders are filled and then taken to the post office. If you need more information please feel free to contact our current coordinator. Because this is a coordinator s position, the AWSC will vote on this matter. Also, please heed our literature coordinator s note. With the decrease in the value of the Canadian dollar and the increase in postage we will most likely have to increase literature prices. I will be in Uganda for the month of March. I will have access to the internet but it at times can be poor. I will try to access my s on a regular schedule but because of load sharing of electricity the internet is not always available. See you in June, Area 91 Chairperson Delegate s Report: Hello all, well the time has come to start my journey as Delegate of Area 91. I m humbled to have been given this opportunity, to follow in the footsteps of some wonderful delegates of Area 91. Thank God we have a quite a few active ones left in our membership, as their experience will be appreciated. It started off with s, as this is the norm of today, and lots of s. I am happy to inform you all that e-connects is flourishing with lots of info on everything that members want to bring up and comment about. Experiences are abundant; do give it a try, especially those in assembly positions as there are sections for each position. The info for my trip to WSO is starting to come in. I m getting excited as the info arises. So much to figure out, being the first time going. This year s theme is Realizing Our Spiritual Potential. Conference this year is from Sunday April 10th to Saturday April 16th. If you wish to send cards they have given me these instructions. Name (Hold for WSC 4/11-4/15, 2016), Wyndham Virginia Beach Oceanfront, 5700 Atlantic Ave. Virginia Beach, VA Please plan to have your cards arrive after April 7th. Remember to write your trusted servant s name and address in the return address section of the envelope in the event that mail delivery is delayed. The only other item at this time is to thank the DRs of districts 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, and 19 for sending in the updated contact info on new DRs which I will put together on a sheet and distribute to all. As always if there is any way I can help please free to contact me. Bye for now. Area 91 Delegate Secretary s Corner: I am trusting you all had a serene Christmas Season working the Al-Anon program. This program is such a gift. I am attaching the list of officers, Coordinators and DR s for Area 91. The only new DR I have been notified of having is from District 10. Welcome and I hope you enjoy your years in service. Area 91 secretary

2 Treasurer s Report: Happy New Year everyone. Following is an update Oct. 1st to Dec 31st 2015 Balance at AWSC18, Receipts4, Expenses4, Balance Dec 31st , Quarter Challenge forwarded to WSO for the deficit 1, Thank you for all your donations. Love in Service, Treasurer Area 91 Public Outreach: As a result of the Conference Call late in December, 2015, WSO sent me a Power Point presentation in French which was forwarded to all the DR's prior to the new DR's who assumed their positions on Jan. 1, This was a request from our Past Delegate citing that there New Brunswick is an officially bilingual province in Area 91. A request was sent out to all DR's who lived in predominantly French-speaking areas of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia so that this could be forwarded to the people who do Public Outreach work in these areas or in which groups were predominantly French speaking, like one of the groups in the Moncton Area. I am certain that there are other groups in the Miramichi area as well as the area around Yarmouth, Church Point and outside Antigonish, N.S. for which this would be beneficial. Unfortunately, I didn't have a memory stick with which I could download the presentation. I would appreciate it if all the new DR's would send the contacts for PO work in their respective districts to the News & Views for publication so that I don't have to go hunting down who the new District PO coordinators are for the next 3 years. The only other item about which I would like to remind all of you is the deadline for the re-ordering of Al-anon Faces Alcoholism as a Public Outreach tool. Thanks for your co-operation with me regarding these matters. In Service, PO Co-coordinator, Area 91, Maritime Provinces Forum Coordinator: Happy New Year everyone. If anyone is having difficulty in getting their forums or figuring out how to subscribe to a new forum from the World Service Office, please contact me and I ll do my best to help you make this happen. Welcome to the new incoming officers and coordinators as well as the new incoming District Representatives. You have accepted a marvelous challenge in your new position and you will do well. Welcome to all of those who are returning in the same position or in another position. News release from WSO, in the February edition of the forum, As of March 2016 there will no free copy of the forum sent to groups, if you are only getting the free copy and you wish to continue receiving the forum, your group will now have to pay for it at the USA dollar rate. your trusted servant and Forum Coordinator Technology Coordinator - Special thanks to all those groups who sent their holiday meeting information for the online calendar. I hope that having this information on our calendar proved useful to everyone who referred to it for locations and times. There have been no major issues with the website to report. Our Area website had a total of 7234 page views from October 1 through January 31, with 3416 unique visitors of whom 2836 were first-timers and 580 were returning visitors. This represents an average of 59 page views, 28 visitors per day, 23 first-time visitors and 5 returning visitors per day. As always, you can send your special events, any changes or corrections to me at area_91@hotmail.com. Such updates are worked and completed as soon as I check the inbox, which is usually every day. - Area 91 Technology Coordinator LITERATURE DEPOT MANAGER / LITERATURE COORDINATOR: The literature depot continues to send out the orders as quickly as possible. With the decline of our dollar we are now operating at a loss. The last bill that I paid to WSO, I had to pay 47 cents on the dollar. With the increase in postage, our bank account is quickly dropping. We have a balance of $12, a far cry to what it was last year. So, this is what will probably happen come Assembly, there will be a recommendation to raise the prices of our literature. We now pay an additional 30% of the WSO prices. I will be sending in a recommendation to raise that to an additional 50% of the WSO prices. I hope that this increase will cover our costs. I know that this seems like a big increase but we have paid 50% in the past. News from WSO - Dear Trusted Servants, Please help spread the word about a new survey opportunity now available on the Members Web site. The purpose of this anonymous, 15-question survey is to evaluate the effectiveness of some of the WSO s communication strategies. All members can access the survey and find a wealth of information by visiting the Member s Web site, as follows: 2

3 Go to al-anon.org, Click on the Members Site tab. Click on the Surveys Enter your password any variation of your group name followed by the letters, AFG, with or without any spaces, e.g., serenityseekersafg Click on the link titled Al-Anon Program Survey Thank you for your participation in this important project! District 7 We held our Al-Anon Day on a rainy day November 21st at the North Woodside Community Center. We had a great day with approximately 25 members. Our day was filled with information with Mickie on the Maritime and WSO Websites, along with inspiring meetings, plenty of delicious food and lots of laughter. We sang the song "Our Spirits Soar with Every Gift" and Lois' Story was captivating, especially for the members who didn't know the history of Al-Anon. Fellowship was enjoyed by all! Thank you, Alt. DR, District 7 District 7 & 11 The new year starts off with a number of Anniversaries and we are getting ready to participate in the Mid- Winter Round up in February. With elections happening in all groups and both districts new faces will emerge with new thoughts and ideas. We welcome all the new DR s and GR s as well as all the other service positions within each of the groups. Our AIS committee did not have its annual Fellowship Evening as the membership felt that last fall was way too busy and that we d forgo this year and do a fund raiser similar to the no bake-bake sale we normally do in the spring. We are hopeful that we ll be able to put a fellowship evening together again next fall. AIS Committee Secretary, District 11 Al-Anon Day will be held on April 23, 2016 from 9:30 to 3:30 at the Anglican Church of the Apostles, corner of Bayer s Rd. & Connaught Ave. (Park on George Dauphinee Drive, entrance from side walkway to basement door). It will be a day of Al-Anon meetings, a potluck lunch and 7th tradition. Watch for more information in the Area Calendar. District 15 Portland's Open Candlelight was well attended by both AA and Al-Anon. Attendance is growing in our new location. Our District Archivist has a request for the Area. They are in need of photocopies of the cover of two Forums: November 1993 and February If anyone can help please send an . Thank you! Waterloo and Sussex Serenity will celebrate anniversaries in April. Waterloo its 53rd and Sussex its 38th. Watch for invitational flyers once dates are confirmed. Online Forms In the Interest of space, please find the Assembly contribution Form on the website: (You may have to log in to view areaafgmember, password serenityodat) And the News & Views Subscription Form: 0Form%20Full%20page%20Nov15.pdf SATURDAY NIGHT ASSEMBLY ENTERTAINMENT All business and no fun make for a dull Assembly. We are good at entertaining ourselves! It s a Do-it-yourself project that anyone can do. All talent is welcome acting, telling jokes, playing an instrument, singing, dancing, reciting poetry or tight-rope walking. Just let us know so that we can organize a schedule before you get to Assembly. Your talent, district number and contact name would be appreciated. If you prefer you can contact anyone from District 15. We want to make sure your talent is showcased. We are looking forward to seeing old and new friends!!! Thank you, District 15, Assembly 2016 Entertainment Coordinator. 3

4 Page Redacted 4

5 Page Redacted 5

6 ASSEMBLY 2016 June 3rd-5th and TEAM EVENT June 2nd and 3rd, 2016 HOSTED BY DISTRICT 15 at KINGSWOOD UNIVERSITY, SUSSEX, NEW BRUNSWICK Assembly 2016 will be held at the Kingswood University Campus in Sussex, NB, June 3rd-5th; and this year we are also very fortunate to host a Team Event, June 2nd-3rd, a day prior to Assembly and at the same location. It is so hoped that all attending Assembly will also attend the Team Event. The Team Event starts 7 p.m. on Thursday, June 2 and continues all day Friday. Assembly will start Friday evening and continue through until Sunday noon. While groups and districts do not have to pay for their GRs and DRs to attend the Team Event, there is nothing precluding their doing so (in whole or in part) if they can and wish to. We are sure there will be benefits. For those of you who attended the Assembly in PEI when our executive director from WSO was in attendance, you can surely imagine what a Team Event might be like. At the Team Event there will be three representatives from WSO a triple whammy! Anyone attending the Team Event only will be asked to arrange their own sleeping accommodation for Thursday evening if needed. We have, however, arranged a special price for their meals and snacks on Friday. Due to the arrangements and charges for sleeping accommodations, we cannot have a turnover of the rooms after one night. You may recall that Assemblies 2010 and 2013 were also held at Kingswood; and I believe all enjoyed the lovely facilities, the excellent food and the very reasonable prices. All our meetings are held in the one building what a plus! Arrive for breakfast and you can stay the day if you wish especially if the weather is inclement. The campus is perched on top of a small hill from which the panoramic view is breathless. It is within a short walking distance of the recently-constructed Civic Center - equipped for exercise, walking or swimming. Registration, meetings and meals all take place in the beautiful newly-completed, wheelchair-accessible lower level (Wesley Hall) of the Chapel. From experience we know the meals are excellent. The Chapel s steeple can be seen from most vantage points when you enter Sussex. There are four residences, all within a few steps from each other, on the campus including three-bedroom, and two-bedroom apartments with everything from washing machines to TV s. Most bedrooms contain two single beds, but some have queen-size beds. Accommodations may not be as luxurious as some hotels, but District 15 feels that the accommodations are very comfortable and far exceed our basic needs. The residences have common rooms and small chapels so if anyone is interested in having a meeting, the rooms are available. The technology and equipment in Wesley Hall are state of the art and some workshop rooms also have overhead projectors and computer hookups. Everyone, especially those with mobility issues, can easily access Wesley Hall by car. The driveway goes down the left side of the Chapel, round the back and up to the right-hand side to the ground entrance. The price for the Team Event and Assembly is $225 per person based on double occupancy. This covers 3 nights; 7 meals (3 breakfasts, 2 lunches and 2 dinners); 2 snack breaks each day on Friday and Saturday; workshop breakout rooms, the use of equipment; taxes and gratuities. If you do not wish to share a bedroom the cost is $340. The price for Assembly only is $150 per person based on double occupancy. This includes your room for 2 nights; 4 meals (2 breakfasts, 1 lunch and 1 dinner); 2 snack breaks on Saturday; workshop rooms, equipment, taxes and gratuities. If you do not wish to share a bedroom, the price is $225. Registration and payment must be made in advance. District 15 has already set up a committee to take care of registrations. You MUST NOT contact Kingswood University directly. A registration form is included in this issue of the N&V. The cut off for registration will be May 13, This cost is based on an attendance of 120 people. The only other costs for the weekend would be the $10 registration fee and gas. The $20 deposit required for your key is fully refundable when the key is returned upon checkout. Smoking is not allowed except in designated areas; and alcohol is not permitted on campus. For any one attending the Team Event only, there are a few small hotels in the Sussex area. It is unfortunate that we cannot accommodate just a one-night stay at Kingswood. However, if only attending the Team Event, we have arranged to provide all three meals and snacks at Kingswood on Friday for the reasonable price of $40, including tax and gratuity. As stated earlier, the costs listed for Assembly and Assembly and the Team Event are based on an attendance of 120 people all of whom will register for the meals and accommodation packages we are offering at Kingswood. You can go to for a virtual tour. Click on contact and then campus map in the drop down box. 6

7 Registration Form - Assembly 2016 June 3rd - 5th AND Team Event June 2nd 3rd Kingswood University, Sussex NB PLEASE read and complete ALL sections; and if you have a specific person/persons to share your room/apartment with, please provide their name(s) in Section D. Ideally it would help us if you could also submit their application forms and payments with yours. Each person attending must complete a separate Registration Form to ensure we have all contact information. All reservations are to be made via District 15 as noted below not Kingswood. Registrant s name: ; Group Name: ; District # ; Position(s): Home Address: ; Telephone: A. Please check one of the following: I am registering for Team Event ; Assembly ; Both. B. Choose and circle either (a), (b) or (c) below and check off single or double appropriate rate. Single means - 1 person per bedroom/shared washroom Double means - 2 persons per bedroom, each with single bed or sharing a Queen-size. Shared washroom. Assembly Only: Two nights, Saturday s meals, 2 snack breaks, Sunday s breakfast. Check one: Single Occupancy - $225 ; Double - $150 each person. (a) Team Event and Assembly: Three nights, Friday s meals, Saturday s meals; Sunday s breakfast and 4 snack breaks. Check one: Single - $340 ; Double - $225 each person. (b) Team Event Only: Meals Only: Friday s meals and 2 snack breaks. Price: $40 ea.. When you check in: An additional $20 (cash) key deposit will be required if staying overnight. The deposit is fully refundable when the key is returned to the registration desk upon checking out. Also, everyone except officers and coordinators will be required to pay an additional $10 registration fee at time of check in. C. Please circle your preference of the following: (We cannot guarantee you will get your first choice. Rooms willbe assigned on first-come, first-serve basis.) a) Two-Bedroom Townhouse sleeps 4 (two bedrooms each with either 2 single beds or one Queen-size bed). Full bath, kitchen, common area and balcony. b) Three-Bedroom Townhouse sleeps 6 (2 rooms each with 2 single beds, and 1 room with one Queen-size bed). Full bath and a separate half bath, kitchen, living area, balcony. c) Single-Bedroom (Tom Phillippe) unit sleeping 2 (two single beds in one room) with shower and separate ½ bath (ground floor is wheelchair accessible). d) A smaller three-bedroom apartment (Joan Phillippe) sleeping 6 persons (3 bedrooms each with 2 single beds). Each apartment has one full bath and a small common room. D. Name of person sharing room: ; Name of person(s) sharing apartment E. Do you have any special dietary needs? Please let us know. (We can consider food allergies, but not likes and dislikes). F. Do you have any mobility restrictions? G. This form must be completed and mailed with cheque or money order before May 13th. No refunds or cancellations after May 27th. Cheques/Money Orders to be made payable to District 15 Maritime Assembly. Do not send cash. 7

Ontario South Assembly (Area 86) October 28, 29, 30, 2016 Doubletree by Hilton

Ontario South Assembly (Area 86) October 28, 29, 30, 2016 Doubletree by Hilton 300 King St. London,ON Realizing Our Spiritual Potential FRIDAY, OCTOBER 28,2016 (evening session) The meeting opened with