Downriver Alano Club October Volume 10, Issue 1 Insider Bed Bugs September In September, we were informed that there were people attending meetings who had problems with bedbugs falling off them. As soon as we received these reports, we threw out all upholstered chairs. The only chairs we kept were the ones that had vinyl seats without cracks or tears. We ordered Cedarcide, a non-toxic pesticide from that company online. We fogged the room with this on two separate occasions, and followed this up with an inspection from our regular pest control company. Our inspector informed us, That is the same chemical that we used exclusively to treat bed-bug infestations. He went on to inform us that he inspected the building, and there were absolutely no signs of bedbugs remaining in the room. Continued on page 4 New Tile September Through an unrelated set of circumstances, in September Gay H and Becca S secured a donation of slate and marble tiles from General Towing of Auburn Hills. On September 28th, a U-Haul truck was rented, and the first load of tile was picked up by Jeremy N, Mike P., and the families of Gay H. and Becca S. Although we had asked for volunteers from both club members and meeting goers, we were unable to get other help. When we returned to the club, we did get help unloading and stacking from Rita C. and Dena F. and this help was greatly appreciated. The tile that was retrieved on the first load will be used to... Continued on page 4 Inside this issue Halloween Party... 2 Updated Website... 2 Thanksgiving... 3 Upcoming Events... 4 Meetings... 5 Maintenance List... 5 Survey information... 6 Special points of interest Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years Updates Start thinking about your nomination for the annual volunteer of the year award New Meeting format, see page 5
October Recap Our Children s Halloween Party was an amazing success this year. We had right around 40 kids show up to celebrate Halloween with us. Considering the last couple of years with turnouts of closer to 6-10 kids, this was amazing! The party featured coloring pages, a rousing game of Halloween Bingo, and a Dance & and Freeze game. Prizes were awarded for best boys, and best girls costumes. We had no idea there would be so many, but with a few people sent for more supplies, no one left empty handed, or hungry! We are looking forward to seeing everyone again at Christmas!!! "I never knew you guys did this kind of thing for the kids! This is amazing!" -Mother of five of our guests Update your meeting page If you would like any additional information about your meetings on the website, ask for an update page, and set up a meeting with the web editor. Website Updates We have made many updates to the club website in October. While there are still a few minor viewing issues on cell phones vs a computer screen, the overall look has been streamlined, and more easily navigated. Each type of meeting now has its own page. If you would like to add information to your page, a form will be available, or you can meet with the web designer to customize what people see about your particular meeting when they visit the club s webpage. Currently, and list the meeting times, as well as showing a link to the area or regional webpage for each meeting. You can list contacts, special events, special announcements, and more. You are pretty much only limited by what you want to put out there. You can even include photos from your group events, as long as you have a photograph disclosure letter from everyone in the picture authorizing the use of their presence. 2
Upcoming Holidays Just as a reminder, as we approach the holiday season, please keep in mind: A variety of food made by a variety of people Thanksgiving is Upon Us This year, we will be having a potluck Thanksgiving Dinner on Thursday, November 24th. The meal will be served from about until 3:00, or until food runs out. The club will be providing turkey, corn and mashed potatoes. There will be a sign up list in the clubroom for anyone who would like to bring additional dishes and deserts. This meal is free to all members, and anyone who attends meetings who is in need. It is also open to family and friends. The club will remain open all hours of Thanksgiving, meaning that when our doors open on Wednesday the 23rd, they will not close again until 2am on Thursday night/friday morning. We will be having a variety of fundraisers aimed as providing a Christmas present for any child or grandchild of a people in recovery We will be open all night Thanksgiving Eve, Christmas Eve, and New Years Eve If you or someone you know has a child that will be attending the children s Christmas Party, please let the counter-help know so that we will be prepared for them, and ensure every child gets a toy. As this is one of the most difficult times of year for many in recovery, all are welcome to stay in the club room during this time, as long as they are clean and sober. We hope to see you all there! 3
Maintenance List We are aware of some issues with maintenance and we are working to resolve these. Currently these include: Broken lock on the former EA cabinet Urinal constantly running in meeting end men s room Furnace not working in middle room PARKING LOT If you know of anything that needs to be addressed that has not already been listed, please check with counter-help for a maintenance form. Bed Bugs (continued) If you think you might have bed bugs, you might want to consider renting a fogger, and ordering Cedarcide. The cost of this method will be about $120-$300 vs the $2,000 that pest control companies charge. We also ask that if you know you have a problem with this, please take care of this problem so that you do not spread bed bugs to others who frequent the building. There is no shame in getting them, but there is no reason not to take care of the problem now New Tile (continued) that you know more about a cost effective way of doing so. Life Cycle of bed bugs...replace the carpet in the club room. In order to gather more tile and be able to replace the carpet in the meeting room, we will need more volunteers. We are planning a second trip to Auburn Hills on Saturday, November 5th. We will meet in the club parking lot at noon. Maps and the address will be available at that time. Because this location is so far, we strongly recommend that you carpool in order to conserve resources. Activities Committee Meeting Because of the busy season that is upon us, we will be having an activities committee meeting on Wednesday, November 1st at 6PM. Attendance and support for this would be greatly appreciated, as many hands makes light work. Any and all help is welcome, no matter how little or how much time you might have to give. 4
Day Time Day Time Sun 12:30 pm 6:00 pm 7:30 pm Thur 6:00 pm 8:00 pm 10:30 pm Mon 5:30 pm 7:30 pm CD Fri 7:00 pm 9:00 pm 12:00 pm Tues Wed 7:30 pm 7:00 pm Sat 6:30 pm 9:00 pm 12:00 pm Would you like to start a new meeting? Talk to a member of the board to find out how! New Meeting, Coda, on Tuesdays at 5:30. More information on this type of meeting on page 2. The Unity Group will be hosting an Alcathon over Thanksgiving Eve, meaning that meetings will run all night. CoDependents Anonymous "A codependent person is one who has let another person's behavior affect him or her, and who is obsessed with controlling that person's behavior" (Beattie, Codependent No More, 1987, p. 36) Is CoDA right for you? Many people do not know what CoDA is about. In essence, it is a twelve step program designed whose common purpose is to develop healthy relationships. Some codependents may: Having difficulty making decisions in a relationship Having difficulty identifying your feelings Having difficulty communicating in a relationship Valuing the approval of others more than valuing yourself Lacking trust in yourself and having poor self-esteem Having fears of abandonment or an obsessive need for approval Having an unhealthy dependence on relationships, even at your own cost Having an exaggerated sense of responsibility for the actions of others If you can identify with any of these, then you might find help in CoDependents Anonymous. 5 5
Downriver Alano Club Survey We have added a survey to our homepage. You can access this survey by obtaining the link at the counter, as well as it being posted in the meeting room. Your answers will be completely anonymous, but we would greatly appreciate your feedback, so that we can continue to make improvements to the club, the meeting room, and to our newsletter. Thank you in advance for your participation.. Be on the lookout for. Upcoming events: Activities meetings: November 2nd & 16th @ 6pm December 7th & 21st @ 6pm Thanksgiving Dinner: November 24th, time to be announced Christmas Children s Party: TBD Christmas Party: TBD Just in! This year s volunteer of the year award will be announced at the Christmas Party. Nomination forms will be available and voting is open from November 1st to November 30th. Downriver Alano Club 2060 Council Lincoln Park, MI 48146 PLEASE PLACE STAMP HERE Phone: 313-381-9782 Fax: 313-382-2877 E-mail: downriver.alano@gmail.com