October 2015

October, 2015
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
That Meeting Book….
2
Upcoming Events
3
Meetings and More
4
Service Opportunities
5
Daily Inventory Shows Up Assets
6
NNIG Financial Report
7
Profit & Loss Statement
8
Pink Can Contributions
8
Workshops I attended
9
NNIG Meeting Minutes
10
GENERAL WARRANTIES OF THE
NORTHERN NEVADA INTERGROUP
ASSOCIATION OF ALCOHOLICS
ANONYMOUS
In all its proceedings, the Intergroup Association observes the
spirit of AA Traditions, taking great care that the Intergroup
Association never becomes the seat of perilous wealth or power;
that sufficient operating funds, plus a reserve be its prudent
financial principal; that none of the Intergroup Association
members shall ever be placed in a position of unqualified
authority over any of the others; that all important decision be
reached by discussion, vote and whenever possible, substantial
unanimity; that no Intergroup Association action ever be
personally punitive or an incitement to public controversy; that
though the Intergroup Association may act for the service of AA
Groups in the Northern Nevada area and parts of Northern
California, it shall never perform any acts of government; and
that, like the Society of Alcoholics Anonymous, the Intergroup
Association itself will always remain democratic in thought and
action.
(The above is adapted and modified from “The AA Service
Manual”, and AA Co-Founder Bill W’s. Twelve Concepts for
World Service; Concept XII, as adopted by the General Service
Conference on April 26, 1962. This adaptation of copyrighted
AA material has been approved by the General Service Board)
CENTRAL OFFICE
436 S. Rock Blvd.,
Sparks, NV 89431
Monday thru Friday
9:00 AM to 5:00 PM
24 Hour Answering Service:
(775) 355-1151
Fax: (775) 355-1560
EMAIL: officemanager@nnig.org
Web Site/Meeting Schedule: nnig.org
The Bracer: nnigbracer@gmail.com
NORTHERN NEVADA INTERGROUP
Alcohol and Politics
Outside issues are better left … well, outside
Tradition Ten: Alcoholics Anonymous has no opinion on
outside issues; hence the A.A. name ought never be
drawn into public controversy.
Recently I was asked to give a lead at a meeting on Tradition Ten and like any good alkie, I
got out the “Twelve and Twelve,” started to read and was once again awed by our
miraculous, God-inspired program.
Tradition Ten says that Alcoholics Anonymous has no opinion on outside issues; hence the
AA name ought never be drawn into public controversy. No AA group or member should
ever, in such a way as to implicate AA, express any opinion on outside controversial issues,
particularly those of politics, alcohol reform or sectarian religion. The Alcoholics Anonymous
groups oppose no one. Concerning such matters, they can express no views whatever.
What a tall order for a know-it-all alcoholic of my type who likes to throw her opinion
around—even when I don’t know what I am talking about! Sure I think I know, good
intentions and all, but I have learned over the years that what I believe to be the truth at
one point in my life, may not be the same at another time because I am continually changing
and growing. I have also learned that my experience is not going to be a cookie cutter
version of someone else’s. We all have our own personal paths when it comes to our
recovery. Tradition Ten brings good news for me as a member of my AA group, reminding
me that I should not get involved with any outside issues because I could offer some real
bad advice. If I go back to this Tradition, it tells me the answer—share your experience,
strength and hope and try to keep keep your opinions to yourself. Tradition Ten protects our
meetings from going off course. I’ve seen it happen. At fellowship one evening, talk about a
political candidate came up. It was obvious some were passionate about this person, but not
all of us. I was not “for” this particular figure, but I didn’t say anything so as to avoid a
heated debate. The tone of the conversation was already heightened without adding fuel to
the fire. It is a clear-cut example of why outside issues belong outside. If this was going on
during my first-ever AA meeting, I may not have come back.
I also am grateful that when I came into Alcoholics Anonymous the group did not ask me
about my religious beliefs. At that point, I felt I had tried religion, and it did not work. Over
my years of sobriety I have personally ventured out in all kinds of different directions around
religion, but I don’t bring the details into my AA groups, and it has never been a topic at any
of my meetings.
Wouldn’t it be downright dangerous if we had an opinion either way regarding the use of
doctor-prescribed medications such as anti-depressants? Tradition Ten saves us again!
The risk of having an opinion in all of these examples is that the newcomer might think the
entire movement of Alcoholics Anonymous believes this way, and we will lose them. I pray to
remember that I represent my AA group and not “the world according to Cheryl group.”
Our Traditions are the glue that holds us together. Without this Tradition I would die as the
group would die because we would no longer be talking about alcoholism—the reason we are
here in the first place.
—Cheryl B., North Riverside, Ill.
Copyright © The AA Grapevine, Inc. (Oct 2011). Reprinted with permission.
Page 2
Stepping Stones to A.A. Unity: The Home Group
Call it an encore. Northern Nevada’s first-ever Unity Day last May was such a success,
its committee has decided to expand the program with quarterly workshops titled
“Stepping Stones to A.A. Unity.” And another Unity Day is being planned (watch for
flyers).
The first workshop, Saturday, Oct. 17, will delve into the home group. It’s a potluck
affair at the First Congregational Church of Reno, 627 Sunnyside Dr., from Noon to
3 p.m. Please bring a dish to share, if you can.
The first panel will begin right after lunch. There will be “ask-it baskets” for audience
questions. The workshops and Unity Day are hosted by Northern Nevada Intergroup
(NNIG), Northern Area General Service Committee (NAGSC), and the Concept Study
Group, where the idea was born.
“We felt the importance of unity,” said Joyce Y., a member of the Concept Study
Committee and a past Area 42 Delegate. “We want to pass on what we learned.”
The first Unity Day focused on A.A. Legacies and the Fellowship’s 80-year history.
Display tables from our NNIG Central Office, The
Grapevine and Archives committees will be available for viewing at the Oct. 17 event.
Recovery
Step Ten:
“Continued to take
personal inventory and
when we were wrong
promptly admitted it.”
See flyer on Page 3
Behind the Scenes
From the Archives: Reprint, Grapevine September 1996
"Meetings, meetings, meetings"
THAT MEETING BOOK IN HIS HAND
DID NOT MAGICALLY APPEAR
As my life got increasingly unmanageable during the last years of drinking, I
withdrew more and more and became isolated from meaningful interactions
with others. That this was happening in midtown Manhattan made life all the
more lonely. So it was with amazement that in early sobriety I discovered AA’s
meeti ng book for our greater metropolitan area.
While it was as confusing as a train schedule at first, I was like a kid with a
new-found toy, running around town to meetings in a great many unlikely
places at all hours of the day and night. Here was a listing that said a particular
sort of AA meeting would be held at a certain time and place, and behold, there
it was—and run by drunks that I would guess hadn’t always been reliable for
keeping commitments. This world was a radically different place from where I’d
so recently lived and drunk. A whole different set of principles were guiding
these mostly sober folks who, while they seemed pretty laid back and casual,
were well enough organized to be there when the meeting book said they would
be.
A couple years later when doing a weekly stint as a telephone answering
volunteer at our intergroup office, I was able to see how the information was
gathered, updated and regularly published. The meeting lists hadn’t just
happened miraculously. They were the result of well-organized effort and just
plain hard work. At last I came to understand that while AA itself must never be
organized, there were some jobs in AA that need to be well-planned.
As a member of our general service area, I found myself working on the
planning committee for our annual area convention, and saw how AA members
find strength in getting together to enjoy the broadest community aspects of
our Fellowship. So our convention has become an annual custom that provides
much joy in living and sharing. It needs a lot of careful planning and organizing
to make it happen and to provide for the needs of an unbelievably diverse
range of tastes, spirits and temperaments. The going was not always as smooth
as we planned as we did the necessary tasks, but the results were beyond our
wildest dreams. And we all stayed sober right through the Sunday morning
meeting that closed the event. We had created a committee directly responsible
to those who need our services.
—Boyce B., Brooklyn, N.Y.
Reprinted with permission
Unity
Tradition Ten:
“Alcoholics Anonymous has
no opinion on outside issues;
hence the A.A. name ought
never be drawn into public
controversy.”
Service
Concept Ten:
“Every service responsibility should
be matched by an equal service
authority — the scope of such
authority to be always well defined
whether by tradition, by resolution,
by specific job description or by
appropriate charters and bylaws.”
N N I G Events
Page 3
ONLY 2 TICKETS LEFT!!
TICKETS AVAILABLE AT CENTRAL OFFICE
$35 EACH
Other Area Events – more events on page 9
For more information please contact:
Oasisfestivalfallon@gmail.com
Or call: Willie T. 775.338.5717
Meetings and More
Page 4
New AA Meeting
Dear Fellowship,
The 2015 Sierra Nevada Fall Round Up retail merchandise sales were
$2014.95. We saved $500.00 budgeted for a hotel rooms at this year’s
local conventions (Spring & Fall). We invested 10 hours in paid staffing
at the Fall Roundup and were able to send 4 fellowship members to the
Central Office luncheon at The International Convention in Atlanta.
Thank you to the Northern Nevada Groups and Fellowship! I was able to
attend The 30th Annual Intergroup Central Office AAWS/AAGV Seminar
in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, September 13 through the 18th. I attended
the welcome dinner Wednesday and the group scenic tour Thursday
which is a good time to fellowship and getting caught up with fellow
central office manager’s old friends and new. 90 Central Offices were in
attendance 54 returning and 36 new office managers this year.
I missed the seminar last year and the fellowship of Central Office
Leaders. The renewed energy I received at the seminar is a blessing.
I am working on booking the monthly speaker meetings for 2016 at the
Silver Legacy. As soon as the 2016 monthly schedule is approved by the
Speaker Meeting Chair/Co-Chair we can begin the process.
We received a letter from the Winnemucca Three Legacies Group, along
with a group contribution. The group requested an NNIG outreach to
groups in Rural Nevada and extended an invitation for the next workshop
to be held in Winnemucca. With plenty of time to plan the Steering
Committee should be able to visit Winnemucca.
Unity Day October 17, 2015
(See pages 8 & 9 for more Central Office report)
Leslie S. - Your Central Office Executive Director
Galena Friday Night
Open, Speaker, Discussion
Decompress for the weekend; have fun; laugh!
Fridays at 6PM at the
South Reno United Methodist Church
Church telephone: 775-851-1181
200 De Spain Lane, Reno, NV 89511
At the bottom of Mt. Rose Highway
For AA information please contact:
Meeting telephone: 775.831.2597
email: GalenaFridayNight@gmail.com
Positive
Acceptance Group
has moved to the
Sparks Alano Club
1640 Prater Way,
Sparks
Saturday 09:00 AM Chip
Meeting/ Open (O-D-NS-WA)
Sunday 09:00 AM Grapevine
Meeting (O-D-NS-WA)
New Meeting!
Serenity
Sisters
Young Women
Thurs 7:00pm
345 S. Wells Ave.
Reno
WEDNESDAY
BEGINNERS
GROUP
6:30 PM
RAINBOW &
COURT
AA
ANSWERING
SERVICE
NUMBERS
Reno, Sparks, Carson City and all of
Northern Nevada: (775) 355-1151
Las Vegas and all of Southern Nevada:
(702) 598-1888
Mammoth Lake: (760) 934-3434
North Lake Tahoe: (530) 546-1126
South Lake Tahoe: (530) 541-1243
Susanville, CA: (530) 257-2880
The 4th
Dimension Group
@ 10:00 PM
Has moved to the
Driars Club
(October 1, 2015)
For more event information contact Central Office @ 355-1151 or nnig.org
Service Opportunities
Page 5
District Meetings
N.N.I.G. STEERING COMMITTEE
DISTRICT-2 Second Tuesday of each month, 7:00 PM,
Last Tuesday of each month, 5:30 PM
Central Office, 436 S. Rock Blvd., Sparks
DISTRICT 4 First Thursday of each month, 7:00 PM
N.N.I.G. BUSINESS MEETING
DISTRICT 6 2nd Sunday of even numbered months
Reno Triangle Club, 635 S. Wells Avenue, Reno
Reno Triangle Club, 635 S. Wells Avenue Reno
For information email district6@nevadaarea42.org
First Tuesday of each month, 6:45 PM
Alano Club, 1640 Prater Way, Sparks
DISTRICT 8 First Sunday, 3:30 p.m. on odd months Call (760) 937-8407
DISTRICT 10A Third Sunday of every other month, 1:30 PM
680 River St. Elko, NV
N.N.I.G. SPEAKER MEETING
DISTRICT 10B Last Sunday Odd Numbered Months @ 10:00AM
Rotating Group Locations – Call (775)403-0869
Second Saturday of each month, 7:00 PM
Silver Legacy - Silver Baron A
DISTRICT 11 Only holds meetings 4 time a year, call DCM
DISTRICT 12 2nd Saturday of each Month at 5:00 PM
457 Esmeralda Street Wolf Center, Fallon NV
N.N.I.G. H&I
DISTRICT 14 3rd Tues of each “Odd” month at 6:00 PM - Contact DCM
Last Thursday of each month, 5:15 PM
Central Office 436 S. Rock Blvd., Sparks
Next location is determined at each meeting
DISTRICT 16 Meeting is held 3rd Tuesday of the month Sparks Family
Christian Church 510 Greenbrae Blvd 6:00PM-7:00PM
DISTRICT 18 DARK DISTRICT
DISTRICT 20 First Saturday of every month 1:30 PM
50 South Weatherlow, Susanville
UPCOMING EVENT PLANNING MEETINGS
Halloween Party committee is meeting every Wednesday,
5:30 @ the Driars Club.
Gratitude Dinner will meet, Thursday, October 22nd , 5:30
at Central Office
New Years’ Committee meets Wednesday, October 21st,
6:30 at Central Office. Still accepting volunteers to join the
committee.
Cabbage & Cribbage planning will start in early November.
DISTRICT 22 Last Saturday of each Month at 5:00 PM 433 Pyramid Way
CHAIRPERSONS NEEDED ASAP!
BRIDGING THE GAP
***PUBLIC INFORMATION***
Call Central Office @ 355-1151 to volunteer
Or come to the NNIG business meeting
the 1st Tuesday of the month @ the
Sparks Alano Club, 6:45pm
The Bracer is a monthly publication intended for members of Alcoholics
Anonymous and their families only. It is about, by and for members of the
fellowship. Opinions expressed herein are not necessarily those of A.A. as a
whole or NNIG. For article submissions or comments, email the Editor at
nnigbracer@gmail.com
Deadline for submission is the last Friday of the month.
AREA CLUBS
Reno / Sparks Clubs
Alano Club Sparks, 1640 Prater Way (775) 359-2727
Driars Club Reno 345 S. Wells Avenue (775) 324-9210
Triangle Club Reno 635 S Wells Avenue (775) 324-7977
Clubs outside Reno/Sparks Area
Alano Club Carson City, 1800 HWY 50 East (775) 882-0443
Bishop Alano Club (760) 873-6700
Elko Alano Club (775) 738-4747
Las Vegas Triangle Club (702) 435-0597
South Lake Tahoe (530) 541-1243
Susanville (530) 257-2880
Submit this form or call Central Office to get on the list.
12 STEP Volunteer Application Form
Name: ______________________________________
Date: _____________________
Sobriety Date: ________________________________
Gender: Male ___ Female ____
Phone # _______________________
Available:
Location/City: __________________________________
Days: ___________________________
Times: ___________________________
Page 6
Daily Inventory Shows Up Assets
If I kept a diary--and I do not-there might be an entry in it
something like this:
April 2, 1942: For the first time, I
admit I am powerless over alcohol.
I know now I can't safely ever take
another drink. I have decided to
turn my will and my life over to
God, without reservation. I have
seen tonight--in One hall--600
other men and women afflicted as I
am. They are leading happy respected lives. If they can
find joy in sobriety, so can I. By my voluntary presence at
this meeting, I have told them I want to lead a life of
continued sobriety. The odds are greatly in my favor.
Many times before I have tried to quit drinking and each
time failed miserably. If there's any intelligence left in me,
I'll follow their example, abide by their advice--because
they are successful.
That, I believe, is what I might have written when I came
into A.A. But how has it worked out during the past five
years? Were my admissions and decisions made then
enough to keep me sober and happy?
The answer is very definitely "No," because the A.A.
Program is not a sign-up-and-forget affair. It isn't a onetime inoculation against all the ills that may come in the
future. It isn't a college in which degrees are conferred or
one that boasts a single graduate. Rather, it is a
continuous daily program of living, and I have observed
that the happiest and most successful A.A.s are those who
take a perhaps brief but daily refresher course.
Every one of the 12 Steps is of course vital, but I believe
the Step that has been of greatest help to me is the 10th,
which reads: Continued to take personal inventory and
when we were wrong, promptly admitted it.
For me, that personal inventory must be daily. At the end
of each day, I try to review at least the highlights of the
day. If anything especially good or especially bad has
happened to me I won't have to dig too deeply. It will be
right out there in clear view for me to tackle as I will.
As entries on the wrong side of the ledger loom up, I can
at least see where I was mistaken and decide what must
be done to not only correct the error, but to avoid
repetition of it. Bemoaning isn't going to help one bit.
Self-reproach is silly unless I use it constructively and try
to use the mistakes of today to make a better day
tomorrow.
In this personal inventory there are bound to be some
good and comforting entries. And I think it's a wise thing
to dwell a bit on the pleasant things, too. Activities that
are good deserve to be enlarged upon and it's all to the
good if we build good works into permanent habits.
I like to look on a personal inventory pretty much as a
storekeeper regards his inventory of merchandise. He has
certain items that enjoy a good turnover and are
profitable for him to handle. He builds up his stock of
those items. Other merchandise he handles may be
shoddy or otherwise undesirable. These items not only
take up a lot of valuable space on his shelves; they
occupy space he should allot to profitable merchandise.
The undesirable items grow stale and outmoded--they
may even injure his reputation. The wise merchant
discards such goods as being unworthy and replaces them
with products he is proud to display.
Now, my personal inventory undoubtedly includes such
items as selfishness, impatience, laziness, anger and a
dozen other very undesirable things. In taking a daily
inventory I can see where they cropped up in the day's
business. More than that, I can see how they cropped up
and if I'm learning anything at all, I'll try my best to avoid
the occasions of such mental mishaps.
On the other hand, it's possible that I have tried to do
some good during the day--perhaps exercised a little selfcontrol or restraint when the going was tough. Perhaps
I've been a little more tolerant today than I was
yesterday. Maybe I've benefited by keeping my big mouth
shut when my natural inclination would be to tell
somebody off.
All these things belong on the right side of the ledger and
as I look at them in my personal inventory, I know I want
to keep them on my shelves and to enlarge my stock.
As I say, I generally take my inventory at the end of the
day--and follow it up with a little prayer of thanks for the
good things that have come to me during the day--and
the not-so-good things I've managed to avoid.
It's not in the cards for me to take the 1st Step just once
and say, "O. K., I've admitted I can't drink any more.
That's that." I can't do that. I can't skim over any Step
and regard it as being finished, for there is no conclusion
to A.A. It would be like an attempt to give up eating
entirely after one full meal.
In addition to this daily "examination of conscience" or
inventory, I find the regular meetings most helpful. As a
matter of fact, I believe they're actually vital if I am to get
the full benefits and flavor of the program. In regular
attendance over five years, never once have I come away
from a meeting without learning something really
worthwhile and helpful.
Personal visits with A.A.s are not only helpful, they're a lot
of fun.
During my first year in A.A. another member and I had
coffee together practically every day and I found his
counsel and example always an inspiration. In the building
where I work now there are a number of other members
and we meet for a cup of coffee or lunch at least once
during the day. These daily contacts are mighty valuable
and unquestionably have helped each of us over some
tough roads. Even though A.A. itself is not mentioned
(which is rare!) the things we discuss are approached
from sane viewpoints and with patience. By each others'
example we try to see life and its problems through eyes
other than our own; and even when we don't see eye to
eye, we can disagree without being disagreeable.
Along with the daily inventory, I try to keep always in
mind the last phrase of the last Step in the A.A. program:
". . .and practice these principles in all our affairs." I
firmly believe that A.A. should be a part of my daily
program of living and often like to recall Henry Van Dyke's
prayer poem:
"Let me find it in my heart to say When vagrant wishes
beckon me astray-- This is my work, my blessing, not my
doom. Of all by whom this work might be done I can best
do it, in the right way."
L.J.R., Chicago, Illinois
Copyright © The AA Grapevine, Inc. (Oct 1947)
Reprinted with permission
NNIG Financial Report
Page 7
Profit & Loss Statement
Pink Can Contributions
Page 8
Central Office report continued from Page 4
The September Grapevine Subscription order for the H&I Committee
is complete. Four subscriptions were ordered this month. Please
contact the central office if you have an H&I Grapevine Subscription
request for Jails or Treatment facilities in your area. We will be
happy to assist you. I have provided a list of Pink Can Funded
Grapevine/LA VINA recipients for you.
Renown Health Behavioral Services – ordered 8/25/15 – 40.94
Grapevine & LA VINA
West Hills – ordered 8/25/15 – 40.94 Grapevine & LA VINA
Cross Roads Residential Treatment – ordered 8/25/15 – 28.97 Grapevine
Empowerment Center – ordered 9/10/15 – 28.97 Grapevine
Carson Valley Medical Center ordered 9/10/15 – 28.97 Grapevine
(Gardnerville)
Reno Community Triage Center ordered 9/10/15 – 28.97 Grapevine
Carson Behavioral Health Services – ordered 9/10/15 – 28.97 Grapevine
I have been working with the Carson City Aftershifters providing
correct information on Pink Can income and distribution. We would
never turn anyone away from Carson City or Northern Nevada that
needs H&I literature, it just will not happen.
The office is working diligently to keep the meeting schedule
updated and complete, please remember we are only as good as the
information you provide and then sometimes we lose our minds and
paperwork. Double checking your meeting listing is always a good
idea.
See page 9 for conclusion of Central Office Report.
Other Area Events
WORKSHOPS I ATTENDED: (continued from page 8)
Friday - Steering Committee – Rotation, Training, Traditions
Websites – What to Publish, Mobile Apps, Databases – Introduction National A.A.
Technology Workshop naatw.org for web site managers and central offices. Ollie has been
forwarded the service through technology web site information. See page 11 for The
Twelve Statements for Technology.
Singleness of Purpose – Changing Face of A.A., Unity, Affiliation, Treatment Centers
Social Media – Digital Age & Anonymity, Email Blast, FB, Twitter
Work Shop Report Backs – Reports on all workshops topics.
AA General Service Office (GSO) – Welcome & Introductions – Greg T. the soon to be GSO
General Manager hosted this evening event and spoke on the 7th traditions fact sheet. It
was reported that the Central Offices are now 60% of all literature sales dropping about
20% since the opening of literature sales to the public from GSO new web site. The
discussion of the 9th Tradition in long from and the principle of rotation was a suggested
study. Racy J. was introduced as our new Intergroup/Central Office Liaison who recently
rotated into this position. Andrea B. AAWS Order Entry Manager announced GSO annual
inventory will be November 1, 2015. Orders could be delayed 8 days if ordered during the
week long shut down.
Saturday - Intergroup Central Office Alcoholics Anonymous Website ICOAA – Using our
website in the future, office access, blogs. – GSO reported that they will no longer forward
central office group emails.
Closed Meeting for Paid Workers – Open Forum, operations, rotation, and business
practices shared in a closed meeting.
Fundraising – Events, Raffles, Group Contributions
Business Meeting (Policy & Site Reports) – next year’s seminar will be held in Kansas City,
Missouri. No bids came in for 2017, 2018. All Areas are requested to consider hosting the
annual event. At least research cost and complete the bid packets.
Work Shop Report Backs – Reports on all workshops topics.
AA GRAPEVINE Introduction of Panel – Albin Z. Grapevine Trustee reported the grapevine
operation is moving in with GSO. The 11th floor of GSO is being remolded to house both
AAWS/AAGV ordering and publishing departments. Eugene O. Grapevine Controller is
retiring October 1, 2015 and reported Grapevine volume 1, 2 and 3 are no longer in print.
The Grapevine daily quote will not be reprinted. All books out of print are available as
eBooks. The newest publication Forming True Partnerships (How AA members use the
program to improve relationships) on sale now. The Language of the Heart now available
on CD and MP3. Jeff M – Customer Service Coordinator has assisted me with all the H&I
Grapevine/LA VINA orders. Hawaii, Nebraska and some other state in the top three for
sales. Thank you. Jon W., Senior Editor requested more stories from members and more
(I can’t remember).
Sunday Morning Goodbye for another Year – Open Forum and then to the Beach!!!!
Page 9
Central Office has 6
copies of the
75th Anniversary
Edition of the Big
Book. No more will be
ordered! Get your
copy now, before they
are all gone, for $17
Faithful Fiver
We are members of Alcoholics
Anonymous that help support our Central Office
with separate contributions. These contributions
help to serve Northern Nevada Alcoholics
Anonymous community with Central Office
services and intergroup activities. It's Easy to
join!
We ask for $5.00 per month or $60.00
per year, or whatever you can afford. Use your
sobriety anniversary as a reminder to donate. It's
a great way to give back what was so freely given
to you.
Send a check today to:
Northern Nevada Intergroup
Attn: Faithful Fiver
436 S. Rock Blvd.
Sparks, NV 89431
NNIG Business Meeting Minutes
Page 10
October 6, 2015 held at The Alano Club in Sparks, NV
Meeting was opened at 6:45pm by Rick L NNIG Vice-Chairman followed by the “Serenity Prayer”, Russ R read the “General Warranties of the
NNIG”, Kathleen read “The Twelve Traditions”. Introductions were made, announcements heard, and birthday’s honored followed by the
observance of the 7th Tradition. The following Chair positions remain open: Bridging The Gap and Public Information. If you know of someone who
would be interested in any of these positions please contact Leslie at Central Office (775)355-1151. A motion to approve the minutes from the
September 1st meeting, as reported in The Bracer, was made by Nancy A, seconded by Kathryn E, and was unanimously approved.
Steering Committee Reports
Treasurer’s Report –Dod P
The Events balance is large right now due to Gratitude Dinner ticket Sales awaiting offsetting expenses to be posted. If there are every any
questions please ask for any additional information. A motion to approve the Treasurer’s report was made by Russ R, seconded by Nancy A and
carried unanimously.
Central Office Director’s Report – Leslie S
MONTHLY REPORT September 2015
Central Office Director: Leslie S - Date: October 6, 2015
Calls into Central Office:
Calls for A.A. Help/12 Step Calls: 24
Calls for Alanon/Alateen: 1
Meeting Information: 90
*Retail/Merchandise: 25
Other 12 Step Programs: 2
A.A. Events Information: 41
Business/AA Central Office: 91
Total Phone Calls into Central Office: 274
Volunteer Office Hours: 109.5
See pages 4, 8 and 9 for the complete Central Office report.
Activities/Events Co-Chair – Toni L
Halloween Party & Dance – Halloween Party will be held at Neil Road Recreation Center on Saturday, October 24, 2015. The last planning meeting
was Wednesday, September 23, 2015 at 5:30pm at the Driars Club. A plated lasagna dinner with be sold at the event for $6.00 and a kid’s meal
will be $3.00. Activities will include kid’s games, costume contests, and dancing. Marissa S. will be the speaker. The committee is meeting weekly
until the event and all meetings will be Wednesdays at 5:30 at the Driars Club.
Annual Gratitude Dinner - The Gratitude Dinner will be on Saturday, November 14, 2015 at the Eldorado Resort Casino. As of noon today, there
are only 3 tickets left for the Gratitude Dinner. Dinner tickets will not be available at the door. Donations for the raffle are still being accepted.
The next meeting will be Thursday, October 22, 2015 at 5:30pm at Central Office.
New Year’s Gala - The New Year’s Gala will be held on Friday, January 1, 2016 at the Atlantis Casino Resort Spa. We have sold 7 tickets so far.
RENVPAA will judge a mask contest and will be doing the entertainment for the event. The next planning meeting is Wednesday October 21, 2015
at 6:30 at Central Office. This committee is still accepting volunteers to join the committee.
Cabbage & Cribbage – We will start the committee meetings for this springtime event after the Halloween Party in early November.
Answering Service Chair Ray T. – Thank you Ron and Mark while I was away. We now have a waiting list to serve. The 12 step call list is open for
volunteers. We are grateful for the good service all our folks are doing. A two year sobriety threshold is required to serve in this position. See Ray
for an application.
Bracer Chair – Nancy A – Thank you all for reading The Bracer. I have no report.
th
CPC Chair (Cooperation with the Professional Community) Joyce Y – On Sept 8 the medical students’ reports took place. The next CPC
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th
Committee meeting is Oct 11 2-3:30pm at Sunnyside. On Oct 27 The Almost Heaven group will be hosting 26 Judicial Court Judges at their
regular meeting.
Corrections Chair– Harry H –no report
H&I/Treatment – Joel B –Thank you Russ for your help. A new meeting has started at West Hills on Monday’s at 6:30pm. A new meeting has
started at Lake’s Crossing on Monday’s at 6pm, held bi-monthly. We would like to have volunteers, a couple more people willing to go through
background check and TB testing to go into Lake’s Crossing. Thank you, Charlie and John, for all of your assistance to us. Our focus now is on
getting into the VA.
Bridging the Gap – OPEN (Looking for volunteers)
Pink Can Treasurer’s Report – Dana E $1998.35 distributed. Please let your groups know how grateful we are for your contributions. We
appreciate your support.
Public Information – OPEN Desperately need a Chairperson, if you have an outgoing member in your group, please send them to the November
rd
3 NNIG Business meeting or call Central Office!
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Speaker Meeting Chair – Kathryn E - The Sept meeting had 110 attendees; $50.84 came in by 7 tradition and $170 from the raffle for a deposit of
$220.84. Next meeting is October 10, 2015; Silver Legacy 7pm. Dinner will be at the El Dorado 5pm at Millie’s 24. Donations for baskets are needed
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for November 7 meeting, please ask your groups for donations. Contact Kathryn E 818-425-3956 or HeartandSoulwork@yahoo.com
Sunshine Committee – Allison H – (could not attend due to illness, emailed the following report) The Sunshine Committee had 11 meetings this
month. We went to the VA, Manor Care, and a private residence as well as our regular meetings. Thank you for letting me be of service.
Web-Master – Ollie K – Thomas spoke; the website updates are going well. They are done on each Sunday so please get your updates in. We
started the new meeting schedule format on the Nevada page, and updating the schedules to the new format will be an on-going project.
Webmaster email address is nnigwebmaster@gmail.com – please send flyers here.
Northern Nevada Area 42 Liaison – Mike M – I wasn’t able to attend the assembly in Tonopah in person. A first reading of a proposal to update
Area 42 guidelines was read, a 2015-2016 budget proposal was presented and discussed. Our alternate delegate Carol B worked very hard on these
items, a big Thank You goes out to her. An agenda item proposal to remove an end note in the AA service manual was proposed. The proposal was
accepted by District 4 as well as the Area 42 assembly. The 2018 PRAASA will be held in the first weekend of March at The Nugget in Sparks. The
NNIG Business Meeting Minutes
cont.
Page 11
PRAASA committee will be chaired by our current delegate Mike M. We also discussed unity and safety in the rooms. Radical discrimination, sexual
orientation, bullying, and sexual predation are a few behaviors that are dangerous to the newcomer and the fellowship as a whole. The spirit of
tolerance in AA was also discussed; condescending behavior should not be tolerated. Those of us in service and who are home group members
need to be shining examples of this spirit of tolerance. Thank you for letting me be of service.
RENVYPAA Liaison – Matt S. – no report
Steering Committee reports
Intergroup Representative Report Ron T -no report
Intergroup Representative Report Russ R– I travel a lot, please see Ron T in my absence.
Secretary’s Report - Cynthia F Co-Secretary–Many thanks to Lisa C. for all of her service and we wish her a speedy recovery. Please remember that
the ultimate goal of the recorded minutes of your group reporting is to filter relevant information to the AA membership as a whole to help them in
their recovery. The Bracer carries our message for us so please provide your reports to me in writing to aid in accuracy of the message.
Vice-Chair’s Report Rick L – We are about 2K ahead of last year in group contributions. This is a result of you taking our information back to your
groups, which in turn drives a desire to fund Central Office. A lot of this begins with sponsorship; if we tell our sponsees where this money is going
and how it is utilized they also will understand its significance.
Chair’s Report Dan M– The Steering committee did hold their meeting; however we were not able to conduct any business. Since our treasurer and
our intergroup liaisons to the Steering Committee were not present we did not have a quorum for voting procedures. We did review the treasurer’s
report but took no action. I would like to thank Dod P for helping out by filling in for Sharon G.
Old Business
Nominations for: Bridging the Gap, Public Information – no one volunteered yet, check back next month. Leslie says that Central Office has been
answering all inquiries for requests for assistance to connect with meetings from people just out of correction facilities. This is what the
Chairperson would be doing.
Public Information – books for local Libraries - Dana E – As discussed prior an idea for book donations for local libraries possibly being monitored
by groups who are willing to adopt a branch is being considered. What did your groups say when we took this idea to them? DIGS – John- we may
not be the most qualified group to go to Libraries. Idea was for a group to sponsor a branch of the library to monitor if any books have “walked off”
and need replaced then report that info to PI Chair if it is too many books for a group to donate themselves. Southside Group Russ R – wants to
adopt Southside Branch. Nancy A. let’s please focus on getting a PI Chair as this would fall into their purview. Leslie S – to keep it simple it is a
onetime visit to the local library by your group. Russ R – does it have to be a formal process? Joel – In the interim we are attempting to solve this
short term problem. This should not come out of Pink Can Funds. There are 23 library branches in our NNIG territory.
New Business – none was brought up.
Rick L motioned to close the meeting at 7:47, seconded by Nancy A and unanimously carried. We closed with The Responsibility Statement.
Respectfully submitted, Cynthia F NNIG Co-Secretary
September 28, 2015 NNIG Steering Committee Meeting Minutes
Dan M stated that only 4 voting members were present, quorum is not present. We cannot do any voting. Meeting was opened at 5:43 with the
Serenity Prayer. Since we could not approve the minutes from last meeting they were not read. Dod P presented the financial statement,
discussion of the situation where each month the revenue is tweaked due to income from advanced ticket sales with no opposing expenses posted
yet, so the projected income number is too high. Darryl N Events Chair reported an update. Leslie S Central Office reported that the meeting
changes were done on the website. The conference trip was great however the transition back into the office was rough. She noticed most Steering
Committees usually have 11 or 9 members. We are one of the smallest in the nation. Her full conference report will be presented next week at our
meeting. She is suggesting that Ollie K attend next year’s National AA Technology Workshop as this conference would be great for him to be at.
Rick L discussed the speaker meeting. The energy is good with the speaker meeting. The meeting is enormously better than before Kathryn E took
over. We need to remind the hosting group that there is a manual binder that Leslie has put together and we need to get present again with that
procedure. Dan M reported that when in Tonopah Lyle, the public information chair for NAGS, mentioned he wants to work more closely with us.
No Motion to adjourn was made as we cannot vote so meeting was ended with The Responsibility Statement 6:39 pm. Respectfully submitted,
Cynthia F NNIG Co-Secretary.
The 12 Statements of Technology – Copied from the NAATW web site
We suggest implementing technology where it supports our primary purpose of carrying the message to the alcoholic
who still suffers
We are responsible and assess value when using self-support funds for technology initiatives
We are responsible where anonymity is more vulnerable to a wider audience with increased speed or new sensation
An informed group conscience is paramount to technology decision-making
We strive to understand where Individual versus Group values are different
We perform due diligence and rely on demonstrable A.A. experience
We record non-technical requirements before making technology choices
We take care to understand the property value and legal implications of technology used for A.A. purposes before
making binding decisions
We are responsible for transparency in discovery, process, & implementation
We use technology to make information available, not to limit it
We communicate and support the intended service level
We consider how best to Pass it On
NNIG Intergroup Office
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Sparks, NV 89431
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