AA E UN AA AREA 72 DISTRICT 21: GRAYS HARBOR & PACIFIC COUNTIES VIC SER IT Y JUNE 1, 2015 AA BIRTHDAYS! SEE P. 2 RECOVERY FOUNDERS DAY JUNE 7TH OCEAN SHORES SOMETHING TO SHARE? newsletter@aa21.org NEWSLETTER EVENTS Founders Day - 2015 is AA’s 80th Anniversary! June 7th Ocean Shores Lion Club: Noon to 4 PM Including Mexican potluck lunch, old-timers’ panel, Archives, & sobriety countdown Aberdeen/Hoquiam: main dishes Montesano: side dishes Elma: salads North Beach/Ocean Shores: desserts Pacific County: chips & salsa See you there! 1st Annual Sober Campout - Hosted by New Noon Bring your own tent & food. Join us for campfire meetings at dusk. Saturday evening potluck BBQ, and Sunday spiritual breakfast potluck. Walking trails, fishing, horse shoes, fellowship, and more! Cost: $15 for the whole weekend. Contact Val K. for more information! from a visitor: I came to District 21 to get help with my struggles in my addictions. Treatment is the best place for me right now. HarborCrest Detox Center brought me to the Eye Opener AA meeting Monday through Friday every morning and that is where I fell for the fellowship. I can now go home with the comfort of AA to be there for me. Thank you Aberdeen for the words of wisdom and support without judgment, just experience. I love this place for that, and I know it is changing my life right now. I begin to love myself in the rooms of AA through the Eye Opener. There is great fellowship here in Aberdeen and I will never forget my time spent here. Thank you AA! - A.C. from Grand Rapids, OR "Honesty with ourselves & others gets us sober, but it is tolerance that keeps us that way. “ - Bill W. !1 JUNE 1, 2015 This month on the Grapevine: Going Ice-Skating A trip to the rink changed their lives forever We were on our way to go ice-skating. I wanted to get out of the house because my husband and I had yet another argument. So, I got in the car and put my 5-year-old and 7-year-old in the backseat. It was a cold, wintery day in January with freshly fallen snow and delicately formed icicles on tree limbs. I stopped at the liquor store and bought something to take the edge off… read more at aagrapevine.org AA AREA 72 DISTRICT 21: GRAYS HARBOR & PACIFIC COUNTIES sobriety birthdays Eye Opener: Joel P., 8 yrs; Corrie B., 1 yr; Kevin H., 4 yr Elma Group: Mike C.,12 yr Friday Noon: Glenn L., 30 yrs Happy Hour: Heidi L., 1 yr; David W., 2 yrs Humptulips: Bruce B., 37 yrs; Rick, 31 yrs; Kendra, 13 yrs McCleary: Ben F., 4 yrs; Orvil O., 24 yrs Montesano Breakfast: Buddy, 8 yrs; Bruce B., 23 yrs Open Book: Clarence M., 3 yrs Sisters in Recovery: Sylvia B., 10 yrs; Kelly H., 4 yrs Top of the Hill : Nancy G., 30yrs Valley Group: Harold S., 34 yrs from members Tod B. from Tacoma and his sponsor Eric Z. spoke at a recent meeting of the “Just For Today” group at SCCC. The topic was Sponsorship. Inmates at SCCC depend upon volunteers from the community to be in attendance. For information on becoming a Corrections Committee volunteer at SCCC call (509)936-5252 for Derek F. Corrections: we have two new volunteers that have applications in: Rob LC and Jennifer L.! And of course, Nancy G. is my rock Thanks for your service. Looking forward to 2015! Sylvia B. (5/17/05) and Nancy G. (5/17/85). You know, this program is simply amazing! If you put your mind to it, use the tool that are freely given to us, add a mega-dose of faith in a Higher Power, you have made a recipe for a greater than great chance for Recovery. But remember only 24 hours at a time. Try to do any more or less, and you will burn yourself! 6 months and counting! In a row! - Chris W. The Top of the Hill Group has been in existence since 1992. They meet Sunday nights at 7 PM, 400 E 1st Street in Aberdeen. They could use the area’s support. Meetings have low attendance and need some help letting our area know they are still in service to carry the message to the stillsuffering alcoholic. Thank you - Val K. !2 JUNE 1, 2015 AA AREA 72 DISTRICT 21: GRAYS HARBOR & PACIFIC COUNTIES from our DCM The first three months of my rotation as DCM have been awe inspiring; I could not do this alone. All the positions have been filled at district level, I am grateful to Jamy, our alternate DCM, Suzan, Dee, Joan, Joel, Ken, Mike, Nikki, Derek, Sylvia and Kelly. Several of us at district level are still holding discussions with Ocean Shores/North Beach groups to discuss forming groups, participating in their business meetings and at district/area level. Our districts first “Brainstorming” session took place in March and we came up with some great ideas: (1) workshop on sponsorship, (2) re-establishing a district newsletter, (3) setting goals for each trusted servant and chair. I’m asked what is inspirational to me. When I open our District Business Meeting, I stand there looking at the faces of those in attendance, my AA Family, and I remember my sponsor saying to me a couple years into my journey, “You are now a part of”. This brings me to the circle and the triangle, the circle representing AA as a whole, the three sides of the triangle represent, recovery, service and unity. I have been truly blessed by the members of AA and a Power much Greater than I. District 21 has made a decision to cancel an ad in our local newspaper. The cost of advertisement was too steep for our budget. As with most districts, District 21 is no exception with low contributions. However, after our February District Meeting where we disclosed how low our funds were, the Happy Hour Group got together and came up with a solution, a solution voted on in their business meeting. Happy Hour (5:30 meeting Mon-Sun) will pass a second basket, stating the second basket is for financial support of District 21. Three members of the Happy Hour Group are at district level, Nikki, Sylvia and Jerry. Thank you for being present, thank you for bringing district’s shortfall back to your group. Continue to “brainstorm” with committee chairs and trusted servants. Respectfully, Kathee K. - DCM District 21 from our Web Chair Saturday, April 25th I spent the day in Shoreline at the Area 72 Web Quarterly. I met many members of the Area’s Web Committee, who I will be working with the next two years. Topics discussed: anonymity in a digital age (I think this will be an ongoing discussion!), and keeping all online information current and coordinated - a tricky task when, as you know, meetings can sprout up anew, change location, or close forever - only to be reopened again! Printable schedules are available online at aa21.org, as well as a newly updated list of AA’s General Service Office helpful documents for starting a new group. Let’s continue to have discussions about best practices for groups. Thank you to all who have been sending in content for the newsletter! We’ve had a lot of great participation. Please send in your birthdays, snippets, and anything you have to share to newsletter@aa21.org! - Kelly H., Hoquiam !3