Well, this will be my last update to everyone regarding our outreach efforts to AA members evacuated to the Dallas area as a result of Hurricane Katrina. By the end of this week, the City of Dallas will shut down Reunion Arena as an evacuation shelter. The Dallas Convention Center shelter services were shut down this past weekend. More than 8,000 people will have found or have been assisted in finding housing throughout the Dallas-Ft. Worth area. Thanks to your support, donations and volunteering we have been able to staff an information table providing AA and Al-Anon information to those interested every day from 8am to 8pm and facilitating AA meetings 3 times a day every day for the past few weeks. Sometimes these meetings were held with as few as 2 members other times as many as 14 including both evacuees and volunteers. Truly, when the hand of AA reached out you were there.
I'd like to extend a very personal thank you to all of you who volunteered and to those who offered. We received significantly more offers of support than we were able to utilize including donations of Big Books and contributions. After literature costs are reconciled, any remaining dollars will be sent to the Louisiana and Mississippi areaa as contributions to the GSO Area and Central Offices of the Gulf Region. A special thank you to Sarah B. and Bill C. who took on the logistical tasks of scheduling members in shifts for the information table and to chair the meetings as well as thank you to Jim, Janis and the Dallas Intergroup Central Office volunteers for their support.
Sunday, September 18, 2005
Monday, September 05, 2005
We're Up and Running!
All,
As of this evening, we have a dedicated area with a door for privacy to begin hosting AA meetings at the Dallas Convention Center. Meetings were initiated this past weekend by a recovery support organization and we will be taking over the hosting of those meetings beginning Wednesday this week. Special thanks to those who helped jumpstart the support efforts. We will be sharing our meeting space with Al-Anon and N.A. as both are drastically needed to support those now living at the Convention Center. Our meeting space will hold approximately 15-20 people comfortably but we need to respect the ongoing support efforts that will be going on around us while we are there and be sensitive to overloading the meeting space.
All AA members wishing to participate in meetings or help host the information table will need to register upon entering the Convention Center. You will need a picture ID and you will not be permitted to enter with open toed shoes (such as flip flops/sandals). Additionally, you will be expected to abide by health guidelines and you may be asked to wash you hands upon entering and leaving as well as potentially wear disposable rubber gloves. I will send out detailed logistics tomorrow after they're finalized with the Red Cross.
I am currently working to have detailed fliers available with pertinent information as well as posters that we'll distribute around both the Convention Center and the Reunion Arena with contact information and our meeting schedules. Additionally, I'll be taking stocks of Big Books and other literature to be made available to members and for use in meetings. Please continue to send me your availability information including contact info, dates and times of availability. If your group would like to take on the hosting of one or more meetings that would be very helpful.
Finally, I've been in touch with our Louisiana Area Assembly contact and below please find a copy of Keith's email back to me regarding contributions for rebuilding meeting locations. We'll continue to communicate with the Area down there to insure they have what they need to make sure that AA is available as the world helps to rebuild the region.
Thanks to all, Jeff
www.aadallas.org
http://friendofbills.blogspot.com
************************************************************************************************************
From Keith L. - Louisiana Area Assembly of Alcoholics Anonymous.........
Jeff,
As we've tried to think through what the future will hold, it's becoming clear to us, too, that cash will be useful in the future. We don't know exactly when the needs will become apparent, or what they will be. I've started replying to people who want to donate cash with the Louisiana Area Assembly address. Only thing to remember is no more than $2000 from any one entity, and of course since we're self-supporting, contributions can only be accepted from AA individuals/groups/entities.
So, bottom line, we will be accepting contributions dedicated to Katrina recovery efforts at:
Louisiana Area Assembly, Inc.
P.O. Box 2793
Opelousas, LA 70571
Be assured that the donations will be dedicated to the recovery efforts, and the needy groups as they get re-established.
Keith L. - Webmaster
Louisiana Area Assembly
http://www.aa-louisiana.org/
As of this evening, we have a dedicated area with a door for privacy to begin hosting AA meetings at the Dallas Convention Center. Meetings were initiated this past weekend by a recovery support organization and we will be taking over the hosting of those meetings beginning Wednesday this week. Special thanks to those who helped jumpstart the support efforts. We will be sharing our meeting space with Al-Anon and N.A. as both are drastically needed to support those now living at the Convention Center. Our meeting space will hold approximately 15-20 people comfortably but we need to respect the ongoing support efforts that will be going on around us while we are there and be sensitive to overloading the meeting space.
All AA members wishing to participate in meetings or help host the information table will need to register upon entering the Convention Center. You will need a picture ID and you will not be permitted to enter with open toed shoes (such as flip flops/sandals). Additionally, you will be expected to abide by health guidelines and you may be asked to wash you hands upon entering and leaving as well as potentially wear disposable rubber gloves. I will send out detailed logistics tomorrow after they're finalized with the Red Cross.
I am currently working to have detailed fliers available with pertinent information as well as posters that we'll distribute around both the Convention Center and the Reunion Arena with contact information and our meeting schedules. Additionally, I'll be taking stocks of Big Books and other literature to be made available to members and for use in meetings. Please continue to send me your availability information including contact info, dates and times of availability. If your group would like to take on the hosting of one or more meetings that would be very helpful.
Finally, I've been in touch with our Louisiana Area Assembly contact and below please find a copy of Keith's email back to me regarding contributions for rebuilding meeting locations. We'll continue to communicate with the Area down there to insure they have what they need to make sure that AA is available as the world helps to rebuild the region.
Thanks to all, Jeff
www.aadallas.org
http://friendofbills.blogspot.com
************************************************************************************************************
From Keith L. - Louisiana Area Assembly of Alcoholics Anonymous.........
Jeff,
As we've tried to think through what the future will hold, it's becoming clear to us, too, that cash will be useful in the future. We don't know exactly when the needs will become apparent, or what they will be. I've started replying to people who want to donate cash with the Louisiana Area Assembly address. Only thing to remember is no more than $2000 from any one entity, and of course since we're self-supporting, contributions can only be accepted from AA individuals/groups/entities.
So, bottom line, we will be accepting contributions dedicated to Katrina recovery efforts at:
Louisiana Area Assembly, Inc.
P.O. Box 2793
Opelousas, LA 70571
Be assured that the donations will be dedicated to the recovery efforts, and the needy groups as they get re-established.
Keith L. - Webmaster
Louisiana Area Assembly
http://www.aa-louisiana.org/
Reunion Arena Meeting Update - 9/5/2005
Happy Labor Day to all......
Progress is being made with our efforts to make sure AA is available to Hurricane Katrina Evacuees who have relocated to the Dallas area. This weekend, we got agreement to set up an information table within Reunion Arena. We have to bring our own table and chairs and supplies so I will be gathering those up today and hope to have this up and running later today or tomorrow at the latest. At present, we have no way of knowing how many AA members are amongst those currently living at Reunion Arena or the Convention Center so volunteering for the Information Table may be a bit slow but I'd like to ask for volunteers to man the table from 9 or 10am until about 8pm each day for the next 2 weeks at a minimum. Depending on our efforts to get a dedicated room to host meetings and the inquiries we receive we'll adjust our efforts accordingly.
I'll have the table/chairs, fliers with Intergroup & Meeting info, Big Books and other literature available. We'll be set up on the far east side of Reunion Arena and I'll have maps available as soon as I find our what area we're going to set up in. I'd like to ask for volunteers to take 2 hours shifts each day starting tomorrow (Tuesday 9/6/05) from 10am - 8pm each day. If groups would like to take a day or two that would be even better. For now, please email me directly with your availability and interest and I'll compile the schedule. Obviously, those of you that are interested in just showing up and helping in anyway you're more than welcome but we do need to try to have some organization. I'd also welcome a single volunteer to take on the Information Table coordination itself as I'm also working with the city to get us a dedicated room for a period of time. If you're willing to step up and help with that, please let me know. I'll have more details on logistics sent out later today.
As for donations and purchase of Big Books.....we will be setting up a dedicated fund for you and your groups to send donations to the Dallas Intergroup designated for Hurricane Relief. Our priority for these donations will be the purchase and availability of Big Books followed by 12&12's, As Bill Sees It and other Literature. As we already have quite a few donations and commitments to purchase Big Books and GSO in NY has offered to donate Big Books, we expect to have this part of our needs met and fulfilled soon. With that said, I'm proposing that we continue to receive donations and forward what we can to the Louisiana General Service Area Office. We are in talks with our friends in Louisiana and as they rebuild their communities they're going to have needs for coffee pots, meetings space, chairs and tables. This will all take money. I have put this out to the Intergroup Board for discussion and we will agree our approach at this months Intergroup Meeting this Thursday, 9/8/05.
As you have probably heard, Governor Rick Perry has asked for help in airlifting people from Texas to other States as resources are already being stretched in Houston, Dallas and San Antonio. As all of this continues to evolve over the coming weeks we'll need to adjust our plans and service commitments accordingly so I ask for your continued support and patience. Thanks to the hundreds of you who have offered support thus far. Our friends from Louisiana have expressed their sincere appreciation and are overwhelmed with the love and support they're receiving from AA's around the world.
Stay tuned for details on logistics for the Information Table today and hopefully we'll get a dedicated meeting room within the next couple of days so we can start meetings ongoing.
Progress is being made with our efforts to make sure AA is available to Hurricane Katrina Evacuees who have relocated to the Dallas area. This weekend, we got agreement to set up an information table within Reunion Arena. We have to bring our own table and chairs and supplies so I will be gathering those up today and hope to have this up and running later today or tomorrow at the latest. At present, we have no way of knowing how many AA members are amongst those currently living at Reunion Arena or the Convention Center so volunteering for the Information Table may be a bit slow but I'd like to ask for volunteers to man the table from 9 or 10am until about 8pm each day for the next 2 weeks at a minimum. Depending on our efforts to get a dedicated room to host meetings and the inquiries we receive we'll adjust our efforts accordingly.
I'll have the table/chairs, fliers with Intergroup & Meeting info, Big Books and other literature available. We'll be set up on the far east side of Reunion Arena and I'll have maps available as soon as I find our what area we're going to set up in. I'd like to ask for volunteers to take 2 hours shifts each day starting tomorrow (Tuesday 9/6/05) from 10am - 8pm each day. If groups would like to take a day or two that would be even better. For now, please email me directly with your availability and interest and I'll compile the schedule. Obviously, those of you that are interested in just showing up and helping in anyway you're more than welcome but we do need to try to have some organization. I'd also welcome a single volunteer to take on the Information Table coordination itself as I'm also working with the city to get us a dedicated room for a period of time. If you're willing to step up and help with that, please let me know. I'll have more details on logistics sent out later today.
As for donations and purchase of Big Books.....we will be setting up a dedicated fund for you and your groups to send donations to the Dallas Intergroup designated for Hurricane Relief. Our priority for these donations will be the purchase and availability of Big Books followed by 12&12's, As Bill Sees It and other Literature. As we already have quite a few donations and commitments to purchase Big Books and GSO in NY has offered to donate Big Books, we expect to have this part of our needs met and fulfilled soon. With that said, I'm proposing that we continue to receive donations and forward what we can to the Louisiana General Service Area Office. We are in talks with our friends in Louisiana and as they rebuild their communities they're going to have needs for coffee pots, meetings space, chairs and tables. This will all take money. I have put this out to the Intergroup Board for discussion and we will agree our approach at this months Intergroup Meeting this Thursday, 9/8/05.
As you have probably heard, Governor Rick Perry has asked for help in airlifting people from Texas to other States as resources are already being stretched in Houston, Dallas and San Antonio. As all of this continues to evolve over the coming weeks we'll need to adjust our plans and service commitments accordingly so I ask for your continued support and patience. Thanks to the hundreds of you who have offered support thus far. Our friends from Louisiana have expressed their sincere appreciation and are overwhelmed with the love and support they're receiving from AA's around the world.
Stay tuned for details on logistics for the Information Table today and hopefully we'll get a dedicated meeting room within the next couple of days so we can start meetings ongoing.
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