Hurricane Katrina Dallas AA Update - 9/18/05

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.