Volume 35, Issue 4 APRIL 2019

ScaanSOUTH COUNTY

AA NEWSLETTER

The Hand of AA

24 Hours a Day

561-276-4581

South Palm Beach CountyIntergroup Association, Inc.Serving A.A. Groups inBoca Raton, Boynton Beach,Delray Beach and Lantana33 Years of Service ~ 1984-2017

THE STEPS & THE TRADITIONSSTEP 4 - “Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.”

TRADITION 4 - “Each group should be autonomous except in matters affecting other groups or A.A. as a whole.”

A man sat in a prison cell for twenty years.One day he decided he had enough. No matter what,he planned to escape. He planned when the guarddelivered his dinner, he would overpower, or kill himif he had to, and get out of his cell and escape. So,on that afternoon, as he was plotting, he began tostudy his cell door. And to his amazement the doorwas unlocked. He pushed, and the cell door flungopen. And for the first time in twenty years, hestepped from his cell. He found a row of steps andhe took those steps to the exit door. He opened thatdoor and walked into a court yard. There wereprison guards everywhere. But they did nothing,completely ignoring his presence. He looked overand noticed an arch with two gates that were wideopen. He walked through that arch onto the road offreedom. He had found his way home. You see as itturns out, he could have left his cell at any time. Hejust lacked the willingness to try.

This simile reminds me of my life. I mademy own prison. And then put myself in a cell. Thewalls of my prison were made out of resentments andfears. The bars on my cell were made out of guilt,shame and remorse. My jailers were self-centered-ness and selfishness. They kept me in bondage. Iwould often ask myself … “What crime had I com-mitted?”. The crime was not caring about anyoneelse but me, doing whatever it required to get myway. The people that loved me, as far as I could see,did not love me enough. It was not easy being “me”.I was the smartest person I knew. I was bewilderedby how wrong everyone was. My employers did notknow how to run their businesses. If I was in a rela-tionship, my significant other always fell short of my

expectations. And believe it or not, some did notwant to take care of me. If you wanted to be myfriend, all you had to do was to have what I needed.And, if none of these people could take care of me, Ijust figured that is why “family” was for. But some-body always had to take care of “me” … “me” …“me”. It was all about “me” … I was the king of theuniverse.

I crawled into the rooms of AlcoholicsAnonymous. I found a group of people that wereonce just like me. But somehow, they seemed tohave escaped. One of these “AA people” offered toshow me how to escape (my sponsor). In our book,Alcoholics Anonymous, there were instructions onhow to get out. In Steps One and Two I needed todraw upon two conclusions … moving forward andmaking a decision. The decision was I was not to“run the show” … I am powerless and my life isunmanageable when I am in charge. But there is Onewho has all power. That One is God. I was asked to“find Him now” … to at least try. And that halfmeasures would avail me nothing. Our books states Ihave reached a turning point. Do I turn back to myalcoholism, my prison? Or do I turn toward God? Idecided to give God a try. And with that, my celldoor flung open. I stepped out and headed over tothe remaining Steps. They would take me on theroad to happy destiny and home. As I stood at StepThree, getting ready to take action, I could see thesunlight at the top of the Steps!

Love and service, Tommy B.

Letting Go (Surrender)

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South Palm Beach County Intergroup Profit & Loss - February 2019

FFAAIITTHHFFUULL FFIIVVEERRSSWWiitthh GGrraattiittuuddee ffoorr tthheeiirr ssuuppppoorrtt::

Michael G. and Linda P.

New Intergroup RepsMen With Solutions ~ Thomas D.

Sunrise Beach Meeting ~ Candi L.Saturday Night Live @ Five ~ John M.

Double Digits Gang ~ Corbin P.From Steerage To Captain’s Table ~ Troy G.

Intergroup Activity Log Feb.1912th Step Calls 1First Call to AA 4Meeting Inquiries 118Business Inquiries 196Walk-Ins 237QB Sales Receipts 218

OOffffiiccee VVoolluunntteeeerrssHunter, Stephen M., Dan, Marianne, Dennis B.,

Bob W., George, Shelley, Jason, David T.,Bailey, Trish, Joe H. & George

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GROUP CONTRIBUTIONS: FEBRUARY 2019 AND YEAR-TO-DATE 2019

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Intergroup Business Meeting Minutes – February 27, 2019Chair: Elizabeth B. opened the meeting with a moment of silence fol-lowed by the Serenity Prayer. Chair called for approval of last month’sminutes; Motion made by Elizabeth B to approve November minutes.The motion was seconded and passed unanimously. Chair introducedall the new Intergroup Reps. Elizabeth asked the Picnic Chair to give areport: Stephanie reported that everything is going as planned andticets are still available. The picnic will be held on March 10th from11am to 3pm and Kids under 12 will eat for free. Vice Chair: George S. reported on his visit to World Service office inNew York City and encouraged everyone if they are ever in that area tostop by and visit if they can. George also reported that World Servicehas two new pamphlets: Women in AA and LGBTQ alcoholics in AA.George also encouraged members to volunteer to help with theupcoming Picnic as what we can do together what we cannot do alone. Treasurer: John S. reported that summary email reports are sent outregularly and if you do not receive them, please contact the office.John also gave the following financial report: Secretary: Diane S. - No report.

Office Manager: Jeannie reported the January 2019 Form 941($791.38) and DR-15 Sales Tax ($472.23) were processed on February5, 2019. A total of 50 tickets for the upcoming PICNIC have been soldand any monies collected can be turned in tonight or at the SPBCIoffice. FLYERS and TICKETS remain available. TICKETS can also bepurchased the day of the PICNIC. And March 1, 2019 is the cutoff datefor any meeting updates for the Where & When April 2019.Committee Reports:Archivist: Michael G. was absent with notice and nothing to report. Archives Committee Chair: Andrew S. present and nothing to report. Bridge the Gap: Bari W. (Women) reported that she was able tobridge one lady this month. Bridge the Gap: Maverick C. (Men’s) suggested rep’s to remind theirgroups that the “Bridge the Gap” pamphlet is helpful for members whoare leaving our areas too. General Service Liaison: Stephen M. reported the next Quarterly willbe held on April 5-7 in Boca Raton and the Florida Convention will beJuly 31 to August 4th in Miami. Group Information: Rick G. Since 50% of the groups in our area donot have Intergroup reps, the Group Information Committee (GIC) con-tinues to reach out to groups without reps to encourage them to find arep to keep their groups better informed on what’s going on in our areawhile creating service opportunities. Also the GIC is creating a newemail newsletter that will send current and pertinent info to members inour area. This will include a copy of the SCAAN, event announce-ments/reminders, volunteer opportunities, operational updates etc...Hospitals and Institutions: Amy M. (Women’s) Amy reported she andTolbert will be meeting soon to discuss the current status of all individ-ual H&I service commitments. A report will be provided to the body.Hospitals and Institutions: Tolbert D. (Men’s) I received an e-mail on02.27.19 that Tolbert would not be attending Business Meeting and hehad e-mailed his report.

Public Information: Pam T. absent with notice. Pam reported that lit-erature was distributed during the month. Public Information: Jerry W. absent without notice.SCAAN: John T. absent with notice. John reported articles are wecome and need to be sent to the SPBCI office by the 15th of themonth. Telephone Relay: Gary K. thanked Sobriety for Breakfast for takingthe phones this past month and providing this much needed service toAA. For those who are new, the Telephone Relay is a service wherebywhen the Intergroup office is closed, calls to AA are forwarded to aRelay phone where volunteers from a home group answer and assistthe caller. Most calls are requests for meeting info. When a call comesin from someone who needs a 12 step call, the volunteer takes thatperson’s contact info and then calls someone from the 12 StepCommittee to assist the person in need. For the month of March, thephones are being handled by the One Day at a Time. Thank you inadvance for your service. Boca Men’s has the phone for April andCentral House has it for May. We need a group for June and for July.Any volunteers? I can come to your group’s business meeting toexplain how to set it up if you wish. See me after the meeting or con-tact me through the Intergroup office. As a reminder, the only way wecan assure that AA is available to those that want it, the phone must bekept on at all times. It will not ring during office hours, other thanSPAM calls. During off hours, please answer even if the incoming calltriggers the SPAM alert. That is not always accurate and we may missthe opportunity to be of service. Where & When: Adam P. absent with notice and asked that any meet-ing changes to be sent to the office manager, Jeannie, for corrections. 12th Step Committee: Lauren P. (Women) No report. David F.(Men) No report. Liaison to North County Intergroup: Anna B. reported she attendedher first NPBC Intergroup meeting on February 13th. The Intergroupoffice was re-floored and painted and the cost was $1,034 all of whichwas donated. Annual committee chair positions are now open for rota-tion and the first round of rotation will take place at next month’s busi-ness meeting. The next Intergroup event is the Old Timers Social onSaturday, April 13th at the Holy Episcopal Church at 1003 Allendale Rdin WPB. This is a free event. The Old Timers Social is a panel of oldtimers with 35+ years of sobriety to speak for a few moments. If any-one is interested in speaking, please call the Palm Beach CountyIntergroup office. Old Business: No old business.New Business: Elizabeth reported we are working on a new websiteand more information to come soon. John reported that 95% of visitorsuse their mobile phone to visit our site. A survey will soon be sent outto the members for suggestions of what Intergroup needs. Elizabethalso reported that in the spirit of rotation and a lower fee we switchedCPA’s for the 990 report for the 2018 fiscal year. If anyone wants toknow who the new firm is, please call the office as the name shouldnot be in the minutes.Meeting was adjourned @ 7:35 PM and closed with the Lord’s Prayer.Next Intergroup Meeting: March 27thSubmitted by Diane S. – Secretary Steering Committee

AA HOTLINE – RELAY PHONEApril - Boca Men’s Group

May - Delray Central House

The Telephone Relay Phone Committee requests your group consider this service commitment to insure

the “hand of AA” is available 24 hours a day.

BIRTHDAY CLUBSOUTH PALM BEACH COUNTY INTERGROUP

CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR ANNIVERSARY!Your donation goes to help the valuable services provided by Intergroup includingthe AA hotline, meeting schedules, 12 step work, literature inventory, SCAANnewsletter and hospital/institution meetings.

Name Anniversary Date

Home Group Contribution* $*Recommended contribution is $1 for every year of sobriety.

If you would like a reminder notice next year, please fill out the address portionbelow or provide an email address.

Address City

State/Zip Email

April 2019 Service MeetingsApril 14, 2019

District 8 General Service Business Meeting - Triangle Club4:00 PM: GSR/DCM SHARING

4:40 PM DISTRICT 8 BUSINESS MEETINGApril 17, 2019

SPBC Intergroup Steering Committee MeetingWednesday, 5:30 PM - SPBCI Office

April 24, 2019SPBC Intergroup Monthly Business MeetingWednesday, 7:00 PM - Delray Central House

AA EVENTS

April 5 - 7GSO Area 15 AssemblyBoca Raton Marriottwww.area15aa.org

June 7-9Founders’ Day 2019 - 84th Anniversary AAAkron, Ohiowww.akronaa.org

September 20-22National AA Technology WorkshopBowling Green, KYNaatw.org

OTHER EVENTS

The Other Events listed below are presented solelyas a service to SCAAN readers, not as an endorsementby SPBCI.

April 13, 2019 • Delray Central House GroupBattle of the Bands - Sober Fest5:00pm - 11:00pm • 2174 W. Atlantic Avenue$10 @ the door - Hamburgers, hot dogs & drinks

July 31, 2019 - August 4, 201963rd Florida State ConventionTrump National Doral Miami63.FloridaStateConvention.com

South Palm Beach CountyIntergroup Association, Inc.

2905 South Federal Highway • Building C, Suite 15-16Delray Beach, FL 33483

24-hours: 561.276.4581Email: southcountyaa@comcast.netWebsite: www.aainpalmbeach.org

Office HoursMonday-Friday: 9am - 5pm

Saturday: 10am - 1pm

STEERING COMMITTEEChair - Elizabeth B. Vice Chair - George S.

Treasurer - John S. Secretary - Diane S.Office Manager - Jeannie G.

COMMITTEESArchives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Andrew S.

Archivist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Michael G.

Bridge the Gap - Men . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Maverick C.

Bridge the Gap - Women . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bari W.

General Services Liaison . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Stephen M.

Group Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Rick G.

Hospitals & Institutions (W) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Amy M.

Hospitals & Institutions (M) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Tolbert D.

Liaison to North County Intergroup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Anna B.

Public Information (W) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pam T.

Public Information (M) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jerry W.

SCAAN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . John T.

Telephone Relay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Gary K.

Twelve Step Committee - (W) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lauren P.

Twelve Step Committee - (M) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Michael M.

Where & When . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . OPEN

BIRTHDAY CLUBKathryn S.

Sober Sisters • February 21, 2007 Congratulations on 12 years of sobriety

Peggy W.Women Living Sober • February 14, 1989Congratulations on 30 years of sobriety

Chris M.Tuesday Men’s Solution • April 28, 1996Congratulations on 23 years of sobriety