September  Intergroup Minutes

GREATER CHICAGO/MILWAUKEE SLAA INTERGROUP September 21, 2024

Name, Home Group, Intergroup Position

Caitlyn, Ravenswood Fellowship Group, Inreach Chair, ABM Delegate

Hannah K, Ravenswood Fellowship Group, Fiduciary Committee

Chris, Ravenswood Fellowship Group, Facilitation Chair

Abby, RFG, Tuesday Keep Coming Back, Website facilitator, ABM Delegate, IG Rep

Anthony, Tuesday Keep Coming Back, ABM Delegate, Inreach Vice-Chair

Burke, 12x12 Living in the Solution, Events Co-Chair

Zane, Ravenswood Fellowship Group, Fiduciary Chair

Trevor, Ravenswood Fellowship Group, Summer Retreat Co-chair

Crystal, Ravenswood Fellowship Group, SLAA Member

Dave Sch., Friday/Sunday Beverly Serenity Meetings, IG Rep

Jeff, Tuesday Anorexia Meeting, IG Rep

Nathan, Ravenswood Fellowship Group, Tuesday Keep Coming Back, IG Rep

Ian, Ravenswood Fellowship Group, Tuesday Keep Coming Back, Outreach Chair

Jeremy, Ravenswood Fellowship Group, Fall Gathering Co-Chair

Ryan, Tuesday Night Priceless Gift of Sobriety, Newsletter Editor

READINGS & INTRODUCTIONS (10 Minutes)

• Prayer for a Trusted Servant

• Traditions

• Introductions (name, group affiliation and position)

• Greater Chicago/Milwaukee SLAA IG Statement of Purpose

• Review Agenda

  • Chris to add Crystal, Nathan, and Jeff to distro list

• Concept 10- ryan October Concept 11 Jeff

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Facilitation (5 Minutes)

• General Report: Chris

• Approve Minutes: August Minutes Approved

• Website Facilitation: Abby

  • Web Facilitation: need a co-chair for website facilitation; spanish speaking meeting has been removed in addition to 2 other updates.

• Special Projects:

• Drop Down Menu Project: Making some progress, will be meeting with Zane another time, more updates to come next month 

  • Google Drive Access and Privacy- Chris Chris to update privacy statement this month.

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Fiduciary (5 Minutes)

• General Treasurer Report: Zane September report approved with friendly amendment to adjust rollover for 2025 September retreat

  • Thank you to the many groups that donated this month!

  • Request to send thank you’s to those that contributed to the retreat this year. (retreat leaders)

• Summer retreat financial report

  • One person paid $330 that was removed from Venmo account, still working with Venmo to get this returned.

  • Will send a new report with this $330 removed, will go towards next year’s retreat when we receive it.

  • The retreat is still self supporting, the rollover is $204.53 after 2 deposits to the retreat center.

  • Will send a final report today.

  • Chris to set up a meeting with Caitlyn and Zane to work on the retreat price for 2025 retreat.

• Report Financials: General

• Q and A
   

OutReach (5 Minutes)

• General Report: Ian W Starting to research other treatment centers in addition to Suncloud; monitoring mailroom inbox

  • Organization called LAP - for attorneys that could benefit from SLAA Outreach (Jeff can help connect) - let them know about the Fall Gathering

  • There are 2 CSATs that will be presenting at the Fall Gathering, request to connect with them and their boss for outreach

  • Set up a meeting/email thread to consolidate outreach ideas

• Inreach/Outreach team up - outreach to far suburban meetings

• SLAA Speakers for Treatment Centers - direct asks Working on getting more speakers for Kimmy, may be going around Ian at the moment

• Outreach to new treatment facilities

• Q and A

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Inreach General Report (25 Minutes)

• General Report: Caitlyn K

• Newsletter Report (Production Editor Ryan W) October Theme: “We have entered the world of the Spirit” Due October 19th

  • Fall Gathering updates to be put in the September newsletter

  • 2025 Summer Retreat dates are already included

• Summer Retreat 2024

  • Final report - thank you to all these groups that contributed!

    • Tuesday Keep Coming Back

    • Ravenswood Fellowship Group

    • Oak Park Saturday Morning Group

  • Survey results - will send out to the Intergroup

  • Will be looking for a new co-chair next year (female)

  • Info on 2025

    • Can we get a save the date for the 2025 retreat to hand out at the Fall Gathering?

    • Chris to print out

• Event Coordinator: Burke and Andrew C

  • Movie Night in Oak Park - great event!

  • Holiday event coming in December - (12/14 or 12/15 TBD) - Joe and Sarah leading

    • Cooking making/decorating/buffet

    • Will send budget by next Intergroup and flier for the Fall Gathering

  • Request for Friendsgiving on Thanksgiving - go to meeting/dinner at Golden Apple (could be collaboration with Thursday meeting/Intergroup)

    • Past events were on the weekend before Thanksgiving

    • Also aim to share at Fall Gathering

  • Q and A

• Fall Gathering

  • Progress update

  • 16 paid tickets; 30 registrations so far; 10-15 verbal commitments who have not signed up yet

    • At last year’s September Intergroup Meeting, there were 16 registered at that point.

  • Minimum count of 50 people

  • Trying to work with Intergroup reps to announce, go to meetings that do not have Intergroup reps

  • Finalizing lineup in the coming weeks (confirmed Sanon speaker, CSAT presentation with Q&A)

  • Request to send Fall Gathering information to Hazelden

  • Work on getting a generic flier to send out this weekend

  • Jeremy to follow up with the max number of people - the max number of chairs is 80, Jeremy to confirm

  • Jeremy to send Abby/Ryan talking points for the website/newsletter

• Inreach to our zoom meetings and previously in person meetings - gathering contact information

Annual Business Meeting Delegates (25 min)

• ABM Delegates: Anthony, caitlyn, Abby, Cristian

• Treasury Report sent at ABM emailed to Intergroup - contributions are down, literature sales cannot offset the decline in contributions to keep non-profit status.

• Do we discuss adding automatic contributions on the website as a test? Costs may be mitigated if people are donating enough

• Basic Text leading literature sales

• ABM 2025 has been confirmed to be virtual, costs go to the effort to host hybrid ABM which will be more than online or in person only

• Pitch for 7th tradition for online meetings

• Report on ABM

New Business (5 min.) As Possible

• Intergroup Representatives Feedback

SUGGESTED ANNOUNCEMENTS FOR MEETING REPS:

• Submissions to newsletter: October Theme: “We have entered the world of the Spirit” Due October 19th

• SLAA Summer Retreat August 15-18

• Subscribe to the newsletter on the slaachicago website

• Encourage donations to IG via Venmo (@Augustine-Fellowship)

• Please submit Meeting Updates via the Meeting Update Function on the Website
  (reopening, etc.)
   

Proposed Next Meeting: September 21, 202
8:00am – 9:15 am
Hybrid both In-Person (preferred) and OnLine (Zoom ID Above) 3326 N Ashland Ave.
Visit us at www.slaachicago.org
 

Higher Power,
We ask your guidance in carrying out this work in service to the Fellowship.
Relieve us of the burdens of our egos and perfectionism. Grant us the grace of humility.
Remind us to place principles before personalities. Help us to focus only on the greater good of the group.
Let us know that we are responsible only for doing the leg work, not the outcome. Give us the faith to trust in You and the Group Conscience.
And grant us the serenity to accept the things we can not change the courage to change the things we can and the wisdom to know the difference.

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