Lots to share this month. First, the excitement is starting to build as we enter June. Summer months and long daylit days are ahead with warm weather and many Area events coming up. Our Delegate Courtney is back from the 75th Annual General Service Conference and will begin her Report Backs June 7 in Port Orchard. I can’t wait! Hope to see some of you there! Check the Area Events Calendar for Report Back dates nearest to you. And in June I’ll be finalizing preparations for the July Quarterly including preparing the Agenda, checking in with our Appointed and Elected Trusted Servants, working with certain districts on possible discussion topics and motions, and being available for questions regarding the Quarterly. If you have any ideas for a discussion topic or motion, simply email me at chair@area72aa.org . And of course, the first weekend in July is the International Conference just north of us in Vancouver, B.C. followed by the Quarterly in Tacoma the following weekend. Then August and a full month of Pre-Assemblies two every weekend where we get to visit all of you and go through preparations for this year’s Area Assembly in Lynnwood this year Friday, October 4th through Sunday, October 6! Buckle up!
Second, there are things going on behind the scenes that I thought you may all find interesting. Areas 72 and 92 have regrouped their National Corrections Conference (NCC) Bid Committee to take a run at bringing the NCC to Washington State in 2027. I have the pleasure of serving on that committee and last week some of us toured the Tri-Cities area for venues for hosting the event. We bid at last year’s conference and lost out to Area 69 for Salt Lake City. This year we plan on being super polished and super prepared. Second bid is usually the charm for the NCC. It was Area 69’s second bid last year. The big draw of course is Washington State Penitentiary at Walla Walla where the second A.A. meeting behind the walls was held in 1942, only four months after A.A. took the message into San Quentin. San Quentin gets all the press but for us here in corrections in Washington State, “Concrete Mama,” as it’s referred to among its persons in custody, is a big deal!
Third, I had the privilege of attending a planning meeting for monthly 3rd Legacy Workshops some of our district’s 3rd Legacy Chairs are starting here in Area 72. Being in a district that had a 3rd Legacy Chair, I have firsthand experience of the value the position can bring to a district that may not have a large pool of servants to draw from for its service positions, especially DCM and Alt-DCM. A local 3rd Legacy Chair, focused on their own district can often be the difference between a successful district and a struggling one. If your district has a 3rd Legacy Chair or is considering creating one, please contact Patty S. in District 25 for more information on these workshops at dist25thirdleg@area72aa.org.
And finally, I continue to attend and shamelessly continue to plug for the GSIG Service Manual Study every first Sunday of the month at Greater Seatle Intergroup. Come join us. Also, come check out the weekly Pacific Region Service Nerds service meeting every Thursday Night at 6:00 pm on zoom ID: 878 7493 8831, Password: Nerds. We had (at the time you read this) Paul C., a past General Service Trustee the last Thursday in May share his experience strength and hope in his service journey from GSR to Area Delegate to Non-Trustee Director to General Service Trustee. He hails from Area 08, San Diego/Imperial Counties down in Southern California.
In Closing and As Always…
And last and as always, please feel free to reach out as I am available to any Intergroup, District or Home Group to share on service and/or personal recovery, to facilitate group or district inventories, or assist in group resolution or just answer random fellowship and/or service-related questions. Just email me as I am always happy to be of service.
Derek S.
Area Chair
chair@area72aa.org
