First, I can’t say thank you enough for the incredible feedback I received from our Area 72 groups before the Conference. Your thoughtful comments, questions, and encouragement meant a lot. I read every single one and felt your support. Thank you for the emails, email responses to my daily emails, and packages too! It was so helpful to feel connected to Area 72 during the week.
Conference week kicked off informally on Saturday with a Pacific Region history tour. A few of us rented a bus and visited AA landmarks around New York — including 38 Livingston Street, where Bill and Lois once lived, and site of Towns Hospital. That evening, we had a meet-and-greet where delegates exchanged pins, a fun tradition. I made a pin of my own, and you’ll get one if you attend a report-back! A photo of it even made the Grapevine Instagram page!
Sunday was the official start, with roll call — and I had the honor of saying “present” on behalf of Area 72. That day, we spent time discussing the Conference Inventory. My group was assigned four questions, and we dove deep. I came prepared with summaries, quotes, and a few possible ideas. Notes from those discussions will be shared later this summer and included in the final report.
Monday morning, I met with my Conference Committee, Grapevine, and I couldn’t be more impressed. It’s a smart, thoughtful, passionate group, and we had robust conversations about our agenda items. We even discussed a few important topics that weren’t on the list of agenda items. I left feeling hopeful and excited about what we’ll bring to the floor later in the week.
Throughout the week, we heard from other committees, shared perspectives during open sessions, and listened to updates from GSO and trustees. On Wednesday, our Pacific Region wore matching t-shirts and in between the work, I had the chance to meet people from all over, including some wonderful GSO staff. I’m always amazed at how much they do behind the scenes.
We wrapped up with some long and powerful days of discussion and voting. In total, we completed 93 agenda items, including 55 committee recommendations and 12 floor actions. One standout moment: the approval to adopt three short videos from Australia that left many of us in tears. We also voted to develop new literature and took steps to help Grapevine move toward becoming self-supporting.
It’s hard to put into words what this week meant to me. I tried not to come in with expectations, and I’m leaving with a full heart. I’m proud of the work we did together and I’m looking forward to sharing even more with you in the coming weeks during my report-backs. Check out the area72aa.org website, Events page to see the dates and locations.
Thank you again for letting me be of service.
Best,
Courtney S
Delegate P75
