Structure of
Area 56
The
basic unit of AA's "structure" is the AA Group. Your Group and its
neighboring Groups form the next larger unit, the District. GSRs attend District
meetings, and elect a District Committee Member (DCM) who conducts District
meetings and represents the conscience of the District as a voting member of the
Area Committee. (See the definitions in the Glossary)
The Districts form the next larger unit, the Area. There are 30 Districts in Southwest Ohio General Service Area 56. GSRs and DCMs attend Area Assemblies or Meetings once a month to share information and decide questions which affect AA as a whole. Southwest Ohio General Service Area 56 is one of the four Delegate Areas in Ohio and 93 Delegate Areas in the United States and Canada. The Area Assembly elects the Delegate who represents the Area at the yearly General Service Conference.
Delegate: carries the collective conscience of Area 56 to the General Service Conference each April; maintains communication with GSO and other Areas and conveys information gathered to the Area; visits Groups and Districts whenever possible; and facilitates communication in general.
Alternate Delegate/Area Chairperson: is prepared to assume Delegate's
responsibilities should the Delegate be unable to continue any duty; prepares
the agenda and chairs the Area General Assembly; co-chairs the Area 56
Mini-Conference with the immediate Past Delegate.
Registrar: maintains all Area 56
information; Ensures that all Area 56 information is current ; receives and
responds to all correspondence from Area 56, assumes secretary duties for the
State Convention when the Convention is hosted by Area 56.
Treasurer: receives and deposits all Group contributions; pays all bills incurred by Area 56; maintains all financial records and ledgers; maintains current IRS and legal information for non-profit status; handles the Ohio State Convention treasury when the Convention is hosted by Area 56.
Secretary: records minutes of each Area General Assembly meeting and completes the mailing to all Groups; this includes the following duties: securing a non-profit bulk mailing permit, maintaining an account with a printer, preparing envelopes, and sorting for bulk mailing.
Election and Rotation of Officers
Area
Officers are elected by the "Third Legacy Procedure" and serve a
two-year term. The "Third Legacy Procedure" is an electoral system
unique to AA. It is presented in detail in the Service Manual. The
elections are held in October of odd numbered years, and the terms begin the
following January.
Each
office rotates between the three sections of Area 56 as follows:
North: Auglaize, Darke, Mercer, Miami, Montgomery, Shelby and Van Wert Counties
Central: Butler, Clinton, Greene, Preble and Warren Counties
South:
Adams, Brown, Clermont, and Hamilton Counties.
A
candidate for Area office must be a past or present DCM or Alternate DCM and live
in the section of the Area. (North, Central, South) to be represented in the
rotation. The purpose of the geographical rotation is to ensure that all
sections of the Area are represented.
All
GSRs, DCMs, the
Chairperson of each standing committee, and the Area Officers each have one vote.
Alternates may vote only if the regular GSR,
DCM, or
Chairperson is not present.
Literature: Maintains the Area literature
display of all Conference-approved items and provides this display to Area,
State, District and Group functions as requested; provides information issues
concerning Conference-approved literature; distributes Service Manuals
to new GSRs.
Grapevine: Maintains a display of materials available from the Grapevine, Inc. and provides this display to Area, State, District and Group functions as requested; familiarizes AA members with the The Grapevine; encourages AA members to contribute articles, and maintains a database of Group Grapevine Reps.
Public Information/Cooperation with the Professional Community: Informs the general public about the AA program by using the media and participating in programs requested by schools, employee assistance programs, etc., and cooperates with professionals who are in contact with active alcoholics.
Correctional Facilities: Organizes and delegates all AA efforts in correctional facilities in Area 56 not taken care of by local Districts or Intergroups; provides AA literature and books to these facilities if all other avenues of procurement are exhausted; maintains a pre-release contact program.
Treatment Facilities: Informs Districts and Groups concerning AA work in treatment facilities; maintains and updates a file of information from GSO, other Areas, and the Dayton and Cincinnati Intergroups on this type of work; produces a workshop on AA's work in Treatment Facilities.
Archives/Audio Visual:
Preserves the history of AA in Area 56 by collecting, preserving and indexing
all records and Group Histories; displays the Archives at AA events; orders,
organizes and maintains the audio-visual
material and equipment owned by the Area.
Group Services: Informs new meetings of the privileges and responsibilities of being a registered AA Group; meets with established Groups who wish to know more about AA service structure; conducts orientation classes for new GSRs during the Area Assembly; maintains a list of service sponsors.
Workshop Committee: Produces workshops on various AA topics as requested by the Area Assembly; assists Groups, Districts and Intergroups in Area 56 with the production of workshops, as requested; maintains the Area 56 Workshop Handbook; maintains a workshop archives of materials for reference.
Website
Committee: Produces, maintains and updates the Area 56 Website.