DCM Report April 20, 2024
These are the highlights from the last Area Assembly.
Area Assembly (March, 2024)
- Pre-Conference:
- Pre-Conference materials were discussed, and recommendations were made.
- Area Delegate Tomy Gamble took those to the conference and completed his efforts on 4/16.
- Tomy was also the chair of the GSO Literature Committee. They finalized the Plain Language Big Book review and acceptance during this conference. Now, they move on to the next steps before publication.
- Venue:
- Area Assembly Venue Ad Hoc Committee: This committee reviews the venue every two years, so it’s perfect timing to look for other competitive venues since the future of Clarion Auburn is uncertain. They looked at various facilities, such as elk lodges and community colleges. Fifty different facilities were reviewed, from Huntsville to Mobile and between.
- Requirements were:
- Geographic location is good for all
- Quarterly availability
- Room rate
- Comp rooms
- Smoking in the room or on-premises
- Breakfast provided
- Parking
- Meeting space
- Breakout rooms
- WiFi available
- Recording
- Hospitality room
- The Clarion venue is not closing, but it lost the franchise. I’m not sure how long it will be here. Currently, Area 1 pays Clarion $282 per quarter. The Normal rate is $6500. An average Area Assembly costs approximately $11,000 each quarter, including stipends for trusted servants.
- Other venue opportunities included:
- Ramada Birmingham – $70 per night
- Kiwanis Community Center in Andalusia $170 room
- Wallace Community College in Dothan $750 per day
- Renaissance Montgomery- $189 room. $3000 per weekend.
- Altamar Shriners Montgomery
- Clarion Auburn through 2025 (no change)
- Area 1 appears unique because our Assemblies are larger, more active, and more frequent than others. Because of the significant price increases of switching venues, the committee contacted other Areas to seek other meeting options, such as:
- Half virtual, half in-person.
- All virtual
- One-day assemblies with virtual committees
- Registration fee of $10 to $50 per attendee for area assembly
- Area 1 Committee is scheduling a venue vote to select a new venue. But first, the voting dates must be determined.
- Go to this link to schedule select dates and times that work for you: https://doodle.com/meeting/participate/id/e0X8ALve
- The actual vote on the new venue will be
District Activities
- Q1 Group contributions to our district (as of March 21)
| Blount County | $0 |
| Cullman Group | $0 |
| District 2 | $0 |
| Freedom & Hope | $0 |
| Goose Hung High | $120 |
| Grace of God | $0 |
| Harselle Hope | $100 |
- Q1 Group contributions to GSO (as of March 31)
| Blount County | $0 |
| Cullman Group | $90 |
| District 2 | $0 |
| Freedom & Hope | $0 |
| Goose Hung High | $0 |
| Grace of God | $0 |
| Harselle Hope | $0 |
For guidelines on suggested contributions beyond Prudent Reserves, visit this link: https://the12traditions.com/327/recommended-aa-group-contribution-guidelines/
- District 2 DCM participated in the DCM panel for Area Assembly with DCMs from District 14 and District 21. We made a presentation on Leadership and Communication as Trusted Servants. The focus was getting more people involved in service and educating the newer people on why it’s important to step into leadership roles effectively to improve their sobriety and growth.