The GSR

Structure of the Conference

The AA Group

Structure of
Area 54

Parliamentary Procedure

Where to get
Help

Glossary of
Terms

Maps

District Boundaries

Contact Us

The basic unit of AA's structure is the AA group. A group and it’s neighboring groups form the next larger unit, the district. GSRs attend district meetings and elect a District Committee Member. The DCM conducts district meetings and represents the conscience of the district as a voting member at the Area Assembly.

The districts form the next larger unit, the Area. There are 63 Districts in Area 54 Northeast Ohio General Service. GSRs and DCM’s attend Area Assemblies six times a year to share information and decide issues which affect Area 54 and A.A. as a whole. Area 54 is one of the four Delegate Areas in Ohio, and one of the 93 delegate Areas in the United States and Canada. Area 54 elects a delegate who represents the Area at the annual General Service Conference.

Area 54 is part of the East Central Region, one of six regions that make up the United States and Canada. The East Central Region includes 14 Delegate Areas in Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois and Wisconsin.

     The Area Assembly is the business meeting of Area 54. It is held four times a year, in January, April, July and Octobers. Normal business includes adoption of the annual budget in January, selection of the host district for the Open House Picnic and Gratitude Sunday Dinner, and the election of the Delegate and Area officers in October of GSO even panel years. From time to time, requests from local A.A. members are addressed at the Area Assembly prior to their transmittal to GSO.  By attending the Area Assembly, GSRs become more familiar with A.A. as a whole, which facilitates informed decision making at the home group level.

     The Area Committee Meeting consists of the District Committee Members, the Area Committee Chairs, the Area Officers and the Delegate. The Area Committee is responsible for health of the Conference structure and for growth and harmony within in the A.A. Fellowship. Area Committee Meetings are held three times a year, in March, June, and September. At the meeting, reports are given by all members and discussion involves cooperative efforts to carry the message throughout NE Ohio.

     Other regular Area events include a combined DCM/GSR workshop in February, Unity Day in May, Open House picnic in June, a workshop in August, and Gratitude Sunday dinner in November. The picnic and dinner are hosted by districts who successfully bid on hosting the events at the Area Assembly, allowing the district to highlight General Service activity locally.

     The Area also hosts a Mini-Conference annually, usually the first weekend in April. It is the purpose of the Mini-Conference to allow the GSRs and Area Committee to experience the feel of the General Service Conference, while at the same time addressing actual issues from the Conference. It includes committee assignments similar to the Conference and a mock Conference voting session. The Delegate is sent to the Conference more informed by the experience.

     A staff member from the General Service Office, or Grapevine, and the East Central Region Trustee are invited to attend the Mini-Conference. There are occasions where other Trustees have been invited when the Regional Trustee was previously engaged. During the Mini-Conference the Trustee and GSO staff member give reports highlighting the function of their service position and the state of A.A. today. The staff member is traditionally invited to share their story at the Saturday Banquet.

     In planning the Mini-Conference, it has become traditional to move the location every two years around various parts of the Area. Consideration must be given to find a location to house many participants and hold the conference at a reasonable cost, which at times has limited the ability to reach some of our most rural districts. The tradition of rotation has resulted in stirring interest locally in General Service activity.

It is the primary responsibility of the Area to prepare and send a Delegate to the General Service Conference. Many other important services have grown from this objective. The service activities of the Area are supported by voluntary contributions from groups within the Area. Without the support of the groups, vital daily activities of the Area would stop.

The Delegate prepares an annual budget that is presented for discussion, modification and approval at the January Area Assembly. The budget includes the expenses associated with preparing the Delegate for the Conference, as well as the additional services of the Area. Some guidance on the budget that has been adopted by the Area Assembly includes:

  » At the beginning of each odd year we calculate the Reserve Fund amount equal to 6
     months operating expenses based on the actual expenses of the previous two
     years (Sufficient operating expense and Reserve Fund - adopted 9/2006)
  » The inventory/petty cash balance of Literature Committee is $ 1,500.
  » The inventory/petty cash balance of Grapevine Committee is $ 1,500.
  » The Mini-Conference balance is limited to cash on hand or $ 1,500.
  » Past Delegates receive $150 to attend the East Central Region Conference of
     Delegates Past and Present. (must participate in ¾ of Area Assemblies prior year)
  » Area Standing Committees receive an annual $200 budget to defray expenses.
     Additional expenses must be brought before the Assembly
  » Standing Committee Chairs receive $75 annually to defray costs when they attend
     the Area 54 Mini-Conference.
  » Open House picnic and Gratitude Sunday are seeded $200 annually.

Area 54 Officers serve a two-year term and are elected by the Third Legacy Procedure, a special type of electoral procedure that is described in detail in the first chapter of The A.A. Service Manual.

Area 54 holds elections at the October Area Assembly meeting in GSO even panel years with terms beginning the following January. All GSRs, DCM’s, Committee Chairs, Area Officers, Past Delegates, and Intergroup/Central Office liaisons have one vote each. The alternates may vote only in the absence of the seated trusted servant. Eligibility for election to Delegate or Area officer requires 75% (3/4) attendance at Area Assemblies and Area Committee Meetings for the two-year period leading up to the election and five years continuous sobriety. Eligibility is limited to DCM’s, Area Committee Chairs and the current Area officers. Attendance records are maintained by the Area Recording Secretary. Officers do not stand for an office they currently hold and Past Delegates do not stand for the Area offices.

Delegate: Carries the collective conscience of Area 54 to the General Service Conference and reports back to the Area Assembly. Main¬tains communication with the GSO and other Delegate Areas. Visits groups and districts when possible and facilitates communication in general. Appoints the eleven Standing Committee Chairs. Prepares the annual operating budget and presents it to the Assembly for approval in January. At the Mini-Conference, co-chairs with the immediate Past Delegate in the first year, co-chairs with the Alternate Delegate in their second year. Chairs the Ohio State or East Central Regional Convention when Area 54 is the host Area.

Alternate Delegate: Is fully prepared to assume the Delegate's responsibilities should the Delegate be unable to continue any duty or request assistance. 

Chairperson: Chairs the Area Assembly six times annually as a business meeting applying Parliamentary Procedure and is responsible for its set-up, refreshments, etc. (The Delegate chairs the Election Assembly). Works with the Delegate to prepare the assembly agenda and sends the agenda to all officers prior to planning meetings. Acquires a working knowledge of Roberts Rules of Order and The A.A. Service Manual. Becomes familiar with the role of the Delegate and Alternate and is prepared to act in their absence or as called upon.

Recording Secretary:  Records the minutes of the Area Assembly and provides these minutes at the next Area Assembly for approval, and mails copies to Areas 53, 55 and 56 Delegates. Is the Recording Secretary for the Ohio State Convention when Area 54 is the host committee, which includes taking minutes and mailing to all four Ohio Area officers and Past Delegates. Is the Recording Secretary of the East Central Region Convention when Area 54 is the host Area.

Treasurer: Maintains a bank account to deposit group contributions and pay all bills incurred by Area 54. Maintains financial records and reports to the Area at the Area Assembly. Is Treasurer of the Ohio State Convention or East Central Regional Convention when Area 54 is the host Area.

Mailing Secretary: Completes regular bulk mailings to groups, maintains the Area’s bulk mailing permit, and maintains an account with a printer.

All Officers: Area officers attend all Area events, are voting members of and attend the Ohio State Convention Planning Committee meetings, respond to communications in a timely manner, become acquainted with The A.A. Service Manual and other service material, and, at the direction of the Delegate, assist other officers and Area committees, and give written reports in the NE Ohio Recorder or oral reports at the Assembly. In general, all Area officers are considered "Delegates in Training" in Area 54.

Area 54 has eleven standing committees, each designed to fulfill specialized needs of A.A. members, or to reach the still suffering alcoholic. Some of the committees assist the professional community by educating and providing useful information on what A.A. can and cannot to help, within the Twelve Traditions.

Additional ad hoc committees might be formed to address a specific issue or help the Delegate and the Area perform a special task.  These committees do not have permanent standing and generally do not have budgeted funds.

Chairpersons of these standing committees are appointed by the Delegate for a two years term concurrent with the Delegate.  Each chair has an Area officer liaison that can help them in their work.  Chairs are encouraged to add additional members to their committees.  Each chair is expected to attend all Area Assemblies and make an oral report. At the Area Mini-Conference the committee chair provides a display of the committee work, chairs a mock committee meeting to discuss agenda items, and reports to the voting assembly the committee recommendations in the same manner as a Conference Committee Chair at the General Service Conference. All chairs participate in the Committees Workshop in April and perform other duties assigned by the Area chairperson or Delegate.

Archives: Preserves the history of A.A. in Area 54 by collecting, preserving and indexing all records and group histories; displays the archives at the NE Ohio Mini-Conference and other functions as requested by the Delegate; maintains contact with the Area Archivist.

Corrections: Encourages A.A. members to assume responsibility for carrying the message to alcoholics behind the walls through personal or written contact and clarifies to professionals in correctional facilities what A.A. can and cannot do, within the Twelve Traditions, to help inmate alcoholics.

Cooperation with the Professional Community:
Cooperates with professionals who may be first to contact active alcoholics. This includes educators, clergy, physicians, employers, the courts, law enforcement, and others. Provides information about what A.A can and cannot do, within the Twelve Traditions, in providing cooperation without affiliation.

Finance: Responsible for carrying the Seventh Tradition of self-support to groups in the Area by educating GSR’s & DCM’s.

Grapevine: Maintains an inventory of Grapevine materials and provides these items for sale at the Area Assembly and other functions as requested by the Delegate. Familiarizes A.A. members with the A.A. Grapevine, Our Meeting in Print, and encour­ages A.A. members to subscribe and to contribute articles. Maintains contact with group GvR’s.

Group Services: The newest committee its function is still in development. Acts as liaison of the Area to the Intergroup and Central Office to foster cooperation. Contacts groups that register directly with GSO. Maintains the GSR Fact File.

Literature: Maintains the Area’s literature stock of conference-approved items and makes these items available for sale at the Area Assembly and other functions as requested by the Delegate. Provides current listing of available GSO material to GSRs and DCM’s. Keeps the Area’s stock of The A.A. Service Manual and literature for new GSR kits.

Newsletter: Gathers reports from DCM’s, Area officers, Delegate and others to prepare the publishing of The Northeast Ohio Recorder, Area 54’s quarterly newsletter. Delivers the newsletter to a printer for publication, in a timely fashion.

Public Information: Responsible for creating greater understanding of, and preventing misunderstandings of, the A.A. program through the public media, electronic media, P.I. Meetings, and speaking to community groups. Area 54 maintains an Internet Web site and this is a subcommittee of the P.I. Committee.

Registrar: Maintains database records of groups and Area Committee members and updates to the General Service Office records periodically.

Special Needs: Attempts to ensure that local groups recognize the needs of those with special needs, such as hearing impaired, sight impaired, physical handicaps, language barriers, etc. Helps raise awareness of materials available to those with specials needs, such as Braille literature, sign language video, foreign language translations, etc. Efforts are made to ensure that meetings are provided to shut-ins.

Treatment Facilities: Coordinates work of individual A.A. members and groups who carry the message to alcoholics in treatment facilities, sets up means of bridging the gap from treatment to A.A., and works to clarify what A.A. can and cannot do, within the Twelve Traditions, to help alcoholics in treatment.

RECOVERY, UNITY AND SERVICE

These are the Three Legacies of our AA experience. Our leaders are but trusted servants, they do not govern.  God, as He may speak in our group conscience, is our sole Authority. World Service is the heart of our Third Legacy. Our meetings are informative and educational. They are held so that the Committee Members, GSRs and all interested members may be better equipped to carry the message of World Service back to their home groups and individual members, thus giving a better understanding to our purpose, our hopes and our work.