[Sugah]

I'm glad to see this thread getting some responses! I was a little concerned, thinking maybe the idea of a service structure was falling out of fashion. That'd be awful....

One of the things we did was to break down the different committees into service jobs each homegroup could do. Like Corrections: it requires a year's sobriety to submit your name for approval to take a meeting into the jail, and folks think, "I don't have enough time," or "I'm not suited to that kind of 'carrying of the message'" but there are lots of things folks can do to help out the Correction committee. Collecting old Grapevines, passing a Pink Can for Big Books & literature, helping to remove the staples from pamphlets, volunteering to be a "Bridging the Gap" contact person -- each homegroup could ask for a male & female volunteer who would send a postcard to inmates around their release date with a phone number so that they can have an conversation with someone outside the jail, maybe arrange to meet face to face at a meeting, and make the act of walking into the rooms easier. There are no requirements that these contact folks have to sponsor, offer rides or anything other than a handshake or hug and a little reassurance. Each group could ask for someone willing to write to an inmate. There's a program now that pairs letter writers up with a same-sex inmate in areas that don't have meetings, or that do but someone would like a penpal/temporary sponsee to begin step work, and to avoid trust and/or safety issues, the letters are sent through New York to someone in a different part of the country.

The lists we came up with in brainstorming were endless. CPC/PI, my committee, is limited only by the money available and the willing hands to do the work. And it doesn't take a lot of time. One guy with just a little time has been making the rounds once a month to the local schools, checking the racks & letting the committee know when & what literature is needed. I've been sending in pairs of speakers (one man, one woman) to a DUI class about their experience, strength & hope.

Wherever drunks are still sick and suffering, there are opportunities!

Peace & Love,
Sugah