A good response was noted at the SA International Conference in New York to an appeal for volunteers to serve on service committees. The following is from a report of the conference business meeting, held on January 9, 1993:
Conferences: Mike C. from Chicago will head the SA International Conference Committee. This committee will be comprised of at least three members. It will consult with S-Anon before making decisions on conference locations.
Tapes: Francis H. from Regina will lead the Conference Tapes Group. He has one additional person.
Prisons: Bernie M. from Portland will lead the Prison Committee. Eight other members came forward to help. There is a backlog of prison correspondence at the Central Office. This committee also intends to develop guidelines for dealing with this question in the future.
Correspondence in Spanish — Literature Translation: Help is needed to translate letters and to return phone calls in foreign languages. Those able to assist in carrying the SA message in Spanish through speaking, writing or telephone, please contact Masseo G. as soon as possible. Those able to assist in carrying the message in any other foreign language (ASL included) please contact Curt R. or Pat at the Central Office.
Newsletter: Lawrence M., Essay editor, spoke on issues dealing with the newsletter. Dave G. from Rochester volunteered technical advice and assistance.
Intergroup Assistance: Bill T. from Chicago has four volunteers to help on Intergroup Formation. He will work with the Central Office to identify areas that have intergroups and then assess where he could encourage new intergroups.
Group Assistance: John B. from Los Altos is looking for people to assist new SA groups. Roy K. from Simi Valley also wishes to help in this work.
Loners: Dave M. from Rochester has four volunteers to work with him with Loners. He will contact the Central Office to begin responding to this need.
GSB Study: Mike B. from Wichita reported on the General Service Board Study Committee. His committee is looking for a representative from the Mid-Atlantic region (VA, WV, OH, PA, MD, DE, NJ).
International Directory: Martin B. from Chicago is interested in working on an International Directory for SA. Bert D. from Daytona Beach would like to see a list of meetings.
The sobriety requirement for service on the Central Office Oversight Committee and on the General Service Board Study Committee is two years according to the SA definition. Although no vote was taken on a sobriety requirement for the new committees, it is recommended by the COOC that the two-year requirement apply to any member serving on a national committee.
This is all the information on the new committees that was available at press time. For further information or to volunteer assistance, please contact the committee chair or Pat at the SA Central Office.
