| Blogs > starwomyn > un·a·pol·o·get·ically STAR!!! |
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HazelnutCoffee,SeniorDiscounts,and 12 Step Recovery When I first moved to this little community - my first thought was to find the 12 Steppers. The first 12 Stepper actually came to me. Neighbors were helping us unload the truck. I was in a neighbor's kitchen and noticed a 12 Step related flier on the counter. I mentioned to the woman that I have been an active tea-totaling 12 Stepper for about 21 years. She ran out and told her husband that he needed to take me to a meeting. One of the first things I noticed is that there were very few women in the meetings. Perhaps the Mid-Atlantic Belles feel the shame of alcoholism more acutely than their Left Coast Sisters. They won't reach out for help. Sadly, I observed women enter a room full of men and walk out. My first goal in my new community was to create a safe place for women to find recovery. The first meeting simply did not have enough women to support the meetings. Other long term 12 Stepping women moved into the community. One woman at a time - women in the community reached out for help and found recovery. Finally in October - A few of the women worked together and established a 12 Step Support Group for women. I was elected treasurer. We would collect up to five dollars a weeks. That money went into McDaniel's Gourmet Blend Hazelnut Coffee Can. Eventually, I started putting the money in a bank deposit box. The meetings started to grow. One woman at a time - recovery became a reality. In February - we officially became the Women In The Solutions (WITS) A.A. Group. Finally, this week, there was enough $$$$$$ to actually start a bank account. I took the $$$$$ out of the deposit box. I asked the Accounts Officer the most cost effective way to start the account. My age allowed me to open the Senior Account with no service charges and free checks for a non profit organization. Later that evening, I was scheduled to speak for a group in Virginia. I went with another women. Once upon a time, she and I would find ourselves the only women in the meetings. We are excited about finally having a bank account. We talked about putting together a women's retreat in the area. Do you think the Greenbrier will donate space for a Women Retreat. Yeah Sure! We talked about the possiblity of taking over one of the local male's rustic estate. We will let him stay and do the cooking. After the meeting in Virginia, I spoke to two women from the group. They said they were the only recovering women in a group full of men. Congratulations, I told the two women. God has assigned you the mission bringing recovery to more women in the 12 Step Community. ...........and it's all Good!!!!!!  Abracadabra  |
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5/13/2006 12:25 pm |
Star, Congratulations on your success. You dared where others feared to venture. I'll drink to that!
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