Proposal for an Alcoholics Anonymous Birthday Brunch sponsored by the Suffolk County General Service Assembly of AA

Proposal by Jim S., ALT-DCMC, SGS, Area 49, Panel 67

Background

Historically, AAs have come together in unity and fellowship at events to celebrate the birth of our society on June 10, 1935, Dr. Bob’s sober date. For instance, in Akron, Ohio, Dr. Bob’s home town, thousands gather each year for a Founders Day celebration. Many events are held around the globe to acknowledge this milestone in AA’s history.

Last year, on June 12th, 2016 at Polish Hall in Riverhead a Birthday Brunch event was held to commemorate AA’s founding. Meg B. Of Westhampton and Rick B. of Riverhead organized the event with the help of a number of local AA groups.

The event was open, like the Unity Breakfast: non-AA members like spouses, partners, significant others were welcome to join us as they also have reaped the benefits of our society! The event sold out: 320 people attended.

Program

  • 8:30 am Doors Open
  • 9 am Welcome
  • 9:10 am Readings: Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions
  • 9:20 am Blessing
  • 9:30 to 11 am Brunch
  • 11:00 am Sobriety Countdown
  • 11:30 am Music: Amazing Grace
  • 11:45 am Reading: 9th Step Promises
  • 12:00 pm Keynote Speaker*
  • 1:00 pm Close

* A Suffolk County AA gave a history of AA including facts and stories about AA in the county.

Benefits

  • The unity and fellowship that happen at the event.
  • The obvious demand for the event by Suffolk AA’s…it sold out quickly and easily.
  • The much-needed additional opportunity to stimulate service participation in committee work.
  • The direct opportunity for volunteers to get their “feet wet” and to be encouraged to do future service.
  • The timing of the event (a Sunday near June 10th) does not conflict with existing County and Area events:
    • Our Unity Breakfast is held in early March;
    • The SIA Share-A-Thon is held on the Sunday of Columbus Day weekend in October;
    • A birthday brunch in June would fit perfectly in between these two and would fall right before the typical summer hiatus of AA service events.

Financials

The event is proposed to be self-supporting.

The event will require a new buget line for SGS in 2017 for the $500.00 Seed Money (Deposit).

Birthday Brunch Balanced Budget

INCOME

@Person

Price

Total

Tickets

320

$20.00

$6,400.00

Seed Money

$500.00

Total

$6,900.00

EXPENSE

Deposit*

$500.00

Food Service**

320

$14.75

$4,720.00

Gratuity

$340.00

Event Expenses***

$340.00

Seed Money Reimbursement

$500.00

Deposit for 2018

$500.00

Total

$6,900.00

* Upfront liability. Forfeited if we cancel.

** Includes Kielbasa

*** Flyers, Tickets, Entry Validation Stamp, Donation to SIA for use of Office.

Doomsday Limit of Liability

Say we cancelled three weeks or a month prior to event date. In the spirit of not burning a bridge with a local venue, I suggest the following reimbursement to the venue. We are not contractually bound to this.

The original agreement with Polish Hall is to open doors at 8:30 a.m. and close doors at 1 p.m.(4.5 hrs). Main room rate is $150 for the first hour and $125 for each additional hour. If we cancel, we would lose our deposit of $500 and pay for the four and a half hours at the above rates as a good-faith gesture. 1 hour@$150.00=$150.00 + 3.5 hours@ $125.00 = $437.50 for a total of $587.50. So our payment to Polish Hall would total $1087.50.

In addition, we should assume that the Committee would have spent their budget on tickets and such so the total liability if we cancel would be Polish Hall $1087.50 + Committee $340.00 = $1427.50.

2016 Event: Disposition of Excess Funds

The 2016 event generated a surplus of $1000.00. Per 2016 Co-Chair Rick B. and the group conscience of the organizers, the excess will be distributed as follows:

50% ($500.00) to Suffolk General Service.

30% ($300.00) to AA General Service Office.

10% ($100.00) to AA Area 49 (SENY)

10% ($100.00) to SIA

As per our County group conscience, donations by groups and/or individuals cannot be earmarked for specific events.

Motion

I propose a motion to the Suffolk County General Service Assembly of Alcoholics Anonymous that it establish an annual, self-supporting event called “The Birthday Brunch” on a Sunday on or around June 10th every year with the first to be held June 11, 2017 funded by the Balanced Budget and the Doomsday Limit of Liability shown above.

Closing

I would like to share with all of you that I have learned so much from those who live their life on an altruistic basis; that, for me, I have found through my own experience that events like this have encouraged me “to become a part of” and “to come off the sidelines” so to speak! 🙂 I believe this to be a great opportunity for attraction into service, our Third Legacy.

Jim S

6 February 2017