Dear Al‑Anon and Alateen members,

With the start of the new year, we welcome our new Panel 59 Delegates as members of our largest representative group conscience, the World Service Conference (WSC).

The 2019 World Service Conference will be held this April in Virginia Beach. The Board and Executive Committee members, World Service Office (WSO) Staff, and your fellow Delegates wish you every success and want to remind you that we are here to support and encourage you on this new journey in service.

Members of the WSC include Panels 57, 58, and 59 Delegates; At‑Large members of the Executive Committee; members of the Board of Trustees; and WSO Staff Conference members. We always appreciate hearing from the fellowship throughout the WSC.

In order to assist members who wish to send a card or package, the address of the location of the 2019 WSC is provided below. Please ask your members to include (Hold for WSC 4/13‑4/17, 2019) in the address and to put the designee’s name and address in the return address section of the envelope or box in the event that mail delivery is delayed. Please plan to have mail arrive after April 10.

Sheraton Virginia Beach Oceanfront
3501 Atlantic Avenue
Virginia Beach, Virginia 23451

January 2019 Board Week began on Sunday, January 27 with a morning meeting of the International Coordination Committee (ICC). The ICC is currently planning the 2020 International Al‑Anon General Services Meeting (IAGSM), which will be hosted by the UK & Eire General Service Office in London, in October 2020.

The Nominating Committee met Sunday afternoon; the Finance and Executive Committees met on Monday; the Policy Committee met on Tuesday morning; and the Conference Leadership Team (CLT), as well as various Board committees, thought, and task forces met on Tuesday afternoon. Updates from our Finance, Policy, and CLT Chairs can be found at the end of this letter.

Each January the Board of Trustees meets with Regional Trustee and Trustee at Large candidates. The Trustee “interview luncheons” were held over two days this year. For the first time, rather than holding the interviews at a local hotel, the Board opted to hold the interviews at the WSO. This offered them the opportunity to assess each candidate’s basic technology skills and gave the Trustee candidates the opportunity to meet with the Board in the boardroom and tour the WSO. The selection of Trustees is key to the future of our Board of Trustees as a whole and, ultimately, the fellowship we have the privilege of serving. Throughout the selection process, we as a Board keep our minds and hearts open to the collective understanding and guidance of our Higher Power. Each candidate shares a ten-minute talk with a brief technology presentation, followed by lunch and five roundtable interview panels. The Board is responsible for ensuring that the following, as noted on page 206 in “Al‑Anon’s Twelve Concepts of Service” section of the 2018‑2021 Al‑Anon/Alateen Service Manual (P‑24/27) is upheld: “This [Nominating] Committee aids the Trustees in discharging their prime obligation to see that all vacancies within the Board of Trustees or its Executive Committees are filled with those of the greatest possible competence, stability and industry.”

The Nominating Committee is asking for your help in finding candidates for an At‑Large member to serve a three‑year term on the ECRPM. The term will begin following the Annual Board Meeting in April 2019. Résumés are due to the WSO by March 15, 2019.

Generally, to serve on the ECRPM, an individual must have seven or more years of continuous and ongoing membership, including Al‑Anon service beyond the group level; have special skills and experience that include: areas of property management, finance, business, accounting, law, business administration, or technology; live within the World Service Conference Structure, and be able to speak and write fluently in the English language. If elected, members of the ECRPM cannot hold positions beyond the group level during their term. Delegates to the WSC are not eligible to apply as candidates for ECRPM until one WSC has elapsed after their term ends; members who are also members of A.A. are not eligible. Prior service as a Delegate is not a requirement.

Thank you in advance for your commitment to helping us find the next ECRPM member.

Many opportunities exist for members to serve the fellowship as a whole by volunteering with the World Service Office. To provide greater visibility to the opportunities for service, a new WSO Volunteer page has been created at Members > Board of Trustees > World Service Office (WSO) Volunteers, on al‑anon.org. Members interested in serving can read about requirements and download résumés directly from the website.

Click for more information on WSO Volunteers

As previously stated, the Trustee visits serve two main purposes. First, these visits allow the Trustees to personally connect with the Area to ensure Area members realize how important they are as part of the worldwide fellowship of Al‑Anon Family Groups. Second, the visits show Areas how they are served and supported by our Board of Trustees and our WSO. In 2018, Trustees visited New York South, South Dakota, North Dakota, Quebec East, Delaware, and Puerto Rico. Each visit included an attendee survey and report‑back to the Board by the visiting Trustee. Confirmed Trustee visits in 2019 include: Virginia, May 18‑19; Ontario North, September 27‑28; Alaska, September 27‑28; Wyoming, September 25‑27; Ontario South, October 25‑27; and West Virginia, with dates to be determined.