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Alano Club Newsletter
October 2009 Volume 5, Number 8
Remember the Alano
Port Townsend Alano Club
P.O. Box 1862
102 B Water Street
Port Townsend, WA 98368
Jim WG Editor
email: JimWGove@GMail.com
We've Found The Third Leg
(fiscal health improving)
General Membership Meeting
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October, 2009 - Volume 5, Number 8 - Port Townsend Alano Club, P.O. Box 1862, 1102B Water Street, Port Townsend, WA 98368 - Jim WG editor
JimWGove@GMail.com
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Articles, poems, etc. are needed for the newsletter. Please drop submission into the safe, give them to Jim WG, or email them to:
JimWGove@GMail.com
The Fiscal Health of the Club is Improving
As has been pointed out, most Alano Clubs are supported by money generated in three areas; Meeting Rentals, Club Dues, and income from activities. We now recognize that the third leg of our financial stool is primarily from income generated by the sale of snacks and drinks. Another source is the Friday Night Dinners and an occasional activity.
Now that our rents have been adjusted and we have returned to selling snacks and drinks, the club is showing signs of financial recovery.
It is my belief that the next series of large projects we consider should involve the floor covering (carpet or linoleum). This should be considered once we have the treasury built back up to the state of being able to address the issue.
You Say You Wish To Join The Club But Don't Know How?
To join the Alano Club, drop money in the safe in an envelope marked "dues" and update yourself on the membership chart on the wall by the door to the office.
$50 per year
$25 per six months
$ 5 per month
Urinal Update
The urinal is installed and working. It is fully automatic, electrtic eye controlling flushing after use and operable by a manual control as well.
General Membership Meeting
The Alano Club will be holding a General Membership meeting on Sunday, October 25th at 10:15AM (right after Ramblers). A chairman and a vice chairman and several Members At Large will be voted in. Please support your club by attending.
10-5-09 PTAC Board Meeting Notes
Present: Lee, Kit, Richard (?), Indi, Molly, Randel, Frank, Jim, Chrissy
Treasurers Report: The club is looking good financially. We had a net gain this month of $547.03, mostly due to income from candy and soda sales and the return to 25/75 rent split with meetings. The return to candy and soda sales is working well and should continue to be profitable, we quickly covered our expenses and started making a profit. We are anticipating large expenses for next month, but should recover in the following months. MSP to accept this report.
Old Business:
- The urinal in the men’s room was replaced and is working. The sink valve in the women’s room was working, despite complaints from several members. It was found that the members did not realize that there is no hot water in the women’s bathroom. A new part for the sink was already ordered before this was realized, so it was replaced anyway. Both restrooms should now be “vandal proof” as far as flooding the sinks, toilets, or urinals.
- Jim reported that Costco has changed its inventory so he is now buying variety packs of candy. Beef Jerky is expensive and actually loses money, so he will only buy it occasionally. He is also purchasing granola bars. A member asked for a non-carbonated alternative to soda, like fruit juice. Jim will purchase juice on the next shopping trip.
- Frank updated the meeting schedule outside and is trying to keep the schedule rack filled.
- The Fort Flagler campout was not hugely successful. There were only about 5 over night campers and 20 people there in the daytime. Leftover food was put in the freezer for future events.
New Business:
- Several members want to have a Halloween party. Molly was nominated to chair the party committee. The board approved a $100 budget and Jim wrote Molly a check. Molly will plan a meeting with other club members interested in planning the party.
- Randle would like to start a Saturday night music session, every week if possible. He would like to start at 9:00pm with loosely programmed music played by members. Discussion over conflicts with other building tenets and the alarm being set for 11pm. Randal will research the closing hours of the other tenets and report back to the board.
- Randal had a question about a person who has been using the club, but not always participating in meetings. This person’s meeting attendance and club use was discussed. Jim reported that he has been in regular contact with the person and that he is paying for all of the pop and candy he consumes. It was determined that the person is not a problem or in violation of club by laws at this point. The board will further pursue this if it becomes an issue.
- Kit raised the point that we need a new chairperson, vice-chairperson and secretary for the Alano Club board. Kit was voted chair, MSP approved. Randal was voted vice-chair, MSP approved. Indi and Lee were voted MALs, MSP approved. Leah will also join the secretarial committee as a back up for Chrissy until a permanent replacement can be found.
- Frank suggested that we start thinking about the upcoming Thanksgiving and Christmas events, so we are ready to discuss them at the next meeting. Kit is interested in preparing and coordinating the food for Thanksgiving and will start to make fliers. The alkathon was also discussed and general consensus was that the Alano Club will not try to host an alkathon.
Meeting adjourned at 7:29pm with the serenity prayer.
Respectfully submitted by Chrissy
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Thank You Matt
Thank you Matt for the excellent job you have done supporting the BOD making sure the meetings ran smoothly from the time of Barbara's departure to the present.
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Mission Statement
Port Townsend Alano Club
The Port Townsend Alano Club is a nonprofit corporation founded to serve a dual purpose:
First - to provide a clean, safe, and reliable environment for meetings of 12 step groups.
Second - to provide an attractive clean, safe, and sober environment for people in recovery to gather to socialize, drink coffee, play ping pong, pool, darts . etc.
Code of Conduct
Port Townsend Alano Club
This code applies only to behavior outside of meetings of the 12-step groups which meet here. They in no way imply that the individual groups are required to follow the suggestions of this code.
Persons violating these guidelines may be asked to leave the club premises:
1. Harassment of others.
2. Destruction of club property.
3. Bringing weapons onto club property.
4. Sleeping on premises for purposes of vagrancy.
5. Unwanted sexual advances after being asked to stop.
6. Criminal activity.
7. Disorderly conduct.
8. Bringing drugs or alcohol onto club premises
9. Service animals on leash and in direct control of owners at all times.
If at any time you feel someone poses a threat to your safety or the safety of others, call 911 for police assistance in removing this individual from the premises.
Consequences of violating code of conduct:
1. First Violation; verbal warning.
2. Second Violation; 24 hour suspension of club premises.
3. Third Violation; suspension of club privileges until board review.
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During meetings in either of the two meeting rooms, there is to be no pool or ping pong playing.
IOU Log (updated 10 14 2009)
Name |
Date |
Item |
Before |
Update |
After |
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|
|
|
(latest entry) |
Update |
|
Update |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Darwin M. |
10 07 2009 |
Snacks |
$1.00 |
$1.00 |
$2.00 |
|
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Dave M. R. |
10 11 2009 |
Snacks |
$8.00 |
$7.00 |
$15.00 |
|
|
Jenny |
09 24 2009 |
Snacks |
$0.00 |
$2.00 |
$2.00 |
|
|
Kelsy T. |
09 22 2009 |
Literature |
$0.00 |
$13.00 |
$13.00 |
|
|
Tyler J. |
10 06 2009 |
Snacks |
$0.00 |
$1.00 |
$1.00 |
|
|
Stevie Lee |
10 09 2009 |
Soda |
$1.00 |
$1.00 |
$2.00 |
|
|
When paying off an IOU, place money in envelope with name and that it is an IOU repayment |
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Street Scenes by Vince J.
I saw him in the light of the street, cut for telling the truth; never tell the truth, and if you do, make it unbelievable, he was cut from the corners of his mouth back about two to three inches, I knew him from school and around, he was a nice kid, but I couldn’t know him after that.
I saw her beaten for being there; never be there if you can help it, and if you have to be there, make it all go away. Her mom beat her in front of me once. I liked her a lot, and went to her defiance with her mom. Yelling at me, she raised her hand to hit me, and I knocked her down with a shove. My father tells her to call the cops the next time it happens. He told her that smiling at her, because he knew she wouldn’t, and then he puts his arm around me and tells me he’s glad I did it “but don’t do it again”
I saw them pass her from one to the next, about my age; I felt sorry for her, because she couldn’t any more. Part of me wanted to save her, the other part of knew that I couldn’t, because she was dead already, beautiful face and hair, and she was sweet in her expression, but most of it was to get what she wanted.
I saw him run down because the respect wasn’t in his tone; 70 miles per hour with a car while he was on his motorcycle. He had no chance. He was my best friend, and the box they put him in was too small; he was six foot one and the box was maybe five seven. David grew a lot the two years before. Guess the undertaker didn’t have up to date information.
I heard him ask me if I wanted to be in a movie; never ever be in a movie that’s come to you on the street. I beat his door in with my skate. If you live in LA. there is going to be a moment when some one will tell you that he/she can make you a star, if you like your life don’t get in the car.
I heard him beat her but I didn’t open the door. I was a coward or 11 years old, you pick, but if he had opened my door I would have murdered him on the spot. I had the knife ready.
But my mom was out there crying, I put the knife down and I came out and hit him in the head with the phone that he was keeping from her, so she couldn’t call the cops.
I saw this kid lying on his back foaming at the mouth in the hallway of the school I was in. I had seen him that day an hour before and he was messed up on something, looked like he was ODing on it. We all stepped over him and went our ways, sat down in class and waited for the bell to ring. Some girl tells the teacher about him but the teacher doesn’t believe her so class goes on until some other girl that was late to class tells him “there’s some dude layin' in the hall all foaming at the mouth and shit”
I wasn’t trying to hit the teacher. The kid just ran behind him as I threw the chair. The kid was talking shit to me, trying to get me to act, so I did. I didn’t know that I could be expelled for that.
I can still hear the sick sound of skull cracking, his not mine. The smell of blood is in my nose from the blow I took from behind. I didn’t see who it was. There always seems to be a sound that you can hear just before it lands. And my nerves jangled from that sound; it came from no place.
The pain drove me to react, and rage was what I felt!
He went down like a wet blanket to the ground.
I turned to see who hit me being drug around the corner, and my friends came out alone as my head cleared. I don’t know if it was the feeling of my head being hit, and the regret I felt, but I was sorry for the guy that my friends had beaten and I felt nothing for the guy I had hit. We ran! I never heard a word about it, except the bragging my friends did.
One day in L.A. I had just moved to Compton from Seattle for the second time and I was about 11 years old and making friends. The first friend I made was from school, cool kid.
He had a brother that he talked about a lot. He was an older brother, and was a “bad ass” as he put it.
I never met the guy; just saw him for about ten seconds.
They were all hanging on the corner in front of a 7-11 selling vitamin a, vitamin c, love leaf; you know “what you want man I can get it” is what I heard as I came up with my friend.
Once we got close all hell broke lose. My friend's brother ran off like a shot! While three guys made trouble for all the cops that were running after him, my friend drug me off the sidewalk on to the street, and some huge cop kicked him to the ground so hard that I thought his head would fly off and roll down the street. I was grabbed again and drug back onto the sidewalk, this time by a cop. The look on his face told me he did not want me there - not a look of him helping me, but the look of, "get the F--- out of here, and you didn’t see this,"
No one was arrested. No one was asked a question, and the cops beat the F--- out of the guys that got in the way.
I never talked to that kid again, and I still can’t remember his name. I was ashamed of that.
I saw the paper tags lying on the ground, the holes still in the wall, and the tape still next to the hole that held the tags in place. The blood stained concrete at the bottom of the wall.
I picked up a bullet that was bent and dented, and had concrete mashed into it. I kept it for a long time, not sure why. I had found others here and there at other places and other times, but it was not the same as that one. I noticed that there was no sign of it being black or white, just blood.
So I went on to school.
The club didn’t let me into the house; the guy that was in charge of it was huge! Six foot five two hundred and ninety, he yells at me “get the F--- out of here!” I yell “F--- you!” with more attitude then was good for me. He starts to cross the room to grab me. I stay put, the guys all start to die laughing. BB, or Big Bob, the huge guy, was big and smart. He starts laughing and picks me up by my belt, and yells “Earl does this belong to you?“ I hear from the bathroom, “that’s my boy!” he seemed proud that day. They threw me out just the same.
Waiting for a bus, I see two guys pull up to a nice VW bug that was parked. They were in a crappy old VW bug, They step out and one has a small tool box, the other has a VW hot rod magazine in hand. I think to myself this will be cool to watch. They see me watching and start toward me. I run as fast as I can. I hear a shot ring out. I’m still running! I don’t stop until I get to the mall and run inside.
The car is sitting there running and I have a long way to go. I throw my board in and jump in the driver's seat and shoot off. I realize I am too young looking to drive, so after about ten blocks I dump the car, still running, door open. I think I was twelve; the car was blue.
We jump in the back of David’s Nova II and go looking for a low rider car. We don’t have washing it in mind. We each have a bat we stole from the garage next door, and we find a low rider parked in front of a restaurant. There isn’t a good panel on it as we leave and nothing that was breakable was left unbroken.
Some guy comes running out screaming at us, as we yell F--- you! A shot sounds and hits the car we're in. It hit’s the door and breaks the glass. I hear three more shots as we rip out of there, and I check for blood and start looking round at my friends. No one looks hurt. We get a block or two away and start screaming with the charge we got from it. We wore that bullet hole like a trophy, but David fixed the glass. We went bashing four more times.
L.A. was kept in a box inside my head, cordoned off for safety, hate and violent noise rustles from under my beard, it was best left alone and sealed. I used all the things I could to keep it dark and alone, and brothers and sisters, let me tell you I was almost done with the job; my head was so burnt even alcoholics shook their heads, but here I sit, with a smile,
Could be the smile of a rube, I’ll let you judge.
Once I moved to Seattle the idea hit me this is a new place no one knows me. They never have to know of the shame of the games I played to stay alive. They never have to know and yes, most would brag, but I knew what bragging would get me, so I dropped the crazy white boy thing and just played the drunk pot head, a real stretch for me but I managed. I blamed Seattle for things going bad for me, and never L.A.
The fear I felt was paralyzing, and my head melted from a 158 IQ. to a couch so worn that the coils poked me and I had to move to the other side. I lived the last two years of my drinking alone. I couldn’t have fun, friends, girl friends, family; that’s how AA got me, a burned up liar who hid the shame of hiding out in a burnt brain. Fairly clever if you ask me. I will never take an IQ test again. Can you imagine how much trouble that caused me? Tell some one they're smart and the idiot believes it.