CPC

Cooperation with the Professional Community  “C. P. C.”

Purpose

The “Cooperation with the Professional Community” Committee Is responsible for providing information about A. A. to the professionals that have contact with alcoholics through their profession. Information is provided about what A. A. does and does not do. The committee members are available to contact and discuss with local professionals (in this case, WWA 72 District 7), how to effectively cooperate so that
A. A. can carry the message to the still suffering alcoholic.

By action of the General Service Board, January 1970, the trustees’ Committee on Cooperation With the Professional Community (C.P.C) – a spin off from the Public Information Committee – was developed. A similar Conference committee was formed the following year. Since that time, AA members in local areas have been responding to local need by establishing C.P.C. committees.

A. A. is considered by many professionals to be a valuable resource for alcoholics who want help. When there is a good working relationship between A. A. members in the community and paid alcoholism workers, the sick alcoholic is the winner – he or she gets the help needed from both.

We are not in competition with these non A. A.’s; we have our separate functions. A. A. is not in the business of education, research, medicine, counseling, treatment, prevention, or funding. We simply have a message to carry about a program of recovery for alcoholics – a program that works for hundreds of thousands who want it.

The professional can help the alcoholic want it – by education, counseling, and rehabilitative treatment – and can also be of aid through making the community aware of and care about the millions still suffering from the progressive illness of alcoholism.

Members of this committee provide information about A. A. to those who have contact with alcoholics through their profession. This group includes health care professionals, Judges, educators, members of the clergy, lawyers, social workers, union leaders, and industrial managers, as well as those working in the field of alcoholism. Information is provided about where we are, what we are, what we can do, and what we cannot do.

GETTING STARTED

One of the best ways to start your C.P.C. Twelfth Step work is to read the C.P.C. Workbook, which is a bounty of information gathered from A.A.’s past experience in C.P.C. work.

C.P.C. KIT AND PAMPHLETS

The C.P.C. Kit contains information on all aspects of C.P.C. service, including the C.P.C. Workbook. The Kit also includes a history of C.P.C. since its beginnings, Guidelines, literature catalog & order form, pamphlets and copies of Box 4-5-9 (which may include a section on C.P.C. news) and About A. A., our newsletter for professionals along with a sample sign-up card. It is suggested that the basic “text” for C.P.C. committee members is the Conference approved pamphlet…”How A. A. Members Cooperate With Professionals.” Most C.P.C. committees have found it helpful for each member to have a personal copy of the Cooperation With the Professional Community Workbook. GSO. (the General Service Office) furnishes a C.P.C. Kit to the area committee chairperson at no charge. Additional Kits and Workbooks may be purchased. A. A. ® Guidelines from GSO., Box 459, Grand Central Station, New York, NY 10163 A. A. Guidelines are compiled from the shared experience of A. A. members in various service areas. They also reflect guidance given through the Twelve Traditions and the General Service Conference (U.S. and Canada). In keeping with our Tradition of autonomy, except in matters affecting other groups or A. A. as a whole, most decisions are made by the group conscience of the members involved. The purpose of these Guidelines is to assist in reaching an informed group conscience. Cooperation With the Professional Community

C.P.C. IN ACTION

One suggestion is to work with one group of professionals at a time. When a list of professionals has been compiled, members of the C.P.C. committee would make an initial contact (by letter, phone or face-to-face), and offer to come and talk about what A. A. can and cannot do. You might also offer to take a professional or student to an open A. A. meeting in your area or provide A. A. literature describing our A. A. program of recovery, stressing our eagerness to act as a resource to the recovering alcoholic.

PROFESSIONAL MEETINGS AND CONFERENCES

The District 7 C.P.C. committee may request to be placed on the mailing list with community, state or area professional agencies. Specific suggestions and information about exhibiting at professional meetings is available from GSO.

PRESENTATIONS

See the C.P.C. Workbook for suggestions on presentations you might give in your community. Most C.P.C. committee members will be informed on A. A. and its history, and are able to give an accurate and positive impression of Alcoholics Anonymous. We stress our primary purpose, and Traditions of non affiliation, self-support and anonymity.

LITERATURE

The Conference-approved Literature and Other Service Material catalog has a section on C.P.C. specific items. There is also a catalog for Special Needs, and much of the literature is also available in Spanish and French.

BASIC C.P.C. LITERATURE

For C.P.C. Committee Members
Speaking at Non- A. A. Meetings, How A. A. Members Cooperate. . . C.P.C. Workbook, A Member’s-Eye View of A. A,. Understanding Anonymity, Let’s Be Friendly With Our Friends Information on Alcoholics Anonymous Three Talks to Medical Societies by Bill W. A.A. Membership Survey

For Professionals
Understanding Anonymity
Let’s Be Friendly With Our Friends
If You Are a Professional. . . A. A. as a Resource for the Members of the Clergy Ask About A. A.
Health Care Professional  — Problems Other Than Alcohol A. A.
Membership Survey
Is There an Alcoholic in the Workplace?
A Message to Correctional
This Is A. A.
Facilities Professionals
A. A. In Your Community
Information on Alcoholics Anonymous

About AA, a Newsletter for Professionals

The information on these pages originally appeared in About AA, a free newsletter for professionals. To subscribe, please call the CPC Desk, General Service Office: (212) 870-3107; write to CPC Desk, Box 459, Grand Central Station, New York, NY 10163; or visit the AA World Services web site.

Please join us to get involved with this Committee on the Second Thursday of each month at 7:00 p.m. in the basement of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, W. 13th & Franklin, Vancouver, Washington. (Map)

For more information, or if you are a professional looking for an AA Presentation,

Contact the CPC Committee Chair

CEC

Cooperation with the Elderly Community

Please join us to get involved with this Committee on the Second Thursday of each month at 7:00 p.m. in the basement of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, W. 13th & Franklin, Vancouver, Washington. (Map)

Contact the Treatment Committee Chair

Corrections

District 7 Corrections Committee

Clark County Jail

707 W. 13th St. Vancouver
Every Sun. & 3rd Mon. 7 PM
Currently Seeking a person for this position
Contact:
Clearance Needed

Work Release

5197 NW Lower River Rd.
Mon., Wed. & Fri. 7 PM
Currently Seeking a person for this position
Contact:
Clearance Needed

Juvenile Detention Center

500 W. 11th St. Vancouver
Meetings on Fri., at 7 PM
Currently Seeking a person for this position
Contacts:
Clearance Needed

D. U. I. Detention Center

5197 NW Lower River Rd.
Every Other Wed. 2:45 PM
Contact:  Beverly O. 604-7848
No Clearance Needed

Skamania County Jail

Stevenson Wed. 7 PM
Contact:
Men’s: Jim W.  E-Mail E-Mail
Woman’s: Currently Seeking a person for this position
Clearance Elsewhere OK Here

Pink Can Money

contacts:
Reggie F.  dcm7@area72aa.org

Sue V.C.  ilovemonke@aol.com
or
Sandy Q.

Please join us to get involved with this Committee on the Second Thursday of each month at 7:00 p.m. in the basement of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, W. 13th & Franklin, Vancouver, Washington. (Map)

Contact the Corrections Committee Chair

Archives

This site  is still under thought and design.

Since it is a committee doing this…well you get the

idea……just keep checking back and maybe you might

be surprised………….and remember……..

Keep it Simple…….

Please join us to get involved with this Committee on the Second Thursday of each month at 7:00 p.m. in the basement of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, W. 13th & Franklin, Vancouver, Washington. (Map)

Contact the Treatment Committee Chair

Grapevine

Need Some Help!!!!!

A committee is only as functional as the members who serve on it. Both the Literature and Grapevine Committee’s  need some assistance from the Home Groups.  What a wonderful way to share the joy of your gift of sobriety.  Bring the knowledge and the information on the resources to your home group.

From a personal observance, I have found that by being involved I get the opportunity to identify at every meeting that I attend and also bring some valuable information about recovery to those same meetings.  Now you might ask how can this be done?  Well most meetings they ask for announcements.  I raise my hand and identify as an alcoholic, then I proceed to make my announcement about either a particular piece of literature or challenge the group to select a committee representative to represent their group in the District Level.  It is just that simple.

Now the added benefits of this is that you get to know allot of people.  And you also get to learn about things in recovery that you would have never sought to explore.  Therefore you have enriched your sobriety beyond even your wildest dreams….

Grapevine Subscriptions

Duties of a Grapevine Representative

Please join us to get involved with this Committee on the Second Thursday of each month at 7:00 p.m. in the basement of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, W. 13th & Franklin, Vancouver, Washington. (Map)

Contact the Grapevine Committee Chair

Literature

LET LITERATURE CARRY THE MESSAGE

Today, as in the early days of Alcoholics Anonymous, one alcoholic talking to another carries the A. A. message of recovery from alcoholism. However, since the publication of the first edition of the Big Book in 1939, literature has played an important role in spreading the A. A. message and imparting information about the A. A. Twelve Step program of recovery.

The newcomer, walking into an A. A. group for the first time, may be be given a meeting list, basic recovery pamphlets and, depending on the individual group conscience, perhaps a copy of Living
Sober or the Big Book.

In 1992, the Conference Literature Committee suggested that the trustees’ Literature Committee develop literature committee guidelines comprised of shared experience from the Fellowship.

These guidelines provide a summary of shared experience of A.A.s in the groups, central and intergroup offices, general service areas and districts who have formed literature committees and shared how they “Let Literature Carry the Message, Too.”

District 07 Standing Committee’s would like to encourage more AA members to get involved. As an AA member, your help is needed in service. Interested?

Please join us to get involved with this Committee on the Second Thursday of each month at 7:00 p.m. in the basement of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, W. 13th & Franklin, Vancouver, Washington. (Map)

Contact the Literature Committee Chair

Public Information

Responsibility Pledge

When anyone, anywhere reaches out for help I want to hand of AA to always be there. And for that, I am responsible.

Public Service Announcements

Public Service Announcements

Video

Reach out
High / Low

We Know What It’s Like
High / Low

Audio

I Just Wanted To Die (30sec – Female)
Alcohol Didn’t Work Anymore (30sec – Male)

Please join us to get involved with this Committee on the Second Thursday of each month at 7:00 p.m. in the basement of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, W. 13th & Franklin, Vancouver, Washington. (Map)

Contact the Public Information Chair

Treatment

We need people to speak in Treatment Centers

• The Treatment Committee distributes literature to various Treatment Centers within the Boundaries of District 7 of WWA 72.  Help is needed to assure this happens.
• The Treatment Committee makes arrangements to provide Speakers on a Weekly basis or as needed to the Treatment Centers within the District 7 boundaries.  The Treatment Committee provides the training to participate in speaking at the different Treatment Centers.
• The Treatment Committee has within its structure a secondary committee called “Bridge the Gap”.  The Bridge the Gap Committee meets with Treatment Center Professionals and provides them with forms used to assist the patients with a Temporary Contact who will help them cross the bridge from the Treatment Center to returning to their homes.  The Temporary Contact will take him/her to AA group Meetings for the first couple of weeks and introduce them to members of the fellowship and help them bridge the gap into Alcoholics Anonymous.

Please join us to get involved with this Committee on the Second Thursday of each month at 7:00 p.m. in the basement of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, W. 13th & Franklin, Vancouver, Washington. (Map)

Contact the Treatment Committee Chair

A.A. Grapevine Reps (GvRs)

Ok I now am a Grapevine representative …
Now what is it I do?

• The basic job of the Grapevine representative, or GvR, is to make the magazine available to the home group, and to encourage AAs to read it, subscribe to it, and use it in Twelfth Step work.
• The GvR may volunteer for the service position or be elected.
• Most GvRs have found that simply bringing The Grapevine to the attention of their group on a regular basis raises awareness about the magazine and eventually expands its readership.
• GVRs who read and enjoy the magazine themselves are likely to communicate their enthusiasm to others. GvRs at group, district and area levels are a vital part of The Grapevine helping us to continue carrying the message of AA.
• Attend the District’s Monthly Committee meeting, where information is shared on what is working and what is not working.  Also as a member of the committee you can help by bringing new suggestions for all of us to try and implement.

What started out in 1944 as an eight-paged newsletter grew into a full magazine that not only served as Bill W.’s communication tool to the growing number of AAs but has now reached a monthly circulation of approximately 115,000.

Access

Oregon & Vancouver WA Accessible AA & Al-Anon Meeting

Schedule for Deaf & Hard of Hearing

Access Needs:

1. Alcoholics who are Deaf or hard of hearing
2. Alcoholics who live in rural areas/isolated, home or hospital bound
3. Alcoholics who do not have transportation or unable to drive themselves due to heath conditions or DUI
4. Alcoholics who live in nursing homes/foster care homes
5. Alcoholics who use a wheel chair, walker, or cane
6. Alcoholics who are blind or have low vision
7. Alcoholics who have limited English reading and writing skills
8. Alcoholics who are single parents that are unable to find suitable child care to attend meetings
9. Alcoholics who are developmentally disabled

Is your meeting Truly Accessible … you might want to read this:

Is your AA meeting accessible to AA members who have mobility loss or use wheelchairs?  Many of the facilities we rent for meetings are accessible to people who use wheelchairs.  Once the group confirms that the parking, facility, and restroom are wheelchair accessible, you could post it in the meeting schedule.

(WA-PFR) Wheelchair Accessible Parking/Facility/Restroom

Example:  If only the parking and facility entry door is accessible then use (WA-PF)

Sometimes the easiest way for the group to find out if the meeting is accessible is to do a walk/wheel through.  Use a yardstick or a wheelchair to measure the parking lot and enter the building to measure the restrooms.  The wheelchair access door may differ in location from the entry door currently posted in the schedule.  Make changes to schedule if necessary.

Please update the groups meeting codes to clearly show the extent of accessibility.  Here are the scenarios that AA members who use wheelchairs have had:

• They go to the meeting that is marked with something like H-handicapped.  When they arrive they find that the parking lot is all gravel and does not have a wheel chair accessible parking space.  Moving a wheelchair through gravel is very difficult.
• They may need to use the restroom and find that it is not accessible.
• The meeting is held in a room that is only accessible by stairway.  So even though the facility, restroom, and parking are all accessible the meeting room itself is not.
• The parking, facility, and restroom are all accessible, but the meeting is held at a time of day where only the closest door to the meeting room is opened.  The AA member who uses a wheelchair can’t get to the meeting because the entry door that is being used by the group is not accessible.
• They see the meeting code H-handicapped in the schedule but when they arrive they find that meeting used that code because they have an interpreter for deaf AA members.  The meeting was not accessible for people in who use wheelchairs.

So in regards to number 3 and 4, the group would need to either remove the listing as accessible or make changes that would actually make them accessible.

• Request a room that is wheelchair accessible.
• Be sure to clearly post which entry door is being used and use one that is accessible for a person in a wheelchair.

General Language and Communications Tips

Note that the positive phrases put the person first.

+ Positive Phrases  – Negative Phrases

+ Person who uses a wheelchair  – handicapped

• If you offer assistance, wait until the offer is accepted. Then listen to or ask for instructions.
• Treat adults as adults. Address people by their first names only when extending the same familiarity to all others. (Never patronize people who use wheelchairs by patting them on the head or shoulder.)
• Leaning on or hanging on to a person’s wheelchair is similar to leaning on hanging on to a person and is generally considered annoying. The chair is part of the personal body space of the person who uses it.
• Some AA members use powered wheelchairs not electric chairs.  Electric chairs are what some of our states use to execute people.

We have found that some AA groups use the H-handicapped for everything.  It is very important to clearly post how the meeting is accessible and use the appropriate meeting codes.  There is no one meeting code for all access needs.

Please join us to get involved with this Committee on the Second Thursday of each month at 7:00 p.m. in the basement of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, W. 13th & Franklin, Vancouver, Washington. (Map)

Contact the Access Committee Chair