Bill Wilson talking with the CSH Rotary about Alcoholics Anonymous
Rotary Meeting Notes
Opportunities to participate:
- Now - Oct 12 - Community Corner tent at Shelburne Farmers Market.
- Oct 17 - CSH Board Meeting - Fundraising - All are welcome!
- Oct 20 - Rotary Club of Middlebury Walk for Polio Fundraiser
- Oct 21 - Oct 25 - Mahana Magic’s Monster Bash
- Oct 27 - CSH Rotary Halloween Parade
- Oct 31- Nov 6 - WindowDressers Build Week
- June 21-25 - Rotary International Convention - Calgary, CA
Our speaker this week was Jim Thompson, who has been an active member of Alcoholics Anonymous for over 27 years. Jim is currently serving as Vermont's delegate to A.A., one of 93 delegates from the U.S. and Canada. While Jim doesn’t officially represent A.A. (as the organization doesn’t have formal representatives for external groups), he brought a wealth of knowledge about the 12-step program, A.A.'s traditions, and its history. He also filled us in on how the Rotary Club played a role in bringing A.A. to Montpelier, Vermont in 1944. It is important to remember that A.A. is a non-partisan, non-political self supporting organization that has been in existence since 1935 in 180 countries. It is particularly important for Vermont to have a chapter because of the high incidence of alcoholics in Vermont. 7% of all drinkers are alcoholics but in Vermont, the research shows that the number is 10%.