Minutes
Guilford AA JOL Happy Hour Business Meeting
3/5/2026 at 6:30pm
Attendance:
Officers Present: John D. – Business Mtg. Chair & Service Chair, Jo – Treasurer, Pam D. – Coins and Books, Herb S. – Web Site, Ann Z. – GSR & Secretary.
Others Present: Sally B., Sally R. David B., Uli, Scott H.
Opening: John D. welcomed all and opened the meeting with the AA Responsibility Statement: “I am responsible when anyone, anywhere, reaches out for help. I want the hand of AA always to be there. And for that I am responsible.”
Old Business: none
Secretary’s Report: Ann reported that the minutes of the 2/6/26 meeting had been sent out to the Group. John D asked if there were any other comments or discussion needed-there was none. Herb made a motion to accept minutes for posting on the Happy Hour website. The motion was seconded by John D. and approved unanimously.
Regarding a separate Secretaries record on tracking motions passed during Business Meetings, Herb offered to help Ann by showing her a format and how it has been done in the past. Ann still needs to follow-up with Herb to get direction on this.
Ann also noted that her term as Secretary for this group is ending. There was a discussion of who in the group may be interested and Ann will touch base with the suggested member.
Treasurer’s Report Jo reported that the group’s 7th Tradition contributions in February 2026 totaled $198.00 with a Y-T-D total of $397.00
The current balance for the JOL Happy Hour Meeting is $522.74. (not counting the reserve of $300). $822.74 was deposited into the Citizen’s Bank account. Expenses reported for January were $36.14 for the group’s Zoom monthly subscription.
There were no questions or comments made regarding the treasurers’ spreadsheet. Herb made a motion to approve the Treasurers report, it was seconded by Ann Z. and passed unanimously.
Jo also noted that the group wanted to make a donation to the April 18th Gratitude Breakfast, which needed extra funding. The group voted unanimously to provide a $200 donation. Ann and Jo offered to follow through with the Breakfast organizers and make the donation.
Coins and Books Report: Pam D. reported that in February, she sent out 4 Anniversary Cards with coins. Sally B. motioned to approve Pam’s report and Jo seconded the motion. It was approved unanimously.
JOL Web Site Report: Herb noted that there have been no actual content changes in the JOL Web site and said he is always willing to welcome any new suggestions. Sally B. made a motion to accept Herb’s report, Ann seconded, and the report was unanimously passed.
Service Chair Report: John D. reported that there was nothing new and all is running smoothly with the staffing and management of our daily meetings. His report was accepted and passed unanimously.
GSR Report: Ann Z. reported that the District committee’s initial rollout of their “Loving the Steps” event was held on February 14, 2026 at the Guilford Congregational Church was well attended and received very favorable reviews.
The new District 20 event series focuses exclusively on the 12 Steps – 3 individually at a time- over the course of 4 workshop/social events in 2026. Plans in the works for inviting 3 speakers (one each discussing steps 4-6) for the next event – scheduled for 5/16/2026. The event includes networking/socializing time, as well as refreshments. Jo made a motion to accept the GSR report, it was seconded by John D. and unanimously approved.
New Business: (These are topic carried over from our February meeting as we did not discuss them.)
- Discussion about how to encourage more newcomers to read “How it Works” during meeting opening.
Currently, it is the practice of some regular attendees to volunteer to read How it Works – as regulars sign on early and have the reading handy. However, as a way to get new comers involved more and more familiar with the reading, the Committee members thought it may be a good idea to encourage Chairs to focus on asking new comers to volunteer to do the reading. It was suggested to continue the topic at the next meeting.
- Discussion about how to draw more meeting goers to stay for Business Meeting.
Getting non-committee member more engaged in committee meeting has been an ongoing concern. Herb suggested this would be a good topic for new business at our next meeting. He mentioned that non-participants may not be aware that their input could impact the decisions made by the committee and also help steer the Agenda of the meeting. Or maybe non-participants view the committee members as “trusted servants” and are happy with the current status quo. It was recommended that this topic be continued as new business at our next meeting.
Chairman’s comments/Adjournment. Herb made a motion to adjourn, it was seconded by Ann Z., and the meeting was closed.
