What is the process for delisting a group that simply no longer exists?
Q.What is the process for delisting a group that simply no longer exists? It is not clear what the group #, who was GR or if had GR, or how to find out these things.
A.. It is good that you asked this question, since it would be disheartening as a newcomer to arrive at the meeting place only to find the building empty or that the meetings there were definitely not an Al-Anon meeting. For many of us, it is hard enough to reach out and admit we need help much less find an empty place when we finally do seek help.
With a little “detective sleuthing”, checking on a group’s status can be done. Is it safe to assume you know the name of the group, time, and location before it stopped having meetings? Armed with this information, it will be easier to check on the group’s status with NIAFG, our Northern Illinois Area Family Groups.
The short answer—Using our NIAFG website, niafg.org, should help to begin the search. Log on to the site and mouse to “Al-Anon in Northern Illinois.” The drop-down box will have selections. Click on “Find a Meeting”. This will bring you to a selection page. Click on the one that you have the most information—district number, city, or zip code. Any of these choices brings you to the page that has your selection. For example, selecting “by district” brings you to a page that asks for the district number. Select and click. A window with that district’s meetings are listed. Check for the disbanded meeting. If it is listed and has the “Act”v” in the Grp-Status column, then our Group Records Secretary and Recording Secretary need to be contacted asap. If it is not listed, still check with our Group Records Secretary and Recording Secretary to be sure everything has been done to have the meeting officially disbanded.
Our Secretaries will coordinate and be sure the meeting is not listed as active on the WSO website. Our Secretaries may be receiving returned AIMS or other information Current Mailing Address, of that group may be bouncing the AIMS back to the NIAFG mailbox. After two bounces, the NIAFG practice is to deactivate the group. All that information can be obtained through our Secretaries.
FYI-More information on the answer–Reviewing how a group is registered. Registering a group is a two-step procedure–register at the Area level and WSO level. The Al-Anon Registration/Group Records Change Form (GR-1) is used to register groups at the NIAFG Area level. It was learned at the March AWSC, Area World Service Committee, that our Group Records Secretary contacts WSO with the updates.
The form is found at the back of the Area’s newsletter, AIMS, every month and on our NIAFG website. Each Al-Anon and Alateen meeting receives a complimentary paper copy of the AIMS every month. When a group registers, the person filling out the form sends it to the Record Secretary or Group Records Secretary of the NIAFG Area. Our Group Records Secretary updates the information for NIAFG and WSO. Upon registration, the group is assigned a Group Number at the WSO level and a welcoming information letter/packet is sent to the group from WSO. Information about the meeting is posted on the websites for access by members and future members.
Interesting/Cute Story–One group in our Area learned what happens with your AIMS/Forum sometimes. The GR noticed that the AIMS and Forum for that month were missing. He checked with the Group Records Secretary of NIAFG and found out the AIMS had been bounced back to the NIAFG mailbox and the active group was deactivated! Thus no more AIMS were being sent. This made the GR curious as to how this happened. More sleuthing was needed.
The Group’s CMA was the church where the meeting was being held. As the GR checked with the church office ladies, he saw the Group’s Forum under a flower pot being used to absorb any leakage from the watering of the plant! There was a newer person doing the mail and did not realize the Group had a mailbox for their mail! All was cleared up, and the Group is active and vital with mail being received.
Checking on the group’s mail for the AIMS and Forum can be exciting and a “cute” story for the AIMS one day; )
Does anyone have a cute one to share?
