The third issue of LifeRing’s Newsletter is in preparation to be published on March 15th and I’d like to invite everyone to submit some contributions, ideas, questions or suggestions of what you would like to have included.

Editor Carola Ziermann will put the focus on our upcoming Annual Meeting in Denver in May/June. How about a letter to the editor on any issue you’d like to see addressed? Or a note for the Convenors’ Corner to start a discussion? Of particular interest is certainly the expected bylaw change to allow absentee voting. She says it would be great to read some view points of our members about it before we get to vote on it.

Please email Carola Ziermann to submit items or get more information.

As part of our Annual Meeting, LifeRing holds its yearly Congress where certain organizational matters are dealt with by official delegates. Delegates include current embers of the board and current Regional Representatives, plus elected representatives of each open LifeRing meeting, face-to-face or online. The Congress hears reports from each of the delegates about the state of their meetings, and has the power to amend the bylaws and to elect new members of the board, as well as to adopt motions and resolutions on other matters. The powers of the Congress are superior to the powers of the board and officers. During the meeting, officers give reports giving their comments as one year comes to an end and another begins.

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The 2012 LifeRing Annual Meeting was held May 11. 12 and 13 in San Francisco and came off very smoothly. Attendance was not overwhelming, but those who came both contributed to the meeting’s success and benefited from it.

The meeting, held primarily at the very comfortable San Francisco LGBT Center, featured it’s usual mix of organizational work, informative talks by prominent researchers and experts, and a generous amount of warm interaction among the participants.

Friday’s sessions focused on how best to strengthen the LifeRing organization as a whole, with particular attention on the board of directors and its ongoing efforts to both grow and strengthen LifeRing’s work in reaching out to make our system of support available to all. In one session, the directors met with an experienced non-profit consultant to explore how best to move forward. In another, the board members and others met with three Ph.D. researchers to discuss possibilities for research. That session included a fascinating interaction by the researchers about their different approaches to addiction studies.

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Martin Nicolaus, one of LifeRing’s founders and its only leader until two years ago, will be the keynote speaker at the LifeRing Annual Meeting on May 12th at the LGBT Center in San Francisco. His talk is entitled, ‘Toward a Medical Model of Addiction Recovery, or:  Is it Time to Occupy Recovery?” The talk, which promises to be lively, is scheduled to begin at 1:30 p.m. All are invited and admission will be free, although contributions will be much appreciated.

Just to clear up any confusion, the fee that we set for attending the Annual Meeting is suggested, not required. We do need the money, but nobody will be turned away. (Well, except from the banquet — that does have to be paid for!)

Further, advance registration is not required for the meeting events. You can just show up and sign in. You may be asked for a contribution, but the amount is up to you. Zero, for example, is perfectly acceptable. So is $10,000. The suggested fee of $52 was based on $1 a week since last year’s meeting, which seemed a reasonable expectation from our many successfully clean-and-sober members who have saved untold thousands of dollars from their recovery. But obviously, some people are in bad shape financially and may not feel able to afford $52. We understand and ALL are welcome.