Area 24 – Iowa
22 Geographic Districts / 1 Linguistic District / 618 Active A.A. Groups
Iowa is sandwiched between the Mississippi and Missouri rivers and while we have a few urban pockets, we are primarily a rural state. Area 24 holds five service functions a year, with a business meeting conducted at each. We often see a 95% participation rate from out districts. January is a Service weekend. March focuses on Conference agenda items. August is only a business meeting. Two Assemblies rotate across the state through a district bidding process. We have held both Assemblies and Service weekends online and in a hybrid format on an as-needed basis. Area 24 remains focused on our primary purpose.
Area 35 – Northern Minnesota
511 A.A. Groups / 1 Virtual A.A. Group / 8,943 Members
Area 35 encompasses the northern half of Minnesota with 17 active districts. The Northern Light has become the primary source of written communication for our area. Area 35 has a rotating system for assemblies and our area workshop. We divided the area into four zones; rotating assemblies to different zones allows for more people to have the opportunity to attend an area function. We also hold four area committee meetings between assemblies. The area meets every two months to discuss business. Area 35 has a full slate of action committees and support committees: WEB Master, NL Editor, Records Secretary (Registrar), and Audio Tech. Depending on how active each action committee is, service work continues to funnel back to the districts, the groups, and group members. Active action committees promote participation in carrying the message to the suffering alcoholic.
Area 36 – Southern Minnesota
26 Active Districts including 1 linguistic District 842 Active groups including 4 virtual groups
Area 36 is busy carrying the message. While we are mostly rural, we do have the major urban area of the Twin Cities, Minneapolis and Saint Paul. Our PI committee also created a website http://www.newtoaa.org, which brings you to a virtual newcomer packet with links to pamphlets on http://www.aa.org and the Meeting Guide app for those who think they might have a problem with alcohol. There is always something going on in Area 36 to invite newcomers and longtimers alike to deepen and strengthen our sobriety, Come for the lakes and hotdish, stay for our Three Legacies of Recovery, Unity and Service.
Area 40 – Montana
14 Districts / 279 Groups
Area 40, Montana, where it’s not unheard of to accidentally end up in Canada on your way home from an Area Assembly. Montana has 22 correctional facilities and 45 treatment center and one incredible non-rotating Bridging the Gap chair with an amazing BTG committee. Over the last five years, our Bridging the Gap committee has extended its presence to the professional community through our area website. http://www.aa-montana.org which averages 20,000 page views per month and sees visitors from 10 different countries. Here, you can look up a meeting if you’re in town, join any one of our 117 online meetings, or visit our Calendar of Events. And if you’re feeling super spicy and kind of sleuthy, you can find the link to our monthly Area 40 Concepts Study. We’d love to see you pop up in one of those Hollywood Squares some Saturday morning!
Area 41 – Nebraska
30 Active Districts / 1 Spanish Linguistic District
Area 41 stretches across the entire state of Nebraska. Just like everyone else, we’ve spent the last few years doing our best to navigate the pandemic, to find grace between guidelines and personalities. Our assemblies occur every quarter for a whole weekend – some committees are meeting more now that virtual meeting rooms have been introduced. The annual state reunion highlights the delegate’s report, speakers and other fun activities every June. Accessibilities, Accommodations, and newly combined Treatment and Remote Communities have been active bridging the gap and are starting to seek out ways to reach our nursing homes and other “remote places”. Public Information/Cooperation with the Professional Community (PI/CPC) created a business card to hand out at their annual state fair booth, listing info from the Meeting Guide app. While we might have more cows than people in Area 41, we do our best to carry the message to anyone who might be struggling. So next time you’re planning on flying over, stop and have a cup of coffee, we’d love to host you.
Area 52 – North Dakota
150 Groups / 10 Districts
Peace garden state, number one producer of honey in the U.S., the Enchanted Highway, the Theodore Roosevelt National State Park and the least visited state are just a few of the wonderful things that make up the state of North Dakota. We hold three assemblies a year, in March, June and September. Part of the March assembly is reserved to discuss the General Service Conference agenda items and collect a group conscience for our delegate. At the March assembly, held on the odd years, we welcome the regional trustee to share his/her experience, strength and hope with us. Our June assembly is rotated between the west and east side of the state each year. The one-day September assembly is held in conjunction with the Area 52 State Roundup. When the sun dogs come out, you know it’s going to be a hone-chilling day! Uffda!
Area 63 – South Dakota
169 A.A. Groups / 1 Virtual A.A. Group
Area 63 has 14 districts. The pandemic had Area 63 meeting virtually for about a year. We found that virtual meetings brought many new faces to assemblies, as well as a few faces we had not seen in a while. The fall assembly voted unanimously to alter our service schedules, beginning in the spring of 2022. We will have three assemblies throughout the year to conduct area business (one of these three will be virtual). The spring conference will be used to discuss GSC agenda items while informing and preparing the delegate for the GSC. The fall conference will be focused on Fellowship, Unity and Service, as well as holding area elections to odd-numbered years. Area 63 utilizes the committee system, similar to the GSC. We are incredibly excited to be launching an updated website as well. We will utilize www.area63aa.org to help carry the message.
Area 76 – Wyoming
12 Districts / 106 A.A. Groups / 1,847 Members
Area 76 is the ninth-largest state in area and has the smallest population of any state. Area 76 has two assemblies and one convention each year. We average 125 people at our in-person assemblies. Our assemblies mirror the General Service Conference (GSC). Area 76 contributes additional money to the General Service Office at the end of each year to offset delegate expenses at the conference. In March 2020, our members reached out to local newspapers to ensure the public knew how to contact Alcoholics Anonymous when many of our meeting doors were closed. Members held tailgate meetings, various virtual meetings, met in the parking lots in case someone showed up, and a few groups continued to meet in person. Our assemblies were virtual, but we had in-person conventions. Most groups now meet in person, and some groups have transitioned to hybrid meetings and/or hybrid groups. On behalf of Area 76, I would like to thank the West Central Region and the General Service Office for the many virtual opportunities they have provided to keep us connected and informed during the past two years. Visit our updated the website (wyomingaa.org)
West Central Region 