Area 24 – Iowa
679 A.A. Groups / 15,389 Members
Area 24 has 23 Districts with over 670 A.A. Groups. Many folks drive 15-30 miles to attend an AA meeting. The Area holds five functions each year, which include a Spring Assembly in June and a Fall Assembly in October. The assemblies rotate across the state through a district bidding process. Each assembly holds Sharing Sessions for G.S.R.s, D.C.M.s and area officers/chairs. Area 24 also holds three additional meetings in centrally located Marshalltown, Iowa. Meeting are held in January, March, and August. During odd years, in January, we welcome newly elected G.S.R.s, D.C.M.s, area officers and area committee chairs. There are various workshops and presentations during even years in January. Area 24’s website is at www.aa-iowa.org. During 2020 the Spring and Fall assemblies were successfully held virtually.
Area 35 – Northern Minnesota
511 A.A. Groups / 1 Virtual A.A. Group / 8,943 Members
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
1,237 A.A. Groups / 29,748 Members
Area 36, which is the southern half of Minnesota, is divided into 26 geographic and one linguistic district. Topographically, we are mostly rural. The average attendance at the area event is between 120 and 130 people. All area events moved online in March of 2020 with considerable ease thanks to the dedicated efforts of the technology chair and area officers. The committee structure of the area follows that of the General Service Conference structure, with the exception of five committees. The last Trusted Servant Leadership Training was held virtually, and it was decided to record it so that it will be available for use on the area website. In January there is a Recovery, Unity and Service Conference. The most recent was the 40th. There were 152 people in attendance, which included sixteen past delegates (nine from Area 36), three past trustees and the current trustee.
Area 40 – Montana
289 A.A. Groups / 5,492 Members
The Area encompasses the State of Montana, except for two towns in the northwest and two towns in the northeast corner. They joined other areas due to travel considerations. The Area consists of 14 districts. The Area Assembly meets twice a year – once in the Spring before the General Service Conference, and again in the Fall. The use of virtual platforms has created the ability to reach more groups and members who would normally have trouble being involved in service work due to the geography. Doing service in a different way, Montana learned a lot of valuable lessons about how to reach more of the groups in the less populated portions of Area 40. What was originally thought to be a problem has opended doors to a new and meaningful way of living an being useful.
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
179 A.A. Groups / 3,556 Members
North Dakota has 179 Groups in nine districts. There is also an Intergroup Office in Fargo/Moorhead. The area holds three assemblies per year, in March, June & September. Part of the March Assembly is reserved to discuss the General Service Conference agenda items and to collect a group conscience for the delegate. On the odd years, the Regional Trustee is welcomed. The June assembly is held in a city usually not large enough to host a larger service assembly. It is rotated between the west side and the east side of the state each year. The September assembly is held in conjunction with the Area 52 State Roundup. Area 52 holds a G.S.R. school and P.I./C.P.C. workshop annually on the first weekend in February in the west, and third weekend in February in the east. The Area 52 officers and committee chairs hold a monthly committee call that has allowed for continuity between assemblies.
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 