World Service Business Convention Report 2024

The following report details the 22nd Annual FA World Service Business Convention (WSBC), held May 31-June 2, 2024, in Danvers, Massachusetts. Whether you attended the Business Convention or not, all are encouraged to download and read the report in its entirety. Questions may be directed to fa@foodaddicts.org.

The Convention In Brief

Over 500 registered attendees, including 186 voting members from Australia, Canada, China, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Israel, 32 of the 50 United States of America, and the District of Columbia, were present.

The Business Convention included a general overview of FA’s history and structure, five motions, opening and closing remarks, our treasurer’s report, our 2024-2025 World Service Board election, and an expression of appreciation for our outgoing board members and their service. In addition, staffing changes to the FA office were shared and gratitude was expressed for Norma Mullen and Adrienne Chiles and their years of service. We welcomed Leah Archibald as our new FA Office Director.

Customarily, updates are shared from all WSI Committee chairs as well as Maine Chapter, Western Area Intergroup, and the Eastern Area Intergroup chairs. However, time constraints this year meant we could not hear updates. Committee chairs have included in this report, a comprehensive overview of the work their committees have done.

We continue to grow and evolve as an organization. This has been a constant since our first convention, held on May 25, 2002. Abstinence, gratitude, and service are the glue that keeps FA strong. Let’s continue to keep an open mind, work together, and embrace our diversity of thought. Group conscience will always be there to guide us as we navigate growth and change.  I hope you will read the full report so you can see the breadth and depth of the service fellows are doing to help the still-suffering food addict.

On behalf of the World Service Board, thank you for your commitment to service and courage to share your thoughts and opinions during the motion presentations. Attending the convention is not easy, and for many, it is impossible. We appreciate everyone’s participation, whether you attended the convention or not. We look forward to piloting the hybrid format next year. Thank you for your patience as we explore various options.

Thank you so much for your support and service.

Jen N., WSB Chair

Our Primary Purpose

Practically speaking, the World Service Business Convention fulfills our legal obligation. As an international non-profit organization, we are required, for instance, to meet annually to provide conference members with a financial report and an opportunity to elect board members.

It is important to know that structurally, FA is a “bottom- up” service organization. World Service, Inc., or WSI, is here to help reach the newcomer by serving FA as a whole and by supporting intergroups. Intergroups support chapters and meetings, who in turn support the most important entity—the individual FA member. WSI officers, committee chairs, and committee members are not here to exercise power or authority. It is just the opposite. Their role is to humbly serve and support. 

To be useful to the overall fellowship, WSI needs some amount of formal organization. This includes a board made up of four officers and nine committee chairs. The specific committees are Bylaws, Connection, Convention Planning, Literature, Office, PI, Service Group Support, Traditions Review, and Twelfth Step. Forty subcommittees support these WSI standing committees.

Five additional committees – Finance, Personnel, Design, Inquiry Response, and Board Motions Review – support the board. Each year, if needed, the Resolutions Committee is available to support the conference with main motions.

Opening Remarks, WSB Vice Chair, (Jen N.)

Good Morning, everyone. My name is Jen and I am a Food Addict from Acton, Massachusetts. Welcome to the 2024 World Service Business Convention. I sincerely appreciate the opportunity to share these opening remarks with all of you. It's a profound honor to be part of this community and be in recovery alongside you. As part of my process for writing these remarks, I spent time exploring our history. For those of you who are new or (like me) aren’t good with remembering dates, we held our first official business convention in 2002. This was four years after our initial incorporation. At that convention, we officially established ourselves as a worldwide organization. There were approximately 300 people present, and according to our census, there were less than 1,000 members.

From the first convention onwards, four themes stood out to me:

1. Unity is expressed in our clear definition of abstinence, our shared desire to remain free from food addiction, and our commitment to service.
2. Service is essential to our personal recovery and the collective future of FA. 
3. The joy of watching FA grow is matched by the desire to adapt and change to support our fellowships needs. Our current and past convention efforts are all geared towards updating our practices to support the organization's changing needs
4. The ongoing reinforcement of FA's position on medication, especially regarding AWOLs and sponsorship.

I found it fascinating to look back over our history. I was very early in recovery at our first few conventions and not able to appreciate the enormity of it all. If you want to take a trip down memory lane or learn more about the early days of FA, I encourage you to take a peek yourself. Nearly everything is on the FA Website. We found a few years that were not there, but once they are edited appropriately, we will post those as well.

And here we are, continuing to learn and grow as an organization. We continue to face big questions. Some of which we were asking even in our first convention! How and where do we meet as a conference- in person, virtually or hybrid? MA, SF, etc.? How do we increase voting member participation? How should we prioritize our literature efforts? Are we a welcoming organization?  How do we modernize our office? What are the staffing needs? How do we increase donations?  How do we ensure our meetings are upholding our meeting guidelines? Can we overcome our differences to become more unified in our service efforts?

These are just a few of the many questions I think about. I am sure each of you could add to the list.  We are a diverse and passionate organization. Let’s keep working together to ensure FA is here for those who have desperately tried to find a solution and failed. Service is central to our individual and collective FA recovery.

If we are doing WSI or Intergroup service, we are much less prone to complacency and insular thinking. It is impossible to do this type of service and become stagnant in FA and if one is trying to learn new skills or overcome persistent character defects, volunteering for board or committee work is the best education and change agent. And of course any and all service keeps our focus where it needs to be: staying abstinent and sharing the message of recovery with others.

I often receive phone calls from fellows who were referred to me to ask about my experience doing service in FA. When asked questions about service, my answer is simple. Fundamentally, service keeps US abstinent. Service in FA is selfish, not altruistic. We give when and what we can. My circumstances have included a job that has been virtual for my entire career, allowing for considerable autonomy. This has allowed me time to sponsor more people than those who had a commute or needed to be at their place of employment by a certain time. It has also allowed me to dedicate volunteer days to FA. At home, I have a partner who is either really supportive or really grateful for the time alone! I like to think it is the former.

Service comes in all shapes and sizes too, with different demands. FA has grown so that the work of our Chapter, Intergroup and World Service volunteers can be comparable to a part-time position.  Recently, I began to doubt the decision to serve as chair.  I was engaged in a pretty healthy mental binge and then I received a card from my daughter for Mother's Day. In it, she shared her admiration for the time I give to FA as well as the gratitude she has for having a confident and strong mom. This came on the heels of a conversation about the people who have had the greatest impact on our lives. While I can point to a few individuals, FA has had the most impactful and meaningful influence on my life. 

Growth and change are constants in FA. They are evident in the lives of our members and our organization. Some say if it’s not broken, why change it? External events hastened some of the change we experienced and highlighted that we had some things that were indeed broken. How could we not broaden our meeting practices after what we learned from the global pandemic? How could we ignore our organizational shortcomings, especially regarding diversity, equity, and inclusion? We have come a long way, but we have further to go.

For example, we continue to hear from individuals who write the office asking about FA’s position on medication. Newcomers receive conflicting information they hear in gatherings, FA meetings, and from their sponsors regarding prescribed medication. If we are affiliating ourselves with FA, we must stop this. FA is unwavering and very clear in our position on prescribed medication. We don’t encourage or discourage the use of doctor-prescribed medications. This is not a new position:

In 2007,  the WSI Chair shared the following:

“I must remind us all – and I stress this – FA and WSI have no opinion on the use of medications. We are not doctors. None of us can rightfully or safely “tell” anyone to get off any medication. We are not qualified to give medical advice.”

And still, we continue to uphold the disciplines of the FA program and the principles of the 12 Steps in our efforts to share the solution to food addiction. We are not here to accommodate the disease or the needs of everyone who crosses our threshold. We are responsible for sharing the clear and disciplined recovery we continue to receive as members of this program. As a newcomer, I learned from kind yet firm sponsorship from various sponsors. Their sponsorship helped me because it was rooted in their direct experience. They used simple language to describe and address food addiction and the underlying fear, doubt and insecurity. They weren’t sharing anything that they did not do themselves. I was presented with new ideas about myself and challenged to adopt a mindset founded in abstinence, gratitude, and service. My fellows, too, were straight with me. When I was consumed by self-pity or self-centeredness, I was told. I was even advised on practical matters such as “Jen, you might want to wear a bra.” This simple suggestion made a big difference, I felt better about myself and enjoyed the result.

We must ask God for help to be honest with ourselves and each other. This is true for the work we do at the convention as well. The convention requires us to be present for long periods. As a result, we may get tired. Some of the motions or procedures may be straightforward; others might seem complicated or confusing. As WSI voting members, it is NOT our job to represent the interests of our sponsors or our meetings when voting on a particular motion. The miracle of attending a business convention is the process we adhere to while presenting motions. There have been more than one occasion when my mind changed after I heard the pros and cons. We must come to the convention with a clear understanding of the motions and also maintain an open mind. It is our responsibility to vote based on our conscience. 

God works through our group conscience. AA defines group conscience as the collective conscience of the group membership, representing substantial unanimity on one issue before definitive action is taken. In FA, this group membership is our conference. Suppose we question the decisions made by our conference? Sometimes, after more thought, experience, and understanding of the impacts, a variation of a prior decision might be forwarded to be reconsidered. This is okay.  While we accept the decisions made, we also trust that we are not perfect as an organization and some decisions may need reconsideration. 

I am optimistic about our organization continuing to provide a solution to desperate individuals who have tried everything else and failed. Every day, a new weight loss solution has varying degrees of success. According to research, disordered eating is on the rise and more rampant than ever. We have a purpose in FA. We know this solution works, and it continues to work. Our fellowship is growing, and we continue to welcome new members who share the miracle that FA has bestowed upon them.  

I’d like to end today's remarks by sharing about loneliness. I know it is a bit off-topic but I recently listened to a Podcast in which Viveek Murthy, the US Surgeon General, was interviewed. I have shared the Podcast with many of you in this room. Dr. Murthy shared that the biggest epidemic in the US today is not Heart Disease, Diabetes, Cancer, or Obesity. It is loneliness.  I understand this, and I am truly grateful to FA. With a loving higher power and the fellowship in FA, we never have to be alone. Yet, sometimes, we can feel alone even in a room filled with people we know and love. If this happens to you during the convention, I hope you will feel comfortable knowing you are not alone in this complex and universal human emotion. Thank you all for your service, I hope you all have a wonderful, abstinent weekend.

Treasurer’s Report, (Patricia W.)

Fiscal Year Summary

Important Facts:

• FA is financial stable
• We have an adequate prudent reserve
• We live by the spiritual principles of FA Financial Management

Projected Financial Results for the Year Ending June 30, 2024

Our fiscal year begins on July 1 and ends on June 30. The numbers presented below are based on actual results through April plus estimates for May and June. We have used conservative estimates. Actual results will not be available until the fall of this year.

The projected loss is caused primarily by unanticipated costs related to staff changes and a shortfall from the Fellowship Convention which were partially offset by savings in other areas.

The estimates include several uncertainties related to staff changes occurring in June and the final computation of the business convention expenses.

Final results will be posted at https://www.foodaddicts.org/wsi-financial-statements

Administrative Expenses

Over 50% of our administrative costs are for one full-time and one part-time employee.  Although most of the work in FA is done by volunteers, staff are needed to oversee every day operations making sure the website is functioning, literature is available, and orders processed, emails are forwarded to the assigned volunteer, the bills are paid, questions are answered, and problems are solved in a timely manner. Our paid staff spend a significant amount of time supporting conventions, committee work and intergroups communications.

We currently have expenses for our physical office.

Our website is critically important to FA and it costs between 25,000 and 30,000 per year to maintain.

Proposed Budget for Fiscal Year 2025

The proposed budget has been reviewed by the Finance Committee but does not become official until it is voted on by the World Service Board. It may be revised between now and its adoption by the WSB in July as conditions continue to change.  A budget is simply a guide. and it can be amended by the board after input from the Finance Committee as situations change during the year.

We've taken a conservative approach to estimating donations at approximately the same as FY 24.

We are projecting literature revenue and expenses to be the same.

Operating expenses are projected to be less because we will not have the costs associated with staff turnover.  Convention revenue and expenses will be less as no fellowship convention is planned. The proposed budget assumed the business convention would be virtual. After the completion of the proposed budget, it was announced that the June 2025 convention will be hybrid. Although the revenue and expenses will change, to be conservative, we will continue assuming no profit or loss.

Prudent Reserve and Project Reserve

WSI is projected to have an adequate prudent reserve of $420,900 comprised primarily of cash. The prudent reserve has grown slightly over time as have our expenses.

We are in the process of formalizing the prudent reserve policy

What’s New in The Treasurer’s World

Revised “Your Seventh Tradition” Pamphlet

• Led by a member of the Traditions Review Committee and with assistance from the Literature Committee, the “Your 7th tradition pamphlet” has been revised.
• The pamphlet is now focused on informing the fellowship new members about why we ask for donations and what the donations are used to fund.
• Instructions to the Meeting Treasurer have been moved to Document 7.
• A QR code leading to the donations page on FA’s website has been added to the back cover.
• A digital version of the pamphlet is available on the website.
• The virtual literature table now contains the revised pamphlet.
• WSI is providing the pamphlet at no cost to in person meetings and can be included with an order for other literature.
• Initially, in person meetings not needing to order literature, can send an email to FA@foodaddicts.org to request copies for their literature table.

Changes to Document Seven Treasurer’s section

• Specific instructions added for all three meeting formats
• Encourages providing multiple methods for making donations
• Suggests providing a QR code for electronic donations at in person meetings
• Provides information on how to get help creating a QR code
• Provides a template for posting donation information in Chat
• Provides information on how to access the Virtual Meeting Treasurer’s Training video

Other Changes

• The accounting system was migrated to QuickBooks Online providing significantly improved access by remote users.
• WSI CPA reviewed financial statements and tax returns are now available on the FA website.

 How can you best provide financial support to FA?

• Donate what you can when you can to your meeting, Chapter, Intergroup, and World Service
• Meeting Treasurers: don’t forget to pass along excess funds
• Individual member donations matter – please consider setting up a recurring monthly if you can at https://www.foodaddicts.org/donate-now .
• Subscribe to Connection
• Makes a great gift!
• Donation limits (WSI)
• A member may donate up to $3,000/year
• A member may make a one-time bequest of $5,000
• Thank you for your continued financial support of FA. Your donations are critical to FA’s continuing success.

Bylaws Committee Report, (Margaret O.)

The bylaws committee met regularly this past year to discuss, debate, and draft motions concerning bylaws amendments and changes to the standing rules of order. Summaries of the five motions presented at this year’s business convention and the results of the votes are shown below, and details of the motions follow. The updated bylaws and standing rules of order will be posted on the FA website by early August 2024.

1. Undereating/Underweight Pamphlet

The WSB moved that the 2024 World Service Conference adopt the WSI Literature Committee’s revision of the pamphlet formerly titled “Bulimic? Undereating? Underweight?”

The pamphlet revision includes many short stories from FA members on diverse aspects of underrating and purging, and it no longer uses medical terms such as bulimia to describe our addiction.

The motion passed, and the revised pamphlet, with a new title of “Underweight? Underrating? Purging?” will soon be available for purchase on the FA website.

2. “Plain Language” Bylaws Revision

The World Service Board moved the adoption of the bylaws revision drafted by the WSI Bylaws committee to simplify the language of the WSI bylaws and make it a more user-friendly document. Changes included deletion of references to using first-class mail to send notices to voting members and deletion of unnecessary repetition of numbers in both numerals and spelled-out versions.

The motion passed, so the bylaws will be revised accordingly.

3. New FA Meeting Formats

The World Service Board moved that the FA meeting formats be changed as follows:

(a) Adopt revised versions of Documents 4 (in-person meetings), 4b (Thank-a-Thon in-person meeting), 4c (video conference meeting), and 4d (telephone meeting)

(b) Add a new Document 4f (Thank-a-Thon video conference meeting)

(c) Delete Document 4a (homebound meeting).

The World Service Board Manual requires that the Board will conduct a review of the FA meeting formats every two years. The goals for this year’s review and revision of the formats were to use more welcoming language; improve brevity, clarity and flow; change the sequence of the readings so newcomers hear sharing from members sooner in the meetings; and encourage consistency among meetings by encouraging them not to change the sequence or wording of the formats except where necessary.

The motion passed, and the new meeting formats are available on the FA website.

4. FA Meeting Requirements

The World Service Board moved to adopt a new standing rule of order setting out the requirements for being a registered FA meeting. The new language sets out all of the requirements that were already in the 2011 version of this standing rule of order and adds to it the meeting requirements that were already listed in Article IV, Section 1 of the WSI bylaws. In addition, it adds two new required service positions for meetings: secretary and treasurer.

The motion passed, so this language will be added to the standing rules of order.

5. Replace Gendered Pronouns in Steps 3, 7, and 11 and in Tradition 2

The Eastern Area Intergroup moved that the words “he” and “him” in reference to the word “God” be replaced with gender-neutral language in Steps 3, 7, and 11 and in Tradition 2.

The motion failed, so the language of these Steps and this Tradition will remain the same as they have been.

In other required business at the 2024 convention, elections were held for open positions on the World Service Board. All of the candidates were elected by acclamation, as all ran unopposed. The 2024-2025 board is shown below.

Highlights from Chapters and Intergroups

Eastern Area Intergroup Report, (Jennifer H., Chair)

Overview of EAI affairs:

• EAI forwarded and presented a motion to the WSB to change the language in some of the traditions and format so that it is gender neutral. The voting members did not pass the motion. It will likely be revisited with further research.
• In process to change the voting requirements for EAI members to 2 years.
• In process to change the schedule of committee chairs and officers terms ending and transitioning.
• The Teens and Twenties Committee folded. Members joined the EAI PI committee or the WAI PI committee.

EAI Committee Reports

Treasurer Committee.

• At the request of fellows additional trending information to the monthly financial report.

This is the year's expense and donations report.

12th Step Committee.

• Hosted Informal gatherings:

   July 15-16, 2023 So You’ve Agreed to be a Greeter, Now What?

               October 21-22, 2023 Opening the Door to FA

• Updated Eastern Area Intergroup Newcomer Orientation Guide on EAI 12th Step page on FA Website
• Updated document 7 (service position descriptions)
• Currently collaborating with WAI and Newcomer Support to host 4 part eForum on sponsorship July-October 2024.
• Working with WAI to create a new Crosstalk video
• Exploring Greeter position for in person, telephone, and Zoom meetings and developing resources to assist them

Office Committee.

• Reviewed and updated the Welcome Letter to new meetings in collaboration with the 12th Step and PI Chair.
• Processed New, Closed and Update meeting requests.
• Updated Trifolds/Meeting Directory with meeting specific information, and uploaded to FA website.

Financial Aid and Resources Committee.

Service Support Weekend Planning Committee.

• Created and advertised the request for applications to host the Service Support Weekend in the fall of 2024.
• Analyzed the application submissions, and collaborated with committee members to choose a host.
• Held meetings with the host group and committee members, assigning subcommittee chairs and kickstarting the planning process, and setting the agenda.

Public Information Committee.

• Created an EAI PI Health Fair Subcommittee chair position. Produced a booklet for two coordinators to organize and run each stage of the health fair, pre-planning, planning, day of the event, after the event.
• Created an EAI PI information session subcommittee chair position.
• Developed a booklet for the chair which includes a guide to organize & run a virtual information session, instructions to create, view, or print the virtual information session format.
• Formatted information to fill in; slide host opens & closes certain slides, Zoom host spotlights speakers, link representatives, greeters. Tracking results of the virtual information session.
• Sponsoring a Rack: developed a process for FA members to order racks & submit a voucher to eaipi@foodaddicts.org, a committee member will mail labels for the racks to the FA member and the person EAI PI committee will assist meeting members to edit the trifolds.

Service Group Support Committee.

• Provided bulletin boards for local service groups (LSGs) to communicate with their area fellowships.
• Provided funding to two LSGs for fellowship events in their area.
• Welcome to the latest LSG!!  Massachusetts Area LSG!!

Bylaws Committee.

• Completed updating the FA EAI web pages to reflect the current FA EAI bylaws. 
• Worked with FA EAI meetings to propose a main motion which was voted on and presented to the conference.
• Expanded bylaws committee to include the Maine Chapter bylaws chair.

Teens and Twenties Committee.

• Coordinated and facilitated information sessions throughout the year.
• Coordinated contact with middle and high schools and colleagues in Massachusetts to plan outreach events.

Information Technology Committee.

• Throughout the year the IT committee has continued to provide and maintain all hardware, software and security protection, as well as provide any tech training and individual help for the EAI Board and Committee Chairs.
• Focused on monthly collaboration with the WAI Tech committee and the WSI Tech subcommittee in order to more efficiently serve the entire fellowship's tech needs.

• Coordinated the presentation for all of the committee chairs' presentations at the EAI in-person board meeting in March of 2024. 

• In April of 2024 the chairs of the EAI and WAI Tech committees presented a 'Best Practices for FA Videoconference Meetings' session during the monthly MESA Resource meeting.

EAI Board Officers and Committee Chairs:

Bylaws – Evelyn C., eaibylaws@foodaddicts.org

Financial Aid Resources Committee - Bronna G., eaifinancialaidandres@foodaddicts.org

Information Technology - Jakki T., eaiit@foodaddicts.org

Office Services & Support – Berit M., eaioffice@foodaddicts.org

Public Information – Kathryn W., eaipi@foodaddicts.org

 Service Support –Akia W., eaiservicesupport@foodaddicts.org

Service Support Weekend Planning– Caroline B., sswplanning@foodaddicts.org

 12th Step -Maggie O., eai12thstep@foodaddicts.org

 Treasurer – Don D., eaitreasurer@foodaddicts.org

 Secretary - Donna C., eaisecretary@foodaddicts.org

 Vice Chair - Janae M., eaivicechair@foodaddicts.org

Respectfully submitted,

Jennifer H., FA-EAI Chair, eaichair@foodaddicts.org

Western Area Intergroup  (Jamie M., Chair)

This year has been another year of growth for the Western Area Intergroup (WAI). We are utilizing our central WAI calendar for the coordination and planning of committee meetings, events, and deadlines for the purpose of ensuring that our Intergroup agendas are timely and productive. Our monthly Intergroup report entitled “The Scoop on Intergroup” continues to serve our fellowship. It is a user-friendly document created to be read at the monthly business meeting or online and to highlight service opportunities. There are live links embedded in the newsletter summary designed to facilitate service with direct links to the WAI or WSI sections of the Food Addicts in Recovery Anonymous website.

Featured Sections of the WAI Intergroup Report

You Won’t Want To Miss This! This section is dedicated to WAI and WSI highlights such as announcements regarding the World Service Business Convention or WAI Committee sponsored events and/or accomplishments.

Service Opportunities - Do good. Feel good. A section devoted to featuring service opportunities offered by our WAI Committees such as a call for Spanish speaking members who would like to help with Spanish translations or public information endeavors regarding health fairs. Here we also provide the link for WSI service opportunities.

Progress…Not Perfection - What’s in the Works. In this section we feature future events such as E-forums hosted by our 12^th Step committee or an announcement regarding a new video in production designed to educate fellows about the Service Group Support committee’s work.

New In-Person Meetings - Spread the Word! Here we list the new in-person meetings and provide the locations, days, and times of the meetings.

WAI Finances

• WAI is financially stable with an adequate prudent reserve.
• Most of the annual expenses are already paid through December 2024.
• WAI was able to provide financial assistance for 16 WSC voting members and to WSI Committee members to attend the 2024 World Service Business Convention.
• In the last calendar year WAI donated $15,000 to WSI and has budgeted for a $20,000 donation to WSI in the 2024-2025 fiscal year.

Western Area Intergroup

Financial Report 5/28/2024

WAI Committee Reports

Bylaws Committee.

• Has been kept busy with the task of reviewing, revising, and updating the WAI bylaws to bring them up to date with the current changes in WSI and EAI bylaws.
• The committee has been working with the FA Parliamentarian to make sure that we are addressing all necessary and future needs.
• The bylaws will be presented to the WAI voting members for approval in the fall.

Office Committee.

• Hosts an Intergroup Orientation Committee for new members during our WAI meetings.
• Developed a Newcomer Orientation Slide show and is assembling an electronic folder to assist in starting new meetings.
• Continues to serve as a resource and support for new and existing meetings.

PI Committee.

• Continues to track and update our database of previous health fairs that FA participated in.

Attempts to search for upcoming health fairs.

Most of the health fairs were primarily in the Northern California region and Texas.

• Is working to reconnect with the health fairs with a script available for fellows making these calls.
• Is discussing the possibility of hosting virtual information sessions for the WAI geographical areas.

Service Group Support Committee (SGSC).

• The Spanish Language Local Service Group (LSG) became an official LSG. There are three meetings with three fellowship meetings each year in northern or central California.
• The SGS committee continues to educate the fellowship on the values of forming local service groups (LSGs).
• Contributed to WAI service by attending health fairs, holding public information sessions, and organizing other community outreach such as placing the FA book in public libraries.

Technology Committee.

• Has continued to support the virtual WAI meetings throughout the year.
• Partnered with the EAI and WSI Technology committees to offer our Fellowship Technology Office hours.
• Working with the EAI and WSI tech teams to create tutorials and training to support the fellowship with relevant technology topics.

Convention Resource Committee.

• The WAI Financial Assistance and Review committee (FARC) received and reviewed 21 applications for financial support.
• Coordinated and facilitated efforts to provide financial assistance to 16 qualified WSC voting members and WSI Committee members so that they could attend the 2024 World Service Convention. The grants ranged from $400-$900 with a total of $8,800 distributed.

12^th Step Committee.

• Coordinated International Thank-a-thons in Canada, Australia, and the U.S.
• 12th Step committee hosted 2 Fellowship days, one in English with 150 participants and another in Spanish with 40 participants.
• The next planned Fellowship Day will be on July 27th.
• The WAI, EAI, and the Newcomer Support committees are planning a four-part eForum focused on Sponsorship. The sessions are planned for July 21, August 18, September 15, and October 20, 2024 from 1:00-2:00 p.m. PST/4:00-5:00 p.m. EST. Fellows can attend one, some, or all four sessions. There will be short readings from the FA pamphlet on sponsorship, two speakers, and time for sharing from those with six or more months of abstinence working with an FA sponsor. All are welcome to attend.
• Connection Sub-committee coordinates writing sessions during the WAI monthly meeting and Spanish Meetings sub-committee coordinates in-person Spanish meetings rotating in the Central Valley of California

Respectfully submitted,

Jamie M. FA- WAI Chair

WAI Board Officers and Committee Chairs

Chair. Jamie M. waichair@foodaddicts.org  

Vice Chair. Ellen R. waivicechair@foodaddics.org

Secretary. Diane P. waisecretary@foodaddicts.org  

Treasurer. Angela M. waitreasurer@foodaddicts.org

Bylaws. Margie B. waibylaws@foodaddicts.org

Office. Lenell A. waioffice@foodaddicts.org

PI. Thelma W. waipi@foodaddicts.org        

Technology. Lisa L. waitechnology@foodaddicts.org

Convention Resource. Linda Y.  waiconventionresource@foodaddicts.org

12th Step. Sheryn N.  wai12thstep@foodaddicts.org  

Service Group Support. Susan F. waisgsc@foodaddicts.org

Maine Chapter Report (Catherine R., Chair)

Summary

The FA Maine Chapter celebrated its 22nd anniversary the year 2023-2024. The Chapter was formed in 2002 when members from the first few meetings in Maine organized around the four common goals:

• Further the FA program in accordance with the 12 Steps and 12 Traditions of FA
• Maintain a communication center for FA groups
• Provide unity
• Educate the public about the FA program

This year the chapter 12-Step committee organized road trips to support our two in-person meetings.This effort spawned the creation of a “Meeting of the Month” initiative so that each meeting is highlighted during the year. Members of the chapter board then sign up to attend the sponsored meeting at least once during that month. Members of other meetings are also encouraged to attend the Meeting of the Month via its promotion on the Maine Chapter Bulletin Board. The 12-Step Committee was also able to offer the 14th annual in-person Meeting Support Day after a four-year hiatus. The event featured  an icebreaker to introduce the new Maine Chapter Bulletin Board and well-attended sharing and breakout sessions. The day ended with a delightful performance of “FA, the Musical.” 

After exploring the efficacy of our Maine Chapter Highlights monthly communication tool, we decided to leap into the 21st century with a Maine Chapter Bulletin Board, originally modeled after some created by other EAI Local Area Service Groups.This effort has been well received throughout the Chapter.

Our Office Committee is the primary contact for WSI and EAI initiatives, and has worked diligently to update documents and coordinate all Maine chapter information on the foodaddicts.org website. They distributed Highlights, a monthly communication to all chapter meetings, until Highlights information became posted on the Chapter Bulletin Board. The Office committee coordinates the printing and distribution of Maine Chapter Meeting Directories, and maintains up-to-date meeting information for all Maine chapter affiliated meetings. This committee has also been instrumental in the design and publication of the Maine Chapter Bulletin Board

Our IT coordinator, Office committee chair, and chapter archivist coordinated their efforts to reorganize the Chapter’s Google Workspace. To support this work, they established good working relationships with the EAI Technology Support Committee and the WSI, EAI and WAI Technology representatives. Finally, this year, after a multi-year effort, we have been able to supply all chapter board members with a laptop computer, making these roles accessible to all fellows.

Our Public Information (PI) committee had a very busy year. For the major events sponsored by the Maine chapter, there were more than 22 volunteers who staffed the FA Booth, 320 direct conversations with conference participants, and 986 pieces of literature given to interested participants. The committee established an Events Coordinator role as well as an Events Follow-up Coordinator role to systematize our events and to communicate with practitioners who invite further connection. The Maine Chapter PI Committee had booths at three health fair events this year. They also presented  a 90-minute session at the National Association of Social Workers (NASW), where they shared the FA video and slideshow. This committee coordinated the composition and purchase of advertising shared by the chapter and Maine chapter meetings that reached thousands of Maine households. Additionally, the committee supported the publication of a featured interview in the March/April regional issue of the national recovery Journey Magazine entitled “Food Addiction: There Is a Solution.”

It has been a busy and productive year for the Maine chapter!

ME Chapter Reports

Vice Chair.

• Compiled and distributed the FA Maine Chapter Highlights, a monthly email notification about resources, activities, and service opportunities available throughout the chapter. The Highlights is segmented into a portion for chapter contacts to read at meetings and a portion to support the business meeting.
• Led an Ad Hoc committee to explore the efficacy of the FA Maine Chapter Highlights. The committee determined that the Highlights were antiquated and had lost their effectiveness in communicating to members of the Maine fellowship. The Ad Hoc committee explored the idea of creating a Maine Chapter Bulletin Board, modeled after similar formats piloted through Local Service Groups in the Eastern Area Intergroup. The Maine Chapter Bulletin Board was rolled out to the Maine Fellowship in February 2024 and has been well received.
• Communicated with FA Office Director to add Maine Chapter Bulletin Board to bimonthly FA Newsletter.
• Served as Liaison Coordinator to identify needs, facilitate communication, and promote unity between the FA Maine chapter and affiliate meetings.
• Wrote and presented liaison calls documents, summarizing findings from each liaison call into one document. This was done twice during this year.
• Provided support for Chapter committee chairs as they stepped into new roles and new experiences.
• Championed and supported chapter events to achieve successful outcomes for FA fellows.
• Supported chapter contacts in understanding their role, the purpose and activities of the Maine chapter. 
• Solicited ideas and suggestions from meetings on how the chapter can support them and be more effective in carrying the message of recovery. 
• Responded to questions from meetings and fellows regarding meeting and chapter issues.
• Assisted FA members requesting assistance to navigate the FA website and access information.

Bylaws Committee.

• The Bylaws committee circulated a schedule and instructions for submitting motions for the 2024 FA World Business Convention.
• The Bylaws Chair was in communication with a fellow from another FA fellowship outside of Maine, with interest in joining together in submitting a motion to the World Service Business Convention; while this idea was being explored in the Executive Committee and with the Maine Chapter Board, the proposed collaboration was withdrawn by the other fellow and no further action was taken regarding motions for the 2024 World Service Business Convention.

IT Committee.

• Ongoing support of individual board chairs to increase their skill in computer and Google Workspace use
• Provided ongoing general and individualized support to board members throughout the year; providing individualized training and support geared to individual needs
• Established and supported creation and implementation of Maine Chapter Bulletin Board to increase online presence and improve information access to Maine Chapter meetings and fellowship
• Ongoing, as needed, provision of tech support information, resources, support, and access to Maine Chapter based FA meetings
• Management, review and monitoring of current Maine Chapter hardware and software with consideration for process and system streamlining and improvements.
• Partnering with the Office Committee to review Maine Chapter use of individual Google accounts, consideration of joining FA Google Workspace as well as exploration of use of FA webmail service to highlight connection of the Maine Chapter to FA as an organization.

Office Committee.

• Supported fellows as needed in ensuring accurate content information about meetings listed on the foodaddicts.org website.
• Processed chapter affiliated meeting registrations and meeting changes on the FA website.
• Communicated with EAI/WSI to keep the chapter pages of the FA website up to date, reviewing all Maine chapter related information on the foodaddicts.org website, ensuring accuracy.
• Continued to offer support and training as needed for chapter board members to use the Google Drive archive system.
• Produced and distributed the monthly Maine Chapter Meeting Directory to Chapter contacts and other interested persons and organizations.
• Distributed the FA Maine Chapter Highlights to Chapter contacts monthly.
• Helped the IT Chair and the Vice Chair to create and maintain the new FA Maine Chapter Bulletin Board.
• The Office Committee and the IT Chair started to reorganize the Maine Chapter’s Google Workspace.
• Was responsible for transitioning from the FA Chapter’s Gmail accounts to the foodaddicts.org email accounts. This is still a work in progress because we ran into unforeseen issues.
• Maintained the Chapter Post Office box in Augusta, Maine.

Public Information Committee. The PI Committee serves as a resource for the Maine chapter fellowship to carry the message of recovery from food addiction through the Twelve Step program of FA to those who still suffer. The committee provides support and resources to local FA meetings, and individuals for their PI work. Using the Twelve Traditions as a guide, we offer help in discerning the most effective and appropriate means of communication to use for the public and the professional community.

Chair.

• In the past year, two Maine meetings returned to in-person meetings--the Westbrook Saturday morning meeting and the Augusta Sunday afternoon meeting. The Augusta group held an in-person and virtual PI session, and Westbrook held an in-person PI session. Newcastle and Portland held virtual PI sessions.
• The term “Health Fairs Coordinator” was outdated, as many of our efforts in the last year were aimed at professional conferences. The Maine Chapter PI Committee agreed to rename the position as “PI Events Coordinator,” and Shirley H stepped up to fill the role in 2024.
• In response to our presentations and presence at both the HOPE conference, and annual meetings of The Maine Nurses Association and National Association of Social Workers, there were several requests made for follow-up information. We had 12 FA Members volunteer to staff the FA Booths, 177 direct conversations with conference participants, and 642 pieces of literature given to interested participants.The potential to provide inservice staff training programs will help workers who have direct contact with the (still suffering) food addicts in need to offer FA support. Sandi D agreed to take on this position. Andy volunteered to explore the efficacy of continuing ad buys.
• For the two professional conferences we participated in (Maine Chapter National Association of Social Workers and Maine Association of Physician Assistants) more than 10 FA Members volunteered to staff the FA Booths, 143 direct conversations with conference participants, and 344 pieces of literature were given to interested participants

Committee Activities.

• A proposal was accepted for an FA 90-minute workshop to be presented at the 2023 Annual HOPE Conference, “Empowerment: Creating Choices and Living our Lives--Revolutionizing Systems, Reimagining Wellness, and Rebuilding Community.” The workshop was held on May 17, 2023, at the Augusta Civic Center. Special thanks are due to Steve A, who coordinated this event; Kathy, who assisted; and to Cindy M, Ed, and Catherine R, who shared their stories. Approximately 25 people attended and there was a lively Q&A session.
• The Turner ad buy: our FA ad along with a 500-word edited version of the Journey Magazine article circulated in Central Maine.
• MEAPA Annual Conference took place from October 3 to 6 in Bar Harbor, Maine. Shirley H coordinated this event with FA volunteers. Several FA members stayed together in a local Airbnb.
• The Newcastle Tuesday night meeting held a PI meeting over Zoom in October.
• The Portland Recovery Community Center held an Open Fellowship dinner on October 20, coordinated by Bob D.
• The Maine NASW Conference was held October 19-20 at the Samoset Resort in Rockport, Maine. KiM C-S coordinated this event with six FA volunteers.
• The Westbrook Saturday morning meeting held an in-person PI session in November.
• Shirley H accepted the position of PI Committee Events Coordinator. The PI committee has developed a year calendar with four major events. These take place primarily in May and October.
• During Maine Chapter support day on April 21, KiM C-S led the PI Committee breakout session.

12th Step Committee. The 12 Step Committee was busy this year, using many different strategies to reach out to fellows. Accomplishments included:

• Providing monthly orientations for new or returning FA members attending Chapter meetings.
• Updating the Outreach/Service List
• Updating the Maine chapter’s 12th Step Outreach/Service List.
• Regularly announcing Maine chapter speaker seeker needs.
• Beginning the Maine chapter’s “Meeting of the Month”  initiative for chapter road trips.
• Regularly encouraging meetings to reach out to the Maine chapter with any questions.
• Adding “Highlights” regularly to the Maine Chapter Bulletin Board.
• Posting FA Maine chapter 12th Step events on the FA calendar.
• Making time available for home visits to FA members or newcomers as needed.
• Organizing a successful in-person Art and Article session for the FA Connection Magazine that drew 25+ attendees.
• Announcing a request from a meeting to have Chapter members attend that meeting until their attendance increased.
• Forming a Meeting Support Day subcommittee to the 12th Step Committee for planning and executing the 14th annual Maine Chapter MSD, which was held as an in-person event on  April 21, 2024.
• Planning an FA home visit to an ill member.

ME Chapter Officers and Committee Chairs

Chair. MEChair@foodaddicts.org

Vice Chair. MEViceChair@foodaddicts.org

Bylaws. MEBylaws@foodaddicts.org

IT. MEITCoordinator@foodaddicts.org

Office. MEOffice@foodaddicts.org

PI. MEPI@foodaddicts.org

12th step. FAME12stepcommittee@gmail.com

Highlights From WSI Committees

Connection Committee (Joanna A., Chair)

Description of Committee

Connection is a monthly magazine written by members of FA for members of FA. We publish ten issues per year, both in print and digitally. The Connection committee is responsible for collecting and editing content, including articles and art, and creating and producing each issue.

Chair Report

Committee Accomplishments.

• Published 10 issues of Connection, two double issues.

o   Each issue is functionally a new piece of FA literature, with a very small committee of dedicated and talented members.

o   Committees: Chair, Vice Chair, Art, Articles, Administrative – a team of editors and artists.

•  Created a new column, Notable & Quotable, which will be in the September issue.

o   Notable & Quotable is light-hearted and fun content! Includes short snippets and offers interaction and opportunities for contributions from our active and diverse fellowship.

o   Responses to each month’s new topic or question can be sent to Articles@foodaddicts.org

• Carried out a special project to contact Connection reps around the globe. 

o   Through calls, voicemail, and email, we reached over half of the registered Connection reps to help them promote subscriptions and submissions to the magazine.

o   If you weren’t contacted, email connectionrep@foodaddicts.org.

o   Look for information in the FA newsletter about the monthly video conference call for Connection reps.

• Finally(!) capitalized Connection

Supporting Connection. Without your subscriptions and submissions, there is no Connection. Here are ways to do it:

• Subscribe for yourself, for your meeting, or as a gift -- $25/year print and $20/year digital
• Submit your art and articles. 
  • Artist and Writing guidelines are available on the FA Website
  • Request a writing coach to help you develop your story – writingcoaches@foodaddicts.org
  • Attend a writing session or request one for your meeting – writingsessions@foodaddicts.org
  • We need about 100 stories of recovery to publish Connection, and we’ve received just 39 stories this year.
  • Looking forward, in addition to subscriptions and submissions, we need people to join our committee.
• We received great feedback from the survey two years ago and have new ideas for Connection and need more people to implement them.
• We have three current position openings, including an admin subcommittee chair, (5-year abstinence requirement), secretary and archivist (2 years for each).  See the service opportunity listings on the FA website or email connectionvicechair@foodaddicts.org.
• If you have two years of abstinence and good writing and communication skills, we always need editors and writing coaches. These service positions are a way to get more involved with the Connection committee.

Convention Planning Committee (Cayce K., Chair)

Description of Committee

The Convention planning committee helps plan the Business and Fellowship conventions.

Chair Report

2024 Business Convention.

• On May 31st - June 2, 2024 we hosted our 22nd annual World Service Business Convention in Danvers, MA.  It was wonderful to be back together again and witness service in action!
• Five hundred and twenty members and their guests attended from Australia, Canada, China, England, Ireland, Israel, and the United States.
• Business sessions included a general overview of FA's structure, opening and closing remarks, our treasurer's report, six motions, and acknowledgement of outgoing and incoming chairs. Other events included the recording of four new podcasts, WSI Committee meetings, FA qualification and sharing meetings, live entertainment, and our usual annual, lively dance party!
• "A Sharing Session: Why We Do What We Do 2024 Edition” also took place on Friday afternoon. Look for a recording to be released on the FA website soon!

2025 Business Convention.

• Planning is currently underway to welcome everyone, and yes we mean everyone, to the 2025 World Service Business Convention taking place May 30 – June 1, 2025! We are pleased to announce that in 2025 we will be conducting our business portion of the convention in an interactive hybrid format! You can either choose to attend in person in Danvers, MA or virtually! Stay tuned for further details!
• Each year at the World Service Business Convention, we hold elections for WSI Officers and Committee Chairs. As 2025 is an odd year, we will be accepting nominations for the following positions: WSI secretary, treasurer, and the chairs of these committees: Literature, Public Information, Service Group Support, and Twelfth-Step.

2025 Fellowship Convention.

• We are looking forward to hosting the 2025 Fellowship Convention at the Arizona Grand Resort and Spa in Phoenix, Arizona, in October! Stay tuned for more information!
• At our last Fellowship Convention in 2023, we had over 300 fellows join us for an amazing weekend of fellowship and recovery. Next year we are hoping to welcome even more people from the fellowship to the Convention. The more the merrier!
• For more information, please check out the Fellowship Convention section of the FA website when it goes live in 2025!

Literature Committee (Barbara S., Chair)

Description of Committee

The Literature Committee writes, records, produces and translates literature for the FA fellowship along with recording podcasts for placement on podcast platforms.

Chair’s Report. The Literature Committee recorded, wrote, revised and published various pieces of literature and podcasts, as well as, translating current literature into a number of different languages.

Writing and Editing Subcommittee.WES completed all their planned goals for the year, including:

• Completed revisions on the Purging, Undereating, Underweight pamphlet, held multiple feedback sessions, and have submitted the final version for conference approval.
• Rewrote Some Thoughts on Sponsorship and are currently working on revising it based on board feedback with the goal of completing it and submitting it for Conference approval at the 2025 Business convention.
• Revised the Living Abstinently booklet to reflect the addition of teleconference meetings and to provide other minor updates and edits.
• Worked on editing the website to eliminate typos and fix any deviations from the printed pamphlets.
• Collected stories for a rewrite of the “Men in Recovery” pamphlet.
• Began discussions about a possible addition of a new daily reader similar to ones published by Hazelton (Twenty Four Hours a Day) or A.A. (Daily Reflections) or a new one written by FA.  Additional input about this topic will be solicited from the FA Fellowship at the June Convention Literature Committee meeting and during a special session for all convention attendees, as well as, via a survey sent after the convention to all FA members.

Translation Subcommittee. Sherry W. stepped down as Chair of the Translation subcommittee and is now leading Operations. We are very grateful to Sherry for her work focusing mainly on advancing the Spanish pamphlets. Very recently (March 4, 2024) the new chair of the Translation Subcommittee was appointed. Chris B. is German, bilingual in German and English and lives in Italy, where she and another FA member started the FA fellowship. She has long term abstinence and is very experienced in all aspects of translation.

FA meetings, literature and webpages are being offered in nearly all of the languages below – the number of current meetings is indicated in brackets.

·   French (1)

·   German (5)

·   Greek (1)

·   Hebrew (0)

·   Italian (1)

·   Mandarin (1)

·   Russian (3)

·   Spanish (3)

• Acceptance or bequests or donations from non-members, outside organizations, and anonymous donors is prohibited.
• Donations restricted to a particular use are prohibited.

4. Vegan meetings and unity. A question was raised whether Vegan Meetings are a violation of FA Traditions. Meetings that feature a certain type of food fly in the face of unity, it seems. It also seems to elevate the type of food we eat to a higher position than recovery. After all, it is not about the food. We question why vegan food addicts benefit from special meetings, or if newcomers are served in that way. It may be that vegan sponsors can be easily identified at these meetings. But it also makes food addicts think about what foods are vegans getting that others are not. We distinguish food-specific meetings from affinity meetings like POC or LGBTQ+ which suffer from historic marginalization and do not carry these same concerns.

TRC Response:

By consensus, the Traditions Review Committee (TRC) agrees that meetings that focus on vegan (plant-based) eating are not in keeping with FA traditions, specifically Traditions 1 and 5.

Tradition 1 reminds us that “Our common welfare must come first; personal recovery depends on FA unity”.  FA’s primary source of unity is our common definition of abstinence: weighed and measured meals with nothing in between, no flour, no sugar and the avoidance of individual binge foods. This definition applies to every food plan, regardless of the specifics. Recovery comes when we take our focus off our drug (food) and place it on our mental and spiritual recovery. Meetings where the focus is on a specific food plan would also divert us from our primary purpose which is to carry the message of FA recovery to any food addict who still suffers, regardless of the food plan that they follow. A meeting focused on only one subset of food addicts would be contradictory of Tradition 5.

5. Rotation of service positions at meetings. The Traditions Review Committee received an inquiry regarding an in-person meeting where a member with long-term abstinence offered to fill the speaker-seeker service position at a business meeting when it was apparently the time to rotate service positions. The member reported that the person currently filing the speaker-seeker position refused to step down and that, similarly, none of the other service positions were rotated. The member further reported that only people who are sponsored by a particular group of sponsors are asked to qualify at the meeting.

TRC Response:

The Traditions Review Committee finds that the practice of denying qualified members the opportunity to take on service positions, including being chosen to qualify at meetings, goes against three of FA’s Traditions, as discussed below.

1) Tradition 2. “For our group purpose there is but one ultimate authority—a loving God as He may express Himself in our group conscience. Our leaders are but trusted servants; they do not govern.”

The failure to step down from a service position after a period of time looks more like governance than servanthood. One of the definitions of “govern” is “to have predominating influence.” It sounds like the inquirer’s experience at this meeting is that only a few of the FA members who are committed to the meeting are allowed to do service there. This exclusivity gives the appearance of those few being governing members of the meeting.

2) Tradition 9. “FA, as such, ought never be organized; but we may create service boards or committees directly responsible to those they serve.”

On page 174 of the book Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions we read that “the spirit of vested authority and the spirit of service” are concepts that are “sometimes poles apart.” And further: “It is in this spirit of service that we elect the A.A. group’s informal rotating committee….A.A. has to function, but at the same time it must avoid those dangers of great wealth, prestige, and entrenched power which necessarily tempt other societies.” Keeping the same people in service positions when there are others available and qualified to serve seemingly fits the definition of “entrenched power.”

The long form of A.A.’s Tradition 9 highlights the necessity of rotating service. On pages 191-192 of Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions we read: “Rotating leadership is the best….[T]rue leaders in A.A. are but trusted and experienced servants of the whole. They derive no real authority from their titles; they do not govern.”

3) Tradition 12. “Anonymity is the spiritual foundation of all our Traditions, ever reminding us to place principles before personalities.”

The inquirer’s understanding is that only FA members who have “the right” sponsors are allowed to take service positions at the meeting. If this is truly happening, it seems to be a prime example of putting personalities first rather than principles first. Following Tradition Twelve means letting go of the outcome one might prefer so that the good of the whole group may prosper. It can mean letting go of a favorite service position so another member may benefit from doing the service. As the reading on Tradition Twelve says in Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions on page 184: “The spiritual substance of anonymity is sacrifice. Because A.A.’s Twelve Traditions repeatedly ask us to give up personal desires for the common good, we realize that the sacrificial spirit—well symbolized by anonymity—is the foundation of them all.”

6.  FA endorsement of local retreat. A fellow inquired whether a local retreat, planned by 4 individuals, could promote the event using the FA logo, on the FA website and announced at FA meetings. 

TRC Response:

For several reasons, the TRC is concerned about labeling the retreat as an FA event, use of the FA logo, and the event being announced at FA meetings:

• Tradition 2 (For our group purpose there is but one ultimate authority, a loving God as He may express Himself in the group conscience) guides FA to work together as a group.  FA events are planned by service groups (meetings, local service groups, an intergroup or the WSB) for the benefit of the local members or the fellowship as a whole.  It appears that this event is the effort of four individuals and as a result, there was no group conscience or input.  There is also concern about the “teaching sessions”, which give the impression that some members are experts or have ultimate authority.
• Tradition 4:  Each group should be autonomous except in matters affecting other groups or FA as a whole. Labeling the retreat as an FA event, announcing it at meetings, using the FA logo on a flier, and/or placing the flier on the literature table affects how FA is viewed by newcomers. A newcomer may not understand the nature and intent of the retreat. A newcomer could, for example, leave the meeting thinking that belonging to FA requires regular attendance at retreats and a fee of $75.  
• Tradition 1: Our common welfare should come first; personal recovery depends upon FA unity. The cost of $75 seems prohibitive for some members and, therefore exclusive, which is not in the spirit of this Tradition.

The TRC is in favor of activities which encourage fellowship and applaud such efforts.  It was suggested the inquirer contact the EAI Service Support Committee for guidelines to consider when planning an FA event.