2014 year-end wrap-up from WUIG
December 22, 2014

Here’s what we been doing with your money. First, a reminder that we exist for the same reason each of our meetings exist: to help the still-suffering compulsive eater (Tradition 5). In WUIG’s case, we work with reps from each of the meetings in Westchester and Putnam to do things that individual meetings can’t do. Here’s some specifics on where your contributions go.

1. We maintain a sponsor bank to help people find sponsors, especially temporary sponsors. Contact Jeanette F. at jeanettef10@optonline.net  if you need a sponsor or are available to sponsor.
2. We have been conducting sponsor training most of this year in 3 locations once a month. We’re also now doing it for meetings on request. Look for updates on this in 2015.
3. The center pierce of our goal to help members strengthen their personal recovery has been the five Working and Living the Steps Workshops we ran this year. Cumulatively, several hundred people attended.We also did five of these 3-hour workshops last year.
4. We produced a booklet of 32 stories from local members entitled: How OA Changed My Life. We distributed 250 copies of these free.
5. Last year it was a 25 local stories’ booklet entitled: It Works If You Work It - Members with One Year or More of Abstinence Tell How they Got Abstinent and Stay Abstinent.
6. We maintain an OA Hotline that will probably receive approximately 1200-1300 calls before the year is over.
7. We maintain a website.Website hits this year are way ahead of last year. The exciting thing this year, which we’re calling new media, was the Newcomers Orientation Video and the Member Testimonials.
8. The Newcomers Orientation video is receiving worldwide use, including being translated into several languages. Region 9 (Europe, Middle east, Africa) has it headlined on the first page of their website, as we do.
9. Testimonials:  We have 15 local members sharing their stories in 5 minutes each. We would like to get more…hint, hint.
10. Our workshops are recorded and podcasts can be found on the website.
11. Public Information. We had our information on placemats in Westchester and Putnam Diners. We had a huge billboard last year by Whole Foods in White plains; we had a display near the entrance of the a large health fair at the County Center where approximately 2,000 saw our display. We have put up OA posters in various locations.
12. Professional Outreach. We did a mailing to approximately 100 healthcare professionals – names provided by you. We’ve placed literature displays in healthcare professional offices, including three physical therapy offices. This display contains the 15 Questions card and our business card with phone and web site address.
13. Bookmarks.  We made and passed out bookmarks the mirrored the OA 2013-2016 Strategic Plan: Get Abstinent, Work All the Steps, Carry the Message. We printed “I Put My Hand in Yours" on the reverse side.
14. Business Cards. We print and give to members business cards for use in 12^th step work. The cards says: Is Food A Problem for You? and gives our hotline and web address.
15. In addition to our workshops, we held a Unity Day event in February and just recently in November a special IDEA Day event aimed at people struggling or in relapse. We asked meetings to call “missing faces” for a special invite to this event. Sixty-five people came.
16. We print meeting lists monthly.
17. We regularly produce the Serenity Times newsletter.
18. We will begin a Quick Step Study in January – 4 intense weeks through 12 Steps using the Big Book.
19. We distributed a member survey via email in November to find out exactly what members think and want for 2015.  The results are below.
20. We maintain liability insurance that covers our registered meetings (29) and special events we sponsor. More and more churches and other venues are requiring that we have this insurance.