June EAC eNews: 7/1 Cookout & Fireworks, Key Exchange, 6/26 Sunday Brunch and more!

Saturday, July 1st @ 7:00 pm – 11:00 pm

Join us for an evening of fellowship and recovery! Our festivities will be held in the roped-off rear EAC parking lot area and along Riverside Drive Promenade. We will have the club open, tables setup outside for dinning and will be raising monies by selling Monster Drinks and Glo-Trinkets to the general public. Riverside Dr. will be Closed to Vehicle Traffic
* Suggested Donation - $3 Members, $5 Non-Members & Kids Eat Free!

2017-2018 Membership Key Exchange will be conducted at our July 1st event - Reminder: Locks will be changed end of June, please renew your membership Online or In-Person to retain access to the club! Membership Rates are $70 Individual - $120 Family, Learn more: www.ElginAlanoClub.org/Membership
Questions? Contact Laurie Faith @ 815.263.7658 or elginalanoclub@gmail.com

Event Schedule:
7:00 pm – 8:30 pm – Members Key Exchange, BBQ Cook-Out & Potluck
9:00 pm – 10:00 pm – Ice Cream Social
10:15 pm, after the concert – Fireworks Mega Show!

Enjoy music by Gretchen Wilson with The Loving Mary Band, Charlie Daniels Band, Gunnar & The Grizzly Boys from the Grand Victoria’s Summer Concert Series at near-by Festival Park. We have a prime spot to enjoy the *free fireworks show* on the Fox River as we serve Food, Fellowship and Fun to celebrate our national and personal Independence - B.Y.O.C (Bring Your Own Chair!)

The Fourth of July fireworks will be on July 1^st at 10:30pm. Riverside Drive will be closed for this so that residents can view the display, we will reserve our own seating section out on the promenade for the best views, like last year!

July 1st | 7:00pm – 9:00pm

New & Renewing Members – $70 (July 2017 – June 2018)
– 1 Key and Membership Benefits

Family Membership – $120 (July 2017 – June 2018)
– 2 Keys and Duel Membership Benefits

New & Renewing Membership Signups will be available online and/or in-person for attendees of the Independence Weekend Cook-Out, Fellowship & Fireworks event.

Memberships are 100% Tax-Deductible – Your financial support helps us keep our doors open as a resource to the Elgin Area Recovery Community! – Cash, Check, Credit or PayPal Accepted

Learn More!

A note from my highchair... Alano Club coffee smells like magic and fairytales...

“When you are born in a world you don’t fit in, it’s because you were born to help create a new one.” ~ unknown

We come together in recovery and find the acceptance and love that we were looking for in all the wrong places. We are family of choice. I have seen evidence of this at our meetings. When life throws a tragic curve, we need each other to get through the dark moments. Sometimes just being a non-judgmental ear is enough to bring calm to the storm that seems unbearable. One drunk helping another, that’s how it began and how it still works today.

As summer progresses, the riverwalk will be busy and our club and its members will be noticed by more people. Yes, I am going to talk about behavior again. Even though we have been going across the street to smoke, we are still getting blamed for the cigarette butts littering the ground of the parking area. I don’t know if the landlord has talked with the rest of the building but he has asked us to be more careful about this.

Speaking of the landlord, he has given us the go ahead with a July 1st event Cookout and Key Exchange event. I didn’t get flyers to the district, but the are at the club and posted on the website and Facebook... so we are relying on word of mouth news. Last year we enjoyed the fireworks and all who attended found our view of the activities nearly perfect. Bring a lawn chair and see for yourself!

Since the Thursday 7 PM meeting is no longer active, we have an open spot for another group to start up. If you are interested, let us know. We like to have full use of the club and it might be a good lead up to the NiteCap at 10. If you haven’t been to a NiteCap meeting, Tuesday ‘Beginners’, Wednesday and Thursday ‘No Back-up Plan’, and Saturday’s ‘Candlelit-Spiritual’ should be experienced. I think that they are the finest 10PM meetings in Elgin.

- Jim H.

Club Business

The new membership year starts on July 1st, that means it's time for Key Swaps!. We are having an event that day to celebrate Independence Weekend, Fellowship & Fireworks - you may also pickup your new key then. The annual Key Exchange is especially important if you are responsible for opening the club for a meeting. You can pay ahead online or via a Board Member if you just got a big tax return & don't want to wait allllll the way until July 1^st. (See the links in this email.)

As previously discussed, as we enter our 2017-2018 fiscal year on July 1^stthe group meeting rent will see a small increase up to $35/month. Over the past year we have tried to keep things at the same rate, but the ComEd bill in particular s hitting us hard. If this small increase is a problem for your group, please come to a board meeting and let us hear from you. The board meets every third Thursday at 6:30 pm in the members lounge.

The Showcase Raffle is still on! Only 50 chances to win a Leather-bound Study Edition Big Book ($60 Value!). There are less than 30 tickets left, so see a meeting chair to get yours for $1 each now. Once all are sold, we will pick a winner!

2017 EAC Board Update: Last but not least... as Brian C. steps-down from his director position after manu years of service, we welcome Ben C. to our board of directors. Thank you to ALL members and patrons for your continued support to help our club continue its mission to serve the 12-step recovery community of individuals and families in the greater-Elgin area!

You can learn more on the benefits of becoming a supporter our Membership page.

Smile.Amazon.com: If you need to shop non-local please shop at this website where a percentage of your donations can go to a designated and approved non profit like the Elgin Alano Club! Learn More!

Our 2017 Board of Directors

Board Position

Name

Phone

Chairperson / Group Liason

Jim H

224-629-6454

Vice Chairperson

Ken W

Treasurer

Ron E

630-215-6600

Secretary

Colleen H

Membership Director

Laurie-Faith G

815-263-7658

Building Director

John M

847-334-6236

General Director A

Ben C.

General Director B

Michelle H.

General Director C

Glenn N.

General Director D

Kim F.

Questions or Comments? Contact us via the info about or email elginalanoclub@gmail.com

"Recovery is something like the restoration of a very old painting, covered over by layers and layers of darkening, distorted varnish ... Not all of the underlying pattern can be revealed at one time. What is uncovered, bit by bit and layer by slow, careful layer, are the things which are necessary and appropriate for me to know about myself right now."

"An Indescribable Benevolence," Port Coquitlam, British Columbia, August 1992 Step By Step

EAC Cook-Out, Fellowship & Fireworks – Membership Key Swap Open House

Saturday, July 1st @ 7:00 pm – 11:00 pm

Members Key-Exchange Open House

July 1st | 7:00pm – 9:00pm

Membership Anniversaries

Calendar of Events

Sunday Open Speaker Brunch

EAC Cook-Out, Fellowship & Fireworks – Membership Key Exchange Open House

District 22 Summer Picnic

Sunday Open Speaker Brunch

2017 Illinois State Conference

Club Business

Our 2017 Board of Directors