GENERAL MEETING TUESDAY, JULY 28, 2020 (online meeting) (These Minutes approved by Floor Members)

The meeting convened at 8:15 p.m. with a moment of silence followed by the Serenity Prayer. Seán D. (Stepping Stones) read the Twelve Traditions.

MEMBERS PRESENT: INTERGROUP REP/ALT: Aurora, Bayview, Beyond Belief (Sub. West), Beyond Belief, Birds of a Feather, Bloordale, Church Street, Danforth, Deer Park, Dry on Danforth, Erin Mills, Fellowship, Fifth Tradition, Friendly, Gay Sober Men, Half Century, High Park, Hill, King City, Kipling, Lakeshore, Living Sober, Long Branch, Love & Tolerance, Markland Wood, Meadowvale Fellowship, Midtown, , Morning Discussion, Mount Royal-York, New Life, North , One Paragraph at a Time, Open Hands, Port Credit, Prince Edward, River Drive Park, Rox Glen Traditional, Royal York, Saturday Morning Discussion, Scarborough, Shepherd, Silverbirch, Sisters in Sobriety, Six Points, St. Clements, Stepping Stones, Steps to Serenity, Streetsville St. Andrews, Tuesday Men’s, Twelfth Tradition, Welcome, Willowdale, and Woodbridge.

DISTRICT LIAISONS: Districts 06, 10, 12, and 14.

OPERATING COMMITTEE MEMBERS: Cam B. (Finance Member), Gord T., Graham D., Jeanette E., Jennifer G., Marvyn W. (OC Vice-Chair), Nina L. (OC Chair) and Seán D.

SUBCOMMITTEE CHAIRS: CPC, Grapevine, Public Information, and Treatment.

ADOPTION OF MINUTES – JUNE 2020: Errors and/or Omissions: No omissions or errors from the June minutes were recorded. There was a MOTION to adopt Minutes as presented moved by Carlos D. (Bayview) and seconded by Aaron M. (Markland Wood). Motion Carried.

CHAIRPERSON’S OPENING REMARKS- Nina L. (Sisters in Sobriety), Operating Committee Chairperson: After welcoming everyone to the assembly, Nina thanked everyone for their attendance. She outlined the following:  This meeting will be recorded, by audio-only, as an aide memoir for the person preparing the Minutes.  We have to take every precaution to ensure the attendee's anonymity is protected.  Whether the proceedings are electronically recorded or recorded through hand-written notetaking, only first names are recorded and only first names appear in the Minutes.  The only members that have a voice and or a voting right are the Representatives or the Alternate Rep if the Representative is not present, and Subcommittee Chairs when giving their reports.

Nina also shared the following information:  There is a lot of information to cover tonight.  Ron S. () is no longer serving as Finance Chair. A new Finance Chair is needed! (please see Unfinished Business for more information on this service position) A couple of members are interested in stepping up for this service position; more information to follow next month.  Laura V. (Mount Royal-York) will be serving as the new Twelfth Step Chair. Laura brings a wealth of service experience to this service position, as she is a long-standing member of the Twelfth Step committee, a phone greeter volunteer, and has served as monthly Greeter Captain. Welcome, Laura!

HOUSEKEEPING: Jeanette E., Operating Committee member, outlined various housekeeping items with attendees.

At this point in the meeting, Operating Committee members introduced themselves to Floor members.

There was a Suspension of Regular Business in order to elect a new member of the Operating Committee moved by Bert J. (Silverbirch) and seconded by Aaron M. (Markland Wood). The Motion was carried.

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After outlining the service requirements and service commitments for the positions, Nina then asked for nominations and/or volunteers from the Floor. Carly B. (Prince Edward) volunteered to serve as an Operating Committee member.

COLLECTION OF THE 7TH TRADITION: As we are not meeting ‘in person’ at this time, Nina informed members that they can still donate to Intergroup through an online feature on our website www.aatoronto.org. The 7th Tradition link is as follows: https://www.aatoronto.org/about/7th-tradition/ It appears on our website Home Page on the top left of the screen: ‘7th Tradition’.

FINANCE REPORT – Cam B. (Deer Park), Finance Member:

GTA INTERGROUP FINANCE REPORT JUNE 2020

June 2nd Quarter Year To Date To Date

Actual Actual Budget Actual Budget 2019

One Month 3 Months 3 Months Six Months Six Months Six Months

Donations 11,547 28,574 20,000 51,921 41,000 44,631

+ Literature Income 1,159 2,756 12,500 15,468 25,000 25,099

= Total Revenues 12,706 31,330 32,500 67,389 66,000 69,730

- Expenses 7,903 36,776 50,750 82,685 100,950 90,375

= Surplus / (Deficiency) 4,803 -5,446 -18,250 -15,296 -34,950 -20,645

LITERATURE INCOME

Sales 3,332 6,823 40,000 39,126 80,000 81,919

- Cost of Sales 2,173 4,067 27,500 23,658 55,000 56,820

= Literature Income 1,159 2,756 12,500 15,468 25,000 25,099

*Note 1: June 30, 2020 Prudent Reserve Investments = $217,245. Target = $275,000.

*Note 2: Transfer of $15,000 to ORC Bank Account was done in May 2020 *Note 3: Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS) received: May = $3,730, June = $8,840. Total = $12,614.

Good evening everyone my name is Cam and I am a member of the Deer Park Group here in Toronto and a member of the Intergroup’ s Finance Subcommittee. My report tonight is on Intergroup’ s results for the month of June as well as the 2nd Quarter and YTD numbers compared to budget. The slide that is currently on your screen also includes the results for 2019 Quarter 2 Year to Date for comparison.

Month of June 2020: June was the 4th month we have all been impacted by the pandemic and the impact is also felt financially by Intergroup. The first column on the slide presents the June Actual results. In the month of June there was a Surplus of $4,800. There are 2 items of note in the June results, first is that $8,840 of the Wage Subsidy which is recorded as an offset to Staff Expenses was received and second is that Literature Income is significantly down, it was only $1,159 when typically it is around $5000. The expenses are negative due for the reason given above.

2nd Quarter 2020: The Loss or Deficiency was less than was budgeted at $5.5K for the following reasons:

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-Total revenues were only slightly lower than planned because increased Donations almost entirely offset decreased Literature Income. -Donations in total are 43% above budget and this is due to both Group Donations which were 33% up to budget and Individual Donations at 60% above budget. -Literature Income in the 2nd quarter was down 77% compared to budget clearly as result of the pandemic and sales are still as you would expect much slower. Looking now at Quarter 2 Expenses, they are $14K below budget and this can be attributed almost entirely to the Wage Subsidy of $12.6K. The Loss of $5.5K would have been $18K without the Subsidy.

Quarter 2 Year to Date: These are the results for January to June. The loss in the first half of the year was less than expected at $15,468. We budgeted for a loss of $34.9K. Without the subsidy the loss would have been $28.1K. Donations in total were 26% or $10.9K above budget. Group Donations were up 25% compared to budget and Individual Donations were higher by 30%. Literature Income was down by $9.5K versus budget. Again, this was as a direct result of the pandemic, due to the office being closed for a short period in late and much lower demand since Groups cannot meet in person.

For the first 6 months of the year Expenses were lower compared to budget by $19.6K, $12.6 of this is due to the Wage Subsidy and the remainder of the difference is due to lower committee expenses (contributing 10K) and a combination other expenses in total were over plan by 3.3K.

There was a Suspension of Regular Business in order to address the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy Program (CEWS) moved by Jeff C. (North Toronto) and seconded by Carlos D. (Bayview). The Motion was carried.

Nina then proceeded to make a power point presentation to all present, which outlined the following:

WHAT IS THE CANADIAN EMERGENCY WAGE SUBSIDY PROGRAM? The Government of Canada took action through Canada’s COVID-19 Economic Response Plan to support Canadians and protect jobs during the global COVID-19 outbreak. This wage subsidy will enable employers to: . Re-hire workers previously laid-off as a result of COVID-19; . Help prevent further job losses; and . Better position Canadian businesses to resume normal operations following the crisis.

WHY DID WE ACCEPT THE HELP FROM THE GOVERNMENT? . We had experienced a reduction in revenue of over 30%; . The Finance Committee and the Operating Committee want to do what was best for employees and the operations of the GTAI Office; . We were looking at doing our best not to have to reduce the hours of our employees or even worse, having to lay them off; . We also wanted to keep the Intergroup Office in operations, support the committees, and address GTA inquiries as we were all doing our best to steer through these uncharted waters. Without our staff, the GTAI Office would be forced to shut down all services, including reducing hours of the AA Hotline.

HISTORY OF AA RECEIVING LOANS FROM OUTSIDE SOURCES (information received from the General Service Office)  THE PAMPHLET ‘AA TRADITION: HOW IT DEVELOPED’ PAGE 15 & PAGE 35  AA SERVICE MANUAL – AA HISTORY PAGE S-6  AA COMES OF AGE PAGE 14  ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS COMES OF AGE PAGE 104 & PAGE 213 (Note: a more detailed document about the above is outlined in the PDF ‘References to Loans in AA Literature’ that was emailed to all after this assembly)

Nina also updated Floor members on an email and a document received from Jeff W., a member of GSO staff, answering Nina’s query and outlining GSO’s experience on loans/government assistance, while referring to the Long Form of the 7th Tradition (PDFs of two documents ‘GSO Response-Government-CEWS’ and ‘GSO Email-July 13-CEWS’ was emailed to all after this assembly).

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GENERAL SERVICE BOARD OF TRUSTEES POLICY . Some Intergroup/Central Offices in the U.S., when considering accepting loans with built-in forgiveness, looked at that situation with transport discounts offered by the city of San Diego as part of the 1995 International Convention . Here is the General Service Board of Trustees’ policy regarding subsidies and discounts that developed from that discussion and may be relevant to your future discussions: Whenever a discount or subsidy that would be offered to any other organization of similar size requiring a purchased service or product of similar character and magnitude, i.e., convention rates at hotels, it may be accepted. Whenever a discount or subsidy is partly or in total offered because we are Alcoholics Anonymous, it must be declined.

The policy has been applied, for example: . To securing the best price on the bulk purchase of paper for AA publications; . Negotiating hotel prices on accommodations for delegates and trustees when they come to New York for their meetings; . Insurance rates for employees; . Office space rental, updating computer equipment and other business arrangements related to AA World Service and Grapevine operations. It confirms the trustee’s responsibility to see that the AA dollar is spent in a prudent manner as possible.

At this point in the meeting, Harold Y. (Port Credit), Finance Member, informed Floor members about the 10-year financial trends of the following: Donations, Literature Sales, Office Staff Cost, Surplus and Deficiency, ORC, and the Prudent Reserve (Harold thanked Cam B., Finance member, for creating the charts below for presentation).

DONATION TREND – 2009 TO 2020

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LITERATURE SALES TREND – 2009 TO 2020

OFFICE STAFF COST – 2009 TO 2020

SURPLUS AND DEFICIENCY – 2009 TO 2020

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ONTARIO REGIONAL CONFERENCE – 2009 TO 2020

PRUDENT RESERVE – 2009 TO 2020

After the presentation, Nina entertained questions from Floor members. Michael B. (Aurora) asked if the subsidy was a loan or a subsidy; Nina clarified that it was a subsidy.

Michael W. (Welcome) asked why there was a decline in the Prudent Reserve and losses for the ORC; Nina replied that increased expenses are due to inflation and donations have generally been decreasing.

Angela O. (Mount Royal-York) gave her group’s feedback on the subsidy; they support the decision. Their reason was that with worker’s compensation, if staff get injured they receive benefits from a government entity, so they feel that a wage subsidy follows along those lines. Angela also asked for clarification on the ORC expenses: why a loss of $17,000?

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Harold answered that he did not have the stats from ORC 2019; he shared that tickets sales were down and that attendance was affected by a snow storm that year. Nina asked Barbara H. (Rox Glen Traditional), who serves as ORC Advisory Secretary, if she could also address this question. Barbara explained that the 2019 ORC event had issues also with banquet sales which also contributed to the loss and the ORC switched venues from the Royal York to the Sheraton.

Fabio A. (Kipling), alluding to the General Service Board of Trustees’ policy (page 4 of these Minutes) shared that the TTC subsidy for the 2005 International Convention that was received is given to all entities that hold Conferences in Toronto, so it wasn’t given to local AA specifically.

Gord H. (Bloordale) emphasized that we have a standing Self Support Committee that needs to be staffed. As former Area 83 Self-Support Chair, he outlined the importance of this committee if informing members how important the 7th Tradition is to local AA. “We should make use of this committee for this purpose”.

Jeff C. (North Toronto) Asked if there was a deadline on the wage subsidy. Nina replied that the deadline was September; it has been extended to November.

A Notice of Motion was presented at this point during the meeting:

Notice of Motion: Should GTA Intergroup continue to collect the Canada Employment Wage Subsidy (CEWS)? moved by Jeff C. (North Toronto) and seconded by Michael W. (Welcome).

Reps were instructed to bring this Notice of Motion back to their groups for discussion. A vote on this Motion will occur at the next General Meeting (Tuesday, August 25, 2020).

SUBCOMMITTEE REPORTS

ACCESSIBILITY: No report.

ARCHIVES: Gord T. (Welcome), Operating Committee Liaison (Gord read the following report from David T., Archives Chairperson, who could not be present this evening):

Here are some highlights from our GTA Archives Committee Meeting Fri. July 10th:  8 members were present at the July committee meeting.  There were 3 District reports and an Area Archives report; not much happening.  Paddy is labeling files from her GSO Archives trip regarding Canadian documents. She has 300 pages to label.  Gord T. (OC Liaison) talked with Ron S. Finance Chair, and Ron confirmed there is $20,000.00 in the financial statement (printed out at the June Meeting) for the ‘80 Years of AA in ’ book.  GTA Archives Breakfast in November: the Committee will decide next month if it will be a zoom or physical meeting.  Peter & Eddy continue to go through the Archives Committee Minutes re: finances & contributions made from past breakfasts to Intergroup.  24 books were donated by Jeff S. (SOS Group). Some books belonged to Joan B. (Mount Royal Group). Books include: The AA Way of Life (now called As Bill Sees It), 1st Printing, 1st Edition, signed by Lois Wilson, Language of the Heart, 1st Printing, 1988, signed by Nell Wing, Bill's 2nd Secretary & 1st GSO Archivist. Bill W. by Robert Thomsen, 1975, (autobiography of Bill, condition to publish after Bill died), signed by Lois Wilson.

Intergroup Reps: please ask your group members if they have any items they would like to donate to the GTA Archives.

COMMUNICATIONS: Mary M. (Erin Mills), Committee Member (Mary read the following report from David P., Communications Chairperson):

The Communications Committee is on a summer hiatus until September, when we will meet the first Thursday at 7 PM, as we do every month. We are currently conducting a year-end inventory, including updating all our job descriptions, as we have several immediate vacancies to fill. Please contact us at [email protected] if you have an interest in reading, writing, graphic design, layout or consider yourself in any way creative!

The August issue of the Better Times should be posted online soon, and as always, we are looking for your stories (500 words max.) Please forward stories to Communications, the Better Times directly ([email protected]) or you can submit yours through a link on our website home page.

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INFORMATION AA DAY: No report.

ONTARIO REGIONAL CONFERENCE: No report.

TWELFTH STEP: New Twelfth Step Chair, Laura V. (Mount Royal-York), could not be present this evening, but sent in the following report: I'm sorry everybody, I really wanted to put something together for you all, but time just ran out on me as the newly- appointed chair of the 12th Step Committee. My apologies to the Intergroup participants and this probably sounds like an excuse; but I really am totally swamped, in a good way. Lots of ongoing new developments and exciting changes have been partially accomplished; the dark clouds of COVID-19 pandemic-19 have truly had silver linings on the phone greeter front. On the plus side, I will have a very comprehensive and vibrant report for all of you next month. Stay tuned!

WINTER SEASON OPEN HOUSE: No Report.

DISTRICT REPORTS

CORRECTIONAL FACILITIES: Chairperson, Eric G., was not present for the meeting, but emailed the following report: Corrections subcommittee report: The correctional institutions that we serve are still closed to visitors. Our Intergroup committee met on July 8 to review options and members are ready when institutions begin to reopen. The possibility of on-line meetings is being explored if institutions remain closed to visitors. A further update will be provided as and when more information becomes available.

COOPERATION with the PROFESSIONAL COMMUNITY (CPC): Lou-Anne Z. (Sisters In Sobriety), Chairperson: ACTIVITY SINCE LAST REPORT: The CPC Committee met via Zoom on Monday July 13th, 2020 with 3 Districts represented; CPC Chairs: Jeff A., District 18, Doug M., District 14, Lou-Anne Z., District 6 and CPC Intergroup Liaison, Graham D. The Committee is near completion of a list of an Annual CPC Events Schedule. Our goal is to make things easier for the incoming committee in 2021. Each individual District continues to expand their contact list. We have sent out a limited amount of literature to the Archdiocese of Toronto Catholic Church. The Committee has continued to reach out to Pri-Med Canada and we will be submitting our request for a spot in 2021 in September. We are also investigating the possibility of a digital display with Pri-Med. Our next meeting is scheduled for Monday, August 10th at 7:00 p.m.

GRAPEVINE: John M. (Danforth), Chairperson (due to time restrictions, John could not give his report verbally, but he was in attendance at this meeting): Good evening friends, I’m an alcoholic a member of the Danforth Group and my name is John M. I serve as the Chairperson for the GTA Inter-district Grapevine Committee. The finishing touches are being put on the Display on Disk and will be available by September. I thank Dareena B. and Scott M from district 6 and Randy C. from district 2 for their technical assistance in completing this task. Calendars and Pocket Planners will be ordered through the Area Grapevine Chair. The cost for Calendars is $13.00 and for planners is $7.00. The orders need to be in by October 1 and the delivery will be at or near the December Area Meeting. Some districts will be ordering extra in case others miss the order deadline. That’s all for now, see you hanging around the virtual vine. Yours in Loving and Grapefull service, John M. (Committee Chair) PUBLIC INFORMATION: Greg D. (Fellowship), Chairperson: Attendees at the July committee meeting included: Jeff A. (District 18), David A. (District 10), Gregor D. (District 22/GTAI Chair), David T. (District 10), Bert J. (Info AA Day Chair), Ray R. (District 02 and Area 83 Chair), Nina L. (GTA Intergroup Operating Chair), and Kate (Alanon Rep).

Up Coming Events: District 22 Service Day Save the Date! Sat., September 22nd, 2020. Lots of on-line Zoom Meetings most available on line @ www.aatoronto.org. The latest list was circulated this week.

District Reports: One report was received. Greg is looking forward to committee members and volunteers sending in highlights from District reports. 8

Old Business: lots of old business to discuss, and follow-up with.

July meeting: Topics discussions with action plan  Follow-up with Toronto Public Library, making sure that we have a Big Book, Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions or a Living Sober Group. (David T has agreed to lead)

 Call and create a dialogue with the Toronto Public School Board, literature rack for every high school, contact list for all the Guidance Counsellors, provide connections to Young People and/or a presentation on A.A.: What we do and what we do not do. Videos from GSO, and our Meeting finder, for smart phones. (Jeff A has agreed to lead)

 Same as above with the Toronto Catholic School Board. (David A has agreed to lead)

 The combination 6 and 7 in our PI Work Book, List of open A.A. meetings in the newspaper in each District, and place a small (paid if necessary) announcement in every district newspaper around the holidays. Idea around a postcard type of print to be used in all districts generating interest in our fellowship. Thoughts to be follow-up at the August meeting with a possible Labour Day and Thanksgiving launch. (1 vote for Labour Day, 4 for Thanksgiving)

 Looking for information to open up meeting safely in the future, lots of resources of information on all the Area Websites: our own Area 83; also Areas 87, 48, and 72.

SELF SUPPORT: No report.

TREATMENT: Denise D. (St. Clements), Chairperson: GTA Treatment Committee minutes of the meeting held in June 2020 by Zoom videoconference are as follows: PRESENT: Chair Denise D., Secretary Chris Z. (Dist. 6), Sean L. (Dist. 12), Russ E. (Dist. 12). The meeting opened with a moment of silence followed by the Serenity Prayer.

Chair Report  CAMH is interested in holding meetings using Zoom videoconferences. Initially, the facility had concerns over privacy that had to be investigated. CAMH is now ready to allow A.A. to use Zoom to hold regular meetings. District 10 reported that they are currently holding one meeting using Zoom, and another five will start in the near future. There are two Zoom meetings being organized by District 12.

 It was suggested that Treatment Committee investigate using the GTA Intergroup Zoom account to hold meetings, or to purchase its own Zoom Pro account at a cost of $20 per month. Simplicity of meeting access is the main concern. With so many meetings being held at CAMH, if different meeting ID’s and passwords were required for every meeting there would be too much confusion.

 Denise said she would e-mail the Intergroup webmaster to investigate whether Treatment Committee would be able to use the Intergroup Zoom account for service meetings.

 Sean motioned that if the Intergroup account cannot be used for service meetings that Treatment Committee purchase its own Zoom account; seconded by Chris. The motion was passed by unanimous vote.

District Reports

Dist. 06 Treatment Committee chair Chris Z.: My name is Chris and I am an alcoholic. I’m a member of the Port Credit group. It is my honor and privilege to serve as your Treatment Committee chair. All of our service commitments were cancelled in the past month. This week we were contacted by the director of Cawthra Shelter. Meetings can resume in August. Several new measures will be in place. Volunteers are asked to ensure that all participants are wearing masks. Meetings can be held in the main-floor dining area, instead of the smaller boardroom. Upcoming meetings in August will be managed by Six Points. The first meeting will be on Tues., Aug. 4. If the Jean Tweed Centre opens in the near future, Markland Wood is scheduled to host the meeting scheduled for Fri., Aug. 28. We’ve had no reopening information provided by Peel Youth Village or Humber River Hospital. We had no Bridging the Gap requests in the last month.

Dist. 12 Treatment Committee chair Sean L.: We've increased our roster of Virtual Treatment Service Meetings from 1 to 2! For the past two months, we've returned to hosting our regular Sunday night Women's Renascent meeting via Zoom, 9 and then beginning this July 7th, we've added back in one of the five CAMH meetings we usually run in a week. We're hosting the Tuesday CAITS meeting at 7pm via Zoom. Hoping to expand this in August to get all of our CAMH commitments running again via zoom.

RECEPTION: It was reported that there were 41 Reps, 9 Alternates, 7 OC Members, 4 Subcommittee Chairs, 4 District Liaisons, and 10 Visitors, for a total attendance of 73 members.

UNFINISHED BUSINESS

New Finance Chairperson Needed  The sobriety requirement for this service position: 5 years of continuous sobriety  An accounting designation OR equivalent in work experience  Candidates need a good understanding/ experience of the QuickBooks accounting program Groups were encouraged to pass this information on to group members at their business meeting.

Better Times Editor and Layout Editor Needed As reported tonight, several immediate vacancies to fill. Please contact the Communications Committee at [email protected] if you have an interest in reading, writing, graphic design, or layout.

IT Volunteers Needed As reported last month, volunteers are needed to an IT Subcommittee, whose mandate encompasses researching and recommending cost-effective IT solutions for the Intergroup Office. Qualifications for this subcommittee include: IT Professionals(s) with degrees in computer science, college diplomas in computer science, and/or various highly technical certifications or equivalent (such as A+, CCNP, CCIE, MCSE, CISSP, AWS, Linux). The committee should be primarily composed of IT Professionals with a minimum 4 to 5 years of work experience in one of the following: field systems administration, AWS, VOIP, Linux, Apache, PHP, Database (mySQL MSSQL), network administration, desktop computer technician, web application development, information security, IT project management. For further information, please contact Kevin at [email protected] or David C. at [email protected]

NEW BUSINESS Zoom Subcommittee Information Posted on Website Due to time constraints, this item will be deferred to a future General Meeting.

Membership Survey/Poll Due to time constraints, this item will be deferred to a future General Meeting.

CHAIRPERSON’S CLOSING REMARKS In closing, Nina thanked all who participated in this meeting, and again thanked everyone for their patience and service, opining that – as per the 1st Tradition (Our Common Welfare) -- “Together there is nothing that we can’t accomplish!”

A Motion to adjourn was moved by Barbara H. (Rox Glen Traditional) and seconded by Michael W (Welcome). The Motion was carried.

The meeting adjourned with the Responsibility Declaration.

NEXT GENERAL MEETING: An online meeting via Zoom will be held on Tues. August 25 at 8:00 p.m.

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