Service Committees

AA’s Responsibility Statement

I am responsible, when anyone, anywhere reaches out for help, I want the hand of AA always to be there. And for that: I am responsible. – Reprinted from GSO website with permission from AAWS, Inc.

AA members work together to help the alcoholic who still suffers. Helping each other is a key to staying sober. There are many opportunities to participate in a variety of ways. The best place to start getting involved is through an AA group and/or a local service committee. Participating in carrying the message in this manner helps ensure that when a person reaches out for help, AA will be available. Click on the committee title link to send an email to the committee chair so they can help get you started on your service journey.

The Twelfth Step Committee is responsible for the operation of the Alcoholics Anonymous telephone answering service, which is operated by an outside contractor, a service to allow the still suffering alcoholic to call after regular office hours and be put in touch with a member of Alcoholics Anonymous. This includes:

  1. Monitoring of the Alcoholics Anonymous telephone answering service
  2. Coordinating Groups to monitor Alcoholics Anonymous telephone answering service
  3. Locating, organizing and assisting AA Groups to monitor Alcoholics Anonymous telephone answering service
  4. Communicating with the representatives of the answering service and providing them with the names and phone numbers of the current members of the Twelfth Step Committee
  5. Compiling and maintaining a list of Members willing to carry out Twelfth Step work in the Edmonton and Area
  6. Submitting yearly to the Intergroup Operating Committee and the Central Office Manager a listing of names of AA Groups and the contacts of those Groups committed to answering phones for the upcoming year and advise of changes made during the year
  7. Preparing and administering an annual budget for operation of the committee

Sign up to take 12 Step Calls

Before you sign up to take 12-Step-Calls, we suggest that you talk to your sponsor and read up on what you can do to be of service.

If you are an AA member who would like to volunteer to do 12 step calls, please fill out this online form here.

We will confirm your registration or ask for more information as required.

Communication Services

The Communication Services Committee is responsible for the following tasks:

  1. creation and management of a website for Edmonton and Area Intergroup
  2. the management of the Central Office e-mail system
  3. the design, installation and maintenance of the technical systems within Central Office, including ensuring security and integrity
  4. the creation and management of any electronic newsletters produced for Central Office
  5. updating policies and procedures of the Communications Services Committee as needed
  6. preparing and administering an annual budget for the Communications Services Committee

The Mission of the Communication Services Committee is to employ technology to:

  1. carry the message of Alcoholics Anonymous to the still suffering alcoholic
  2. to increase overall awareness of the AA membership relative to the purpose, objectives and happenings of Central Office
  3. to encourage Group involvement in Intergroup and Central Office within the Edmonton area by having members informed of issues and ideas in a timely fashion
  4. to co-ordinate and support the activities of the present and future Groups
  5. to better inform the membership of upcoming events and to invite and encourage participation in said events
  6. to ensure that the policies and procedures of the Committee are developed within the framework of the Twelve Traditions of Alcoholics Anonymous and its spirit of anonymity

To support accomplishing the assigned tasks of the committee while keeping in mind our 3rd Concept in regards to “Right of Decision”, this committee delegates responsibility to the following committee positions:

  • Web Administrator
    1. to handle the administration of the website (responsibility 1),
    2. to participate in committee decisions in regards to policy and procedures (responsibility 5), and
    3. to provide input in regards to creating an annual budget (responsibility 6);
  • Newsletter Editor
    1. to manage the creation of our monthly “ECO Newsletter” with input from Central Office staff and our group members (responsibility 4),
    2. to manage the electronic Newsletter subscription list and email notification for downloading the newsletter (responsibility 4),
    3. to participate in committee decisions in regards to policy and procedures (responsibility 5), and
    4. to provide input in regards to creating an annual budget (responsibility 6);
  • Web Master
    1. to manage website core software updates, new feature creation, and  to handle all security related items (responsibility 1),
    2. to back up the IT Administrator managing the email system (responsibility 2),
    3. to support the IT Administrator maintaining office systems (responsibility 3),
    4. to assist the Newsletter Editor in generating the automated email notification for downloading the newsletter (responsibility 4),
    5. to participate in committee decisions in regards to policy and procedures (responsibility 5),
    6. to provide input in regards to creating an annual budget (responsibility 6), and
    7. to provide technical support and/or training to other team members, as needed (responsibilities 1, 2, 3, 4);
  • IT Administrator
    1. to manage the Central Office email system (responsibility 2),
    2. to manage technical systems within the Central Office with major input from the Office Manager (responsibility 3),
    3. to participate in committee decisions in regards to policy and procedures (responsibility 5),
    4. to provide input in regards to creating an annual budget (responsibility 6), and
    5. to provide technical support and/or training to other team members, as needed (responsibilities 1, 2, 3, 4);
  • Committee Chair
    1. to interact and receive feedback with the Intergroup officers, committee chairs, and the Office Manager in regards to planned actions and on-going status of current work (this is done at the monthly Central Office Operating Committee meeting which the chair is required to attend),
    2. to provide a written committee report at the monthly Intergroup meeting,  
    3. to chair committee decisions in regards to policy and procedures (responsibility 5),
    4. to create an annual budget for the committee (responsibility 6), and
    5. to act as a communication link between committee’s members and others

The Group Services Committee is responsible for:

  1. communicating to groups what Intergroup is and why they should get active in its activities
  2. welcoming new Representatives to Intergroup, providing them with a copy of these Procedures and any other explanatory or background
    material that can help the new Representative become familiar with Intergroup
  3. encouraging new Representatives to serve Intergroup in other capacities
  4. informing new Representatives of their duties and how best to carry them out
  5. encouraging Groups to financially support Central Office
  6. acting as a communication medium between Intergroup and the Groups;
  7. maintaining a contact list for all Groups
  8. in cooperation with the Central Office Manager, updating the Group registration and information forms twice a year
  9. when requested, addressing concerns that may arise or bringing these concerns to the Operating Committee
  10. preparing and administering an annual budget for operation of the Committee

The Policies and Procedures Committee is responsible for:

  1. recommending candidates for election by Intergroup to the Elected Positions
  2. receiving advance written Nominations, if available, for the election of the Elected Positions
  3. establishing and maintaining Intergroup voting and nomination procedures
  4. overseeing and conducting elections at Intergroup
  5. establishing and maintaining an orientation program for all Intergroup chairpersons
  6. in the event that these Operating Procedures conflict with the bylaws of the Society, proposing amendments to these Operating Procedures that would resolve the conflict
  7. in cooperation with the Central Office Board, ensuring that the Bylaws of the Society are updated as the need arises
  8. ensuring these Operating Procedures are fairly and consistently applied at Intergroup Meetings
  9. preparing and administering an annual budget for operation of the Committee

Why A.A. Members Carry the Message Into…
Since its beginning in 1935, the Fellowship of Alcoholics Anonymous has cooperated with treatment facilities. Bill W. himself was a product of a treatment facility—Towns Hospital in New York City. After he had finally put together several months of sobriety, Bill returned to Towns to try to work with other alcoholics. This was the beginning of AA’s Twelfth Step work in hospitals.
After he sobered up, Dr. Bob, a surgeon, realized the need for an alcoholism ward at St. Thomas Hospital in Akron, Ohio, where he worked. With the loving assistance and dedication of Sister Ignatia, Dr. Bob established a ward for alcoholics; together, they reached over 5,000 alcoholics. The principle of carrying the AA message to other alcoholics was fundamental to the recovery and continued sobriety of AA’s co-founders and early AA members.
Today, through the practice of this  principle—the Twelfth Step—AA has grown and the AA message has been carried around the world. A.A.s who carry the message into treatment facilities and outpatient settings continue to follow the path for sobriety laid out by AA’s co-founders. These AAs help alcoholics in treatment recover through the AA program and find happy, useful, sober lives. In the past two decades, some areas of the U.S. and Canada have experienced considerable changes regarding treatment services provided, by whom, and in which settings. In response to a 2005 questionnaire, some of these committee members say that they are finding more women and young people in treatment, more clients with drug problems and mental illness, and higher bottoms. Some committees have noticed that the number of inpatient facilities has decreased and the number of outpatient facilities has increased. Other committees mention shorter stays in treatment, reduced insurance coverage, and more Narcotics Anonymous (and other fellowships) meetings. Still other committees have found that more alcoholics are seeking treatment in individual or group therapy. Some committee members have told GSO that they are encountering less understanding of the difference between treatment and AA and of the difference between AA and other Twelve-Step fellowships.
On the other hand, some Treatment Committees say that the treatment settings have not changed much in their areas in the past ten to fifteen years, or that services have increased. Each local committee may wish to inventory which types of treatment exist in their community so that they can effectively present AA to the professionals who work in these settings and to alcoholics seeking professional treatment.
If you want to get involved in carrying the message to Treatment Facilities, please leave your information with Edmonton AA Central Office by filling out this Volunteer – Bridging the Gap online form.


Meets the 3rd Wednesday of month (@ 7:00 pm)
Alano Club, 10728 124 Street

Bridging The Gap

Part of Bridging the Gap between a treatment program and AA is the Temporary Contact Program, which is designed to help the alcoholic in an alcoholism treatment program make that transition. As you know, one of the more “slippery” places in the journey to sobriety is between the door of the facility and the nearest AA group or meeting.
Some of us can tell you that, even though we heard of AA in treatment, we were too fearful to go. AA experience suggests that attending meetings regularly is critical. In order to bridge the gap, AA members have volunteered to be temporary contacts and introduce newcomers to Alcoholics Anonymous. The video “Hope: Alcoholics Anonymous,” shown to patients in treatment, emphasizes the importance of having a temporary contact as the essential link between treatment and  recovery.
It is suggested that the temporary contact take the newcomer to a variety of AA meetings; introduce him or her to other AAs; ensure that he or she has the phone numbers of several AA members and share the experience of sponsorship and a home group.
If you are an AA member who would like to be part of our Temporary Contact Program, please check out and submit the Volunteer – Bridging the Gap online form.


The Fellowship of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) was in its seventh year when a pioneering warden at San Quentin asked nearby AAs to carry the message to alcoholics in the prison. The year was 1942—the warden was Clinton Duffy. He was heard to say, “If the AA program will help just one man, I want to start it.” Today there are hundreds of AA groups behind the walls, as well as corrections committees serving them. In 1977, the General Service Conference recommended that the Institutions Committee be dissolved and two new committees—one dealing with Corrections, and one with Treatment Facilities—be formed. The 1983 General Service Conference recommended that a Corrections Workbook be developed for carrying the AA message into correctional facilities.
Why AA’s Carry the Message Behind the Walls
Many AA members are unaware of the important work being carried out by corrections committees. To those involved however, corrections work is an opportunity to carry the A.A. message to the confined alcoholic who wants to live sober, one day at a time. Through a corrections committee working with corrections personnel, alcoholics are reached who might never otherwise find the A.A. program. An active corrections committee is a vital link to prisons and jails, providing professionals and other workers in correctional facilities with information about AA, literature, and guidelines for setting up AA groups on the inside.
 If you are an AA member who would like to volunteer to do work with our Corrections Committee, please fill out the online form here.


Corrections meets monthly on the 3rd Wednesday (6:00 – 7:30pm)
On Zoom

The Archives Committee is tasked with making a permanent record of the work of Alcoholics Anonymous in the Edmonton area, to make the history accessible to AA members and other researchers, and to provide a context for understanding AA’s progression, principles and traditions.
Like any other AA service work, the primary purpose of those involved with archival work is to carry the message of Alcoholics Anonymous.
Archives service work is much more than mere custodial activity; it is the means by which we collect, preserve and share the rich and meaningful heritage of our fellowship. It is by the collection and sharing of these important historical elements that our gratitude is strengthened.
The scope of the Edmonton Archives committee is to provide a sense of its own past to the fellowship and to keep accurate records so that myth does not predominate over fact.
If you are an AA member who would like to volunteer to do work with the Archives Committee, please contact the Archives Committee Chair at Archives


Meetings are Ad hoc at the request of the Archives Chair

The Grapevine committee participates in letting the community know about the wonderful recovery magazine offered by AA. They also help groups to build their own Grapevine displays and offer our Grapevine displays for community and group functions. If you like to help get the word out, come join us!


Meets the ? of month (6:00 – 7:30pm)

The Public Information (PI) and the Cooperation with the Professional Community (CPC) committees are combined into one committee called PI/CPC here in Edmonton.
What is Public Information work and Why Should AA members Do It?
Public Information in Alcoholics Anonymous means carrying the message of recovery to the still-suffering alcoholic by informing the general public about the AA program. We carry the message by getting in touch with and responding to the media,schools, industry, and other organizations which can report on the nature and purpose of AA and what it can do for alcoholics.  Those undertaking PI work for the first time, whether it be at the area, district, group, or intergroup/central office level, are encouraged to read and take guidance from the information contained in the PI workbook, available from the General Service Office. It is suggested that members taking part in PI work should have several years of continuous sobriety. The first Public Information committee in AA was formed by the General Service Board in 1956.  At that time the following statement of “AA’s movement-wide public information policy” was written and approved by the General Service Conference:
In all public relations, AA’s sole objective is to help the still suffering alcoholic. Always mindful of the importance of personal anonymity we believe this can be done by making known to him, and to those who may be interested in his problems, our own experience as individuals and as a Fellowship in learning to live without alcohol. We believe that our experience should be made available freely to all who express sincere interest. We believe further, that all efforts in this field should always reflect our gratitude for the gift of sobriety and our awareness that many outside AA are equally concerned with the serious problem of alcoholism.
As our co-founder, Bill W., wrote:
Public Information takes many forms—the simple sign outside a meeting place that says “AA meeting tonight;” listing in local phone directories; distribution of AA literature; and radio and television shows using sophisticated media techniques. Whatever the form, it comes down to “one drunk carrying the message to another drunk,” whether through personal contact or through the use of third parties and the media.

What is Cooperation with the Professional Community (CPC)?
CPC came into being as a distinct entity in 1970 when the trustees’ committee was formed as an outgrowth of the Public Information Committee. In 1971, the Conference CPC Committee was established. Today, many local communities, areas, and regions consider CPC an activity separate from public information, treatment or corrections work. In some places, though, there is overlap. Members of CPC committees inform professionals and future professionals about AA – what we are, where we are, what we can do, and what we cannot do. They attempt to establish better communication between AAs and professionals, and to find simple, effective ways of cooperating without affiliating.
CPC Work and Why AAs Do It
Cooperating with nonalcoholic professionals is an effective way to carry the message to the sick alcoholic. Such people often meet the alcoholic in places where AA is not present. Through professionals, alcoholics may be reached who might otherwise never find the program, or they may be reached sooner with the help of informed non-AAs. A professional can be anyone who deals with problem drinkers in the course of their work. Many of these people often encounter the suffering alcoholic, and in spite of public awareness, many of them simply don’t know what to do with a drunk. Here is a list of professions that CPC. committees have approached. Your committee may think of others: alcoholism or other counselor; armed forces officer; athletic coach; corrections officer; court official; educator; employers or employee assistance professionals; health care professional (doctor, nurse, psychiatrist, psychologist, etc.); clergyperson; judge; juvenile services professional; law enforcement officer; lawyer (prosecutor, defense attorney); probation or parole professional; professional student; public health official; senior services professional; social worker; union official. A professional can be a family doctor or other health care professional, a member of the clergy, a law enforcement or court official, an educator, a social worker, an alcoholism or other counselor, or anyone who deals with problem drinkers in the course of their work. Many of these people often encounter the suffering alcoholic, and in spite of public awareness, many of them simply don’t know what to do with a drunk. CPC work can begin when individual A.A.s reveal their membership to their doctors or drop a quiet word in the ear of a pastor, priest or rabbi that an AA member is available to the congregation. Some AA members, AA groups, or committees share a single issue of the AA Grapevine, La Viña or La Vigne with the professionals, explaining how our meeting in print paints a picture of the Fellowship in action through members’ stories and letters. Groups can further participate in CPC by welcoming professionals and future professionals to open meetings and offering a subscription to the AA Grapevine, La Viña or La Vigne. Committees on the area or local level actively seek ways to make contact with professional people and set up programs to increase knowledge and understanding of Alcoholics Anonymous.


PI/CPC meets on the 3rd Wednesday at 6:00 pm
Alano Club, 10728 124 Street, Edmonton

Area 78 District Committees which provide support for Edmonton Intergroup 

AA groups in an Area are sub divided into service districts. This allows the groups in a geographical district to work together to carry their message to those with an alcohol problem who are seeking a solution. They usually set up a common Helpline to answer calls for help, and create committees which handle specific tasks related to an area of interest like Public Information, Corrections, Treatment, etcetera.

Each AA group elects a General Service Representative (GSR) who attends regularly scheduled district meetings, acting as the link between the group and district. Likewise, the GSRs in each district elect a District Committee Member (DCM) who represents them at area level meetings and assemblies.

The following districts have groups and meetings who support the mission of Edmonton Intergroup (EI). Click on their link to send them an email.

District #DCMDCM EmailDescription
10Deloyce H[email protected]Spruce Grove ~ Stony Plain ~ Alberta Beach ~ Duffield ~ Gunn ~ Onoway ~ Wabamun
12Terry J[email protected]Devon ~ Ponoka ~ Wetaskiwin ~ Camrose ~ Leduc ~ Millet ~ Daysland ~ Thorsby
40Trish C[email protected]Northwest Edmonton (North of the river & West of 124 Street)
46Vacant[email protected]Downtown Edmonton (North of the river & East of 125 Street)
53Vacant[email protected]Northeast Edmonton
55Carla C[email protected]Southeast Central Edmonton
57Wendy S[email protected]Southwest Edmonton
60Keaton D[email protected]Southeast Edmonton ~ Mill Woods ~ Beaumont
61Sharon M[email protected]Sherwood Park ~ Strathcona County ~ Fort Saskatchewan
64Cordell B[email protected]St. Albert and surrounding area

Each district committee usually meets once a month
Contact your district DCM for time & place details