How It Started
In February, 2007, a former Executive Director and several other Ann Arbor, Michigan women recovering from alcohol or drug addiction attended the 43rd annual International Women's AA Conference in nearby Detroit. This conference and other events for recovering women (e.g., retreats) cost more than many women in early sobriety can afford. Yet, such events are a crucial "booster" to a woman's sobriety. She saw women laughing, connecting and having fun. She saw that life without alcohol and drugs can be good as she listened to the stories of women of varied economic and ethnic backgrounds. She began to have hope.
The Idea
Some of these women helped plan and conduct an AA Women's Retreat the prior August, and had witnessed similar awakenings in many newly sober women. At the Detroit International Women's AA Conference, these women saw again the power of such events. The former Executive Director began to wonder how to provide support to sober women who could not afford to attend such events. She knew it would take money and organization to achieve this goal.
Provide a Bridge
Many women in addiction treatment (rehab) programs are required to attend meetings of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) or Narcotics Anonymous (NA) meetings and other sober events with recovering women. In some cases, they cannot advance to the next step in the program until they achieve a certain number of such activities. Yet, most of these women enter treatment programs heavily dependent on family members and friends who themselves are alcoholic or drug-addicted. It is difficult for newly sober women to form new social links with healthy recovering women. Too many women leave the safe "nest" of rehab only to return to their old social networks and relapse into addiction.
Twelve Step Traditions
It should be noted that AA and NA are prohibited from organizing any support activities outside of its traditions; thus, AA cannot organize or conduct retreats, social events, and many other supportive functions. The initial goal became to create, free of charge, powerful networking activities that would support a healthy, sober life for recovering women.
Higher Power
In AA and NA we speak of a "higher power" that cares for our lives. This power was surely present as the former Executive Director stood in line to buy an audiotape of one of the Detroit conference's main speakers. She began to chat with the woman in front of her and shared the idea of funding women's attendance at such events. The woman said, "Please come and meet my mother; I think she would be very interested." The mother (Ms. Negley) agreed readily to allocate some of her extensive foundation funds to our cause, and asked for a concrete proposal. And that was the beginning.
Ann Arbor Women's Group Board 2011
Catherine M. Freeman, President
MA in Pastoral Ministry, Ecumenical Theological Seminary in Detroit; BA, University of Michigan. Worked 20 years as a manager in an Information Technology Department. Ordained as a Deacon in the United Methodist Church in 2011. Currently works as the Pastoral Assistant at Dixboro United Methodist Church and volunteers as a retreat leader, a spiritual director for women, and as a Board member for A2WG and two other non-profit agencies.
Eileen Grady, Vice President
BS in Nursing, University of Kansas; MS in Parent-Child Nursing, University of Michigan. Worked 30 years as Women's Health Nurse Practitioner, 10 years as Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner. Served 3 years on Washtenaw Alano Club Social Committee.
Georgea M. Langer, Secretary
PhD, EdS, in Educational Psychology and Program Evaluation, from Stanford University. Taught Spanish and French for four years in public middle schools. During 24 years as Professor of Teacher Education, at Eastern Michigan University, received two teaching awards. Wrote and directed grant proposals. Conducted and published research on teaching effectiveness, and professional development. Provided workshops for hundreds of schools in the U.S., Canada, and Europe.
Amy Gibson Thomas, Treasurer
BA in Biology and English at Rice University; MBA at University of Michigan; PhD from University of Utah (topic in Biochemistry/Protein Structure and Function). Research faculty scientist (3 years), University of Michigan Medical School, Department of Biological Chemistry. Research Administrator and Division Administrator (11 years), University of Michigan Medical School, Departments of Internal Medicine and Pediatrics. Founding Board Member, Michigan Biotechnology Association. Served as business consultant (2 years) to biotechnology startups, and new medical device manufacturers. Currently provides freelance independent scientific writing and editing, and serves as a seasonal tax professional.
Janice Weber, Member at Large
Masters Degree in Library and Information Science (MLIS), Wayne State University; Bachelors of Arts (BA), University of Michigan; Worked 20 years as system analyst in computer-based project development for IBM, Dow Chemical Europe, Serprocor AG.; Currently web interface designer for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) responsible for the Clean Diesel Program portion of their website; Volunteer webmaster for several non-profit websites.