2008 Events
December 2008: Holiday Gift Outing for Children
Many women in early recovery are not currently living with their children. And, often, they are unemployed. Seeing this need, the AAWG sponsored a shopping trip for a group of women to buy gifts for their children. Each woman was nominated for the award in writing by her sponsor; the board read the applications and selected the women who demonstrated a strong commitment to their own recovery.
November 2, 2008: 8th Annual Woman to Woman Luncheon - A Vision of Hope
On November 2nd over 300 women of Alcoholics Anonymous gathered at Laurel Manor in Livonia for the 8th annual Women to Women (W2W) Luncheon. This event has grown from 150 women to the 300 that meet today.
These luncheons were started in Chicago 25 years ago and now take place in ten cities in the Midwest. The luncheons serve as a way for women to gather in a large venue to meet one another, eat a nice lunch, and hear a specially selected speaker. Women attended the Michigan luncheon from all over southeastern Michigan. A group of women from the Toledo W2W luncheon were also there. The speaker at this year's luncheon was Beverly H. She gave an inspiring open talk centered on the 12-principles of AA.
The Ann Arbor Women's Group provided free attendance for 10 women. This allowed these women to meet women from all over the area and see the breadth of support that the AA program offers. It was wonderful to see and feel the energy generated at this gathering.
September 27, 2008: The NuStep Health and Wellness Expo
AAWG invites you to join our group at the Alano Club. We’ll go to the NuStep Health Expo being held at the Skyline High School in Ann Arbor. After the Expo, we will return to the Alano Club and have an AA meeting for all who care to participate.
August 1-3, 2008: 3rd Annual Women's Recovery Retreat
The third annual Women's Recovery Retreat was held at Lake Huron Retreat Center August 1-3, 2008. Over 62 women attended the talks on Becoming Whole, the free massages, arts activities, bonfires, wonderful meals, and AA meetings. Most of the women attending were from Washtenaw County, however, there were two from Florida, and seven from Grand Rapids. Over 15 scholarships, many of them funded by AAWG, were awarded to recovering women.
July 2008, WNBA Basketball - Shock vs Sacramento at the Palace
Over 30 recovering women enjoyed a fun-filled night watching the Detroit Shock play the Sacramento Monarchs at the Palace of Auburn Hills. These women came from AA, NA, and the Home of New Vision in-patient program. Since many either do not have a car or driver's licenses, we were able to get everyone there through car pooling.
During the ride to and from the game, women with years of recovery and the newcomers shared their experience, strength and hope. It was a joy to see women get acquainted and become supports for one another. Finally, it was a miracle to witness women be around alcohol and not be distracted or tempted by what used to make their lives unmanageable. The event was another successful social networking initiative for The Ann Arbor Women's Group.
May 3, 2008: AAWG joins Michigan Heart Walk
AAWG donated $150 to Michigan Heart Walk. 16 women wearing AAWG T-shirts joined together to walk the 1.5 miles along with hundreds of others. The women visited booths to learn about health and received free heart-healthy gifts and foods. After the Heart Walk, the group enjoyed an AA meeting and breakfast together.
March 2008: Art As Therapy
AAWG sponsored a workshop that was both inspiring and fun. With the guidance of an art therapist, the group learned about mandelas, loosely translated from Sanscript to mean circle, but whose deeper meaning represents wholeness. The center of the mandala signifies what we want to be or what is important to us. Surrounding the center is an inner circle representing what pulls us toward the center, the outer circle represents what pulls us away.