By Rich C.
A common assumption among newcomers to A.A. is that the three Lansing Alano Clubs (East, West and South), are part of A.A. In fact, our Alano Clubs, and all such clubs around the world, are completely separate from A.A. Our General Service Office (GSO) in New York has issued guidelines titled “Relationship between A.A. and Clubs,” which states in part “… the relationship of the A.A. group itself should be the same as it would be to a church, hospital, school, or other facility in which it might rent space for its meetings.” The latest revision of these guidelines is from November, 2014, and reflects the guidelines of the General Service Conference in the U.S. and Canada, as well as our Twelve Traditions. In short, the Alano Clubs act solely as a landlord to A.A. groups by renting space to them, usually on a weekly or daily basis.
Typically, these Alano Clubs are legally established as private non-profit corporations under the laws of whatever state they occupy. In the Articles of Incorporation, these Clubs normally state that their purpose is to rent space to A.A. Groups. Some Alano Clubs, including our West Club, have expanded this to include other Twelve Step groups related to drug addiction, such as Narcotics Anonymous and Cocaine Anonymous. Like any corporation, these Clubs are governed by a Board of Directors, elected by the members. The Alano Club members may be required to also be A.A. members, and will typically pay dues monthly or annually to remain members.
The Board of Directors typically will elect officers from the Board members. As a practical matter, these officers are usually encouraged not to take officer positions in A.A. groups meeting in the same Club. The Board of Directors will normally set the amount of rent each group will pay, the amount of dues charged to individual members, and authorize and plan any other fundraising activities needed to keep the Club solvent. No Alano Club may contribute to any A.A. entity, since they are all separate from A.A., and A.A. does not accept outside contributions. Similarly, since 1989, no Alano Club is listed in the A.A. Directories of Meetings published by the GSO.
The use of the name Alano Clubs is in keeping with our Sixth Tradition which states “An A.A. group ought never endorse, finance, or lend the A.A. name to any related facility or outside enterprise, lest problems of money, property, and prestige divert us from our primary purpose.” Obviously, no Alano Club should take any action that implies it is part of A.A. Beyond that, Alano Clubs should not allow gambling on their premises as that poses potential legal problems under state and local laws, and it may also place A.A. members at risk who also suffer from a gambling addiction. Also, no Alano Club should house a Central A.A. Office, such as our Lansing Central Office on Michigan Avenue, or any intergroup office at the District or Area level. The GSO Guidelines cited above make it clear that both central and intergroup A.A. offices should be both physically and administratively separate from any Alano Club.
Another area of controversy may arise when an Alano Club asks the group chairpersons to include a separate envelope in the rent collection basket for a specific Club purpose. For example, the East Club includes a separate envelope for the building fund to replace the roof and HVAC systems. At Christmas time, another envelope is circulated to provide a Christmas bonus for Club employees. Some group members may complain that the group owes the Alano Club no duty other than timely payment of rent. They might further argue that a group meeting in a local church would not and should not raise money to fund an unrelated church project such as food for the needy.
However, this question is not as clearly defined when we consider an Alano Club that provides meeting space for dozens of groups. The disruption to the Greater Lansing A.A. community would be great if any of our three Alano Clubs fail financially. Each group would have to have members willing to seek out alternative space and present a proposal to the group as whole. There is the potential for conflict if the group members cannot unanimously agree on a new site. In the meantime, while a site is being selected and approved, many group members may seek out a different group and not return.
In my opinion, if a serious objection is raised regarding contributions to the hosting Alano Club beyond rent, then there needs to be a business meeting announced several weeks in advance, and held either immediately before or after the regular meeting. That, I believe, would be consistent with our Second Tradition, which states, “For our group purpose there is but one ultimate authority—a loving God as He may express Himself in our group conscience.”
Rich C. is working to update the book “Voices of Greater Lansing” in a second edition. If you have 25 years of sobriety or more and did not get into the first edition, call Rich C. at 517-489-1606 for a 30-minute interview to be included. All proceeds will go to Lansing Central AA.