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News from Public Outreach

Please share with your Area!

TO: Area Public Outreach Coordinators

FROM: Mary Lou Mahlman, Associate Director of Public Outreach--Media

DATE: June 24, 2006

RE: The Power of One Member

CC: Area Delegates, WSO Conference Members

In May, the Government Employees Hospital Association (GEHA),* the health insurance plan for more than 435,000 federal employees and retirees, requested permission from the WSO to include information about Al Anon Family Groups in their Health e-Report newsletter, posted on their Web site and e-mailed monthly to more than 35,000 subscribers. They said that each mention of Al Anon would include a link to our Web site. The WSO was happy to cooperate with them and give permission. Today, a member in Kansas sent the article to the WSO. We were delighted to learn that it was that member’s request that influenced the organization to pursue the topic in their newsletter!

Jayme T., from Larned, KS tells me, “All I did was to go to the Web site and saw that they had a link to ‘contact us’ about articles.  I e-mailed them that it would be very helpful to many to have an article written for the family and friends of people with a problem with alcohol.  It must have been the right time to suggest this topic.  That was on a Friday and on Monday they e-mailed back saying that it was a good issue to address.” Jayme did not reveal her membership—she made a suggestion as an employee.

The company’s staff did their homework, checked with several national organizations, including Al Anon, and the result is wonderful! They used a press release from the WSO Web site, and included a link to us. You can read the article on their Web site at http://www.geha.com/health_ereport/current/index.html .*

This newsletter is distributed to US Government employees throughout the US and Canada. Who would have thought that an e-mail from one person could lead to such results? There’s another success story from Kansas: Lissa B., a Kansas member, recently had success in placing information about Al Anon in the Kansas State Government newsletter. You can read more about her experience in the Fall Area Highlights newsletter.

Does your employer have a company newsletter? Do you know of a state, provincial, or national organization that might feature Al-Anon Family Groups and the help it offers to their members? If so, why not take the time to write to them: you never know what the results might be!

* In a spirit of cooperation, and in keeping with Al Anon’s Twelve Traditions, this information is provided to inform and assist members with their efforts to reach potential newcomers. Though Al Anon does not endorse, support, or oppose outside entities or events, we do cooperate with them.