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WFS Summer 2020 Newsletter

Women for Sobriety

Summer Update

September, 2020

WFS Organizational Update

Retirement of WFS Chair Karen H and VP Susie M



WFS Board of Directors Changes – from President Karen Hamm
“Each one of us has adapted and changed as we relate to the global pandemic.  Our daily routines are altered and we live with healthy new practices and guidelines.  Life is different, yet we can still appreciate the many moments that make life great.” read more

Please join us in welcoming our new Board Chair Jean H and Vice President Veena I!

What’s New with WFS Meetings & Facilitators

WFS Meeting Reorganization
We continue to adapt to meet the needs of 4C women and our volunteer-led groups in the pandemic. We have extended our meeting offerings to include Regional and WFS Online Video meetings. Another change has been to bring all of our volunteers who lead meetings under a single umbrella as Certified Facilitators. We prepared this brief video for our volunteer facilitators to help explain the changes and the reasons for the changes, and we thought you might be interested in watching it, too.

We celebrate these trailblazing groups for being the first four meetings to convert to the new Regional Video Meeting designation!

WFS Strategic Plannning

WFS invites you to participate in our Envision the Future survey.  Your input is important as WFS develops its strategies, goals, and plans for the future.

The survey asks for your input on several topics:

  • The WFS overall mission, vision and values
  • WFS programs
  • Materials and literature
  • WFS services
  • What else should WFS work on?

Take the Survey Now!

A New WFS Logo?

Calling all 4C Women, it is time to get your creative juices flowing! What would go better with a new mission statement and strategic plan than a fresh new logo?

We are looking for design ideas – don’t worry, it doesn’t have to be perfect, as we will be working with a graphic designer on polishing things up submissions. Finalist concepts will be voted on in a poll in the near future. (There will also be an option to vote on keeping the old logo, for those traditionalists out there!)

We can’t wait to see what you come up with! Like recovery, the sky is the limit here. Use whatever you have at your disposal and let your imagination soar. Submissions must be made in png, jpeg, or pdf format to [email protected].

Let’s Talk About It


(WE)covery is a group of 4C women who have been inspired to examine and challenge our personal biases. In the process, we are also hopeful that our newfound knowledge can help the WFS organization reach, welcome, and celebrate even more women to our New Life Program.

All are welcome at this drop-in Video Meeting!
1st & 3rd Sundays at 12:00 pm US/Eastern
2nd & 4th Thursdays at 3:00 pm US/Eastern

(No meeting Thursday, Sept. 24th)

Learn More in the (WE)covery Forum on WFS Online

Thanks for Making Our 2020 Virtual Conference a Success!

About the 2020 Virtual Conference held on June 12-14:

  • 424 registered attendees
  • 28 sessions, including 7 WFS meetings, 4 Plenary (large group) sessions, a live fundraising event and 16 breakout workshops
  • Dozens of volunteers worked before, during and after the event to support presenters and attendees
  • 85% of those responding to the Event Satisfaction Survey were very satisfied with the event

Conference season donations totaled over $90,000!

 

How do conference donations support WFS programs and strategies?

  • Like many nonprofit organizations relying on individual donations, WFS has been challenged this year! Your support via conference donations and the annual Teddy Bear Challenge helps ensure that WFS can continue to support women in recovery.
  • A key initiative for WFS is converting our literature for digital download. This will reduce printing and shipping costs, free up WFS volunteers and staff resources for other program work, and help get life-saving materials into women’s hands even faster!
  • WFS is making an investment to improve the WFS Online experience.  WFS Online is an important resource for hundreds of women in recovery, offering forums, video and chat meetings, and more.
  • WFS is investigating new service delivery options – keep your eye out for great things!

WFS Watch Parties

Did you miss conference due to time conflicts or uncertainty over the online format? Or maybe you attended and wish the Replay Week had been extended even further? Have no fear, WFS Watch Parties are here!

Thanks to the generosity of many of our presenters, we are able to share many of the recorded sessions on WFS Online! The videos will be rolled out through a series of Watch Parties – opportunities to gather via Zoom and watch the recording, followed by an informal group discussion.

The first Watch Party in the series was Lynn Matti’s Keynote Address entitled Self-Compassion, Self Esteem, and Recovery in Times of Great Uncertainty, which is now available for viewing in the 2020 Virtual Conference forum. Look for more Watch Party announcements on WFS Online.

Conference 2021 Is Going Virtual

After careful consideration, the WFS Board of Directors has made the decision to again convert the 2021 Annual Weekend Conference to a virtual event. Many factors were taken into account in coming to this conclusion, including uncertainty about the course of the pandemic, possible challenges to women’s abilities and/or desires to travel in June of 2021, and the public health considerations of having a large group from diverse locations lodging and dining together over the course of multiple days.

Out of respect for our volunteer planning team, we felt it prudent to let them focus on making one great plan for a virtual event, rather than asking them to plan an uncertain physical event and possibly have to pivot at the last minute as they had to do in 2020.

Just think! If we could pull off such a successful event in 2020 with only 10 weeks notice, what can be possible with months of preparation!?!

Keep an eye out for more details as they develop!

WFS needs your help in making 2021 another year to remember!  Email [email protected] to get involved!

Get Social!

Join the Women for Sobriety Connection – New Life Program Facebook group where you can:

  • Celebrate your use of the WFS New Life Program of recovery
  • Share support and encouragement with 4C women
  • Get live access to our Facebook Live Tuesday Talks

New In-Person Meetings

Houston, TX Sunday 3:00 PM
Los Alamitos, CA Wednesday 6:30 pm

Most new in-person meetings are starting up using video format due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

National Recovery Month

National Recovery Month is a national observance held every September to educate Americans that substance use treatment and mental health services can enable those with mental and substance use disorders to live healthy and rewarding lives. Now in its 31st year, Recovery Month celebrates the gains made by those living in recovery.