How can you participate? Come to a meeting! Any OA member is welcome to attend and to participate in discussions. Diversity of opinion is healthy for the OA fellowship as a whole. Whether you are a long-time OA member or new to the Fellowship, you are encouraged to come and share and thus strengthen our group conscience.
You can become an Intergroup Representative (or alternate) for your meeting or you can volunteer for a variety of service opportunities. All of the services provided by Intergroup to its meetings, to its members, and to the public are done though the work of its members. There is no “they” to do the work, only “us.” Every OA member, regardless of past experiences or length of time in OA, is encouraged to get involved in the service opportunities provided through Intergroup.
Here is a sample of the service opportunities available to you.
Information Line
When you call the local OA telephone information line you get a message:
You’ve reached the information line for Overeaters Anonymous in the NY Capital District and surrounding areas. You are welcome to leave a message and an OA member will return your call. Or, you can use options to find OA meetings in this area, order literature for medical offices, or get general information about Overeaters Anonymous.
For Intergroup to offer this service requires “behind the scenes” work by our members. Volunteers check for messages and return calls. The chair schedules the volunteer rotating coverage, with each volunteer typically serving for a week at a time and checking messages daily. Another volunteer keeps all the meeting information up to date.
Public Information
The Public Information Committee brainstorms ways of getting out the OA message. It generally chooses one major project per year, but may have several smaller initiatives as well. Past projects have included bulletin board posters; a screen slide for a local theater; grocery store benches; mailing to physicians’ offices; and, most recently, a flyer inserted in the local Times Union newspaper.
If you have ideas for how we should let the still suffering compulsive eaters know about OA, consider working with this group.
Outreach Visits
The Outreach group makes road trips to visit meetings within our Intergroup. These travelers bring materials and news to meetings, especially those who lack an Intergroup representative or are geographically remote. It’s a good opportunity for volunteers to meet others within the fellowship and bring back their ideas. Time in the car is spent talking with other committed OA members and provides valuable experience for those who participate. Precious new friendships are often forged.
Events
Every OA-sponsored event requires a dedicated team of volunteers who schedule venues, get speakers, create flyers, staff registration desks, and perform a myriad of other duties necessary for a successful event. If you have a little time or a lot, volunteering for one of these events is a good way to meet other recovering OA members and give back to the OA community.
Service & Inclusion
One of the key Intergroup teams is the Service & Inclusion Committee. Members of this group work to match individuals with service opportunities within the fellowship for the benefit of their individual recovery and in support of the mission and goals of Intergroup. If you have been in OA a while and are familiar with many of its members, you can make a real difference by your participation.
All of the services provided by Intergroup to its meetings, to its members, and to the public are done though the work of its members. There is no “they” to do the work, only “us.”