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Recently my sponsor gave me an assignment like she always does. She asked me to make a list of things that I liked about myself and a list of things I felt I needed to change. My first response was “okay, BUT…you already had me do this once.” She told me she is asking me again to see if I could recognize any changes since we started working together. I call these two lists the Bad Me and the Good Me Lists. I was amazed in the dif-ferences. The first time my Bad Me list was LONG and the Good Me list didn’t amount to much. This time it is reversed. WOW ! I may come to like me someday.

She also wanted me to write about how I felt since we became spon-sor/ sponsee back in October of last year. I have had several sponsors in my past and they all have me do pretty much the same things. I end up “blowing” them off sooner or later, usually about time for my 4th and 5th Steps. Sometimes after a couple of meetings together, I find I didn’t agree with something she said. I did not like her then. I felt that a couple of sponsors did not believe in God. My Higher Power is GOD. I AM NOT PERFECT!

I do know that we all have a right to our own opinions and beliefs. But I wasn’t comfortable with this. It offended me somehow. I know now that was one of my character defects. I cannot control others and I need to work on being so judgmental. I am NOT perfect and should NOT expect others to be.

I have had sponsors that gave off a “better than thou” attitude. How dare

she talk down to me? She isn’t any better than me. I didn’t like this. I will show her... I won’t call her anymore…and so on. I needed to learn that she was guid-ing me. Sometimes we have to do things we don’t like to get where we want to be.

Today, I’ve found someone who is closer to my age and we share similari-ties in our disease. She has compassion for what she is doing. She may not have as many years of sobriety as others but she does live the program of Alcoholics Anonymous. I admire that and I want it. I want others to see me grow into that.

I am very comfortable with my sponsor. It is like talking to a long time, close friend. She doesn’t get offended by my silliness and of course, she isn’t sur-prised by my past. I can honestly open up truthfully with her. We have fun but at the same time I am constantly growing.

I hope our relationship will last a very long time, in fact, I am sure it will. You know how you can “get that feeling”? Well, I know I have the one for me! I’ve only had one other sponsor I felt like this with and have grown past sponsorship. We are life time friends. I still talk to her regularly.

-Kerri C.

Bookstore Hours

Monday - Friday 9:00 am to 8:30 pm

Closed for noon and 5:30 meetings

Saturday and Sunday 9:00 am to 5:30 pm

Me, My Sponsor and AA

Spring 2012 Wolfe Street Journal Page 1

Where Else Could I Go, I Didn’t Know

My sobriety began at Wolfe Street. It was my strong foundation and safe haven from myself and from my alco-holism. Every day I would go hang out early before the meetings and fellowship afterwards. When I was in the building, drinking wasn’t an issue or a need as long as I was around sober people. When my son was born, I found out due to Wolfe Street’s non-profit status and liability issues, children were not al-lowed at the Wolfe Street Center. This posed a real problem for me because Wolfe Street had been my life line. I was-n’t very familiar with other 12 step pro-grams and didn’t know where to go. Someone suggested that I attend another kind of 12 Step meeting that did-n’t have the insurance restrictions a non-profit had to deal with - and kids could come. I did try to work the steps through the program by getting a sponsor and do-ing the assignments but I just could not relate to the things addicts had experi-enced. There were some similarities but there were more differences than not. I managed to put together 4 years and looked forward to the applause and ac-knowledgement so I stayed around for the pat on the back. In 2002, I moved back to Pennsylvania On New Year’s night, I told my story for the first time and two weeks later found myself drunk. That binge kept me out drinking and living an unmanageable life for the next five years. In the spring of 2006, I came back to Little Rock to visit and real-ized how much I missed all my friends and the powerful recovery Little Rock had to offer. So, I decided to come home and start over. It took me 6 months to get

back and once I was here the shame and remorse of having relapsed kept me from being honest for almost two months. When I left I had 4 years but I was also gone for 4 years. If anyone had done the math they would have realized that 4 plus 4 was 8 years but I was running around telling everyone I had six years. “To thine own self be true”. I wanted everyone to be proud of me and just couldn’t face the truth. I admitted what I had done in a meeting where only a couple of people knew me but the pain, guilt and remorse was very much alive and I cried. After I opened up at the meeting, it was a little easier to get honest with the people who knew me well and believed in me. Now my children are teenagers and I can come to Wolfe Street for any meeting. I am thankful for the Wolfe Street Center being here for me when I needed it the most.

-Peggy Sue W.

In Remembrance

———————————————— To make donations in honor or memory of

friends and loved ones, contact the Wolfe Street Foundation, Inc. at 501-372-5662 or send check with name of person you’d like to memorialize

to P.O. Box 3708, Little Rock, AR 72203

In Memory of Joseph “Beau” Dickey, III Margaret “Marty” Porter*

*for a written memorial of Marty, see p. 8

Spring 2012 Wolfe Street Journal Page 2

Spring 2012 Wolfe Street Journal Page 3

Oscar Night America® Has Great Turnout, Excitement

The Wolfe Street Foundation, along with Channel 7 news anchor Pamela Smith and local celebrity Judy Pryor Trice, hosted the most glamorous evening of the year; Oscar Night® America, the 84th Academy Awards® Ceremony gala at The Peabody Hotel in Little Rock, Sunday, February 26, 2012. Guests were delighted with TV, newspaper and magazine media coverage as red carpet interviews were conducted by Pat Bradley of Arkansas Razorback fame and 103.7 The Buzz. With glitz and glamour guests entered the ballroom and the live auction began. Sale of a limited number of RED BOXES offered chances to win an Alwand Vahan bracelet donated by Jacob Jones of Jones and Son Fine Jewelry! Jacob also donated the Alwand Vahan diamond bracelet sold at the live action.

LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION As the only event in Arkansas sanctioned by the ©A.M.P.A.S®, guests received the same programs used by the celebrities attending at the Kodak Theater that evening in LA and delighted in an incredibly delicious four course meal by Pea-body Chef Andre’ including a decadent “Black-Tie” Bavarian Tuxedo Cookie. Highlights of the evening included Best Dressed Couple, Jacob and Jennifer Jones,

Best Dressed Female, Kathrine Clifton and Best Dressed Male, Ryan Schmidt. Something new this year was the big band sound of Dizzy7 and the dance floor was packed. Live auction items included a week in the Caribbean at St. Maarten’s Pelican Island Resort donated by Judge Judith Rogers and Howard J. Weiss, 2 Dallas Cowboy Box Seats on the 50 yard line with catered meal, donated by Tyson Foods, aluminum artwork piece “Rain of Faith” created and donated by Ryan Schmidt and 15 guests in the Hatcher Agency Suite at a Traveler’s game this sea-son in Dickey Stephens Park donated by Greg Hatcher. A big “thank you” to our sponsors Kathy Celeste Swan-son, Chester Phillips, Cindy and Chip Murphy, J.D. Simpson III, CHN Wellness, USA Drug, Alice Rowe, PDC Construction, Karen Holderfield, Friday Eldredge and Clark, Caterpillar, Shelly Bixler, Arvest Bank and Rick Anderson.

(from left to right) Oscar Night attendee Marian Moore, Host Pamela Smith from ABC Channel 7 and Oscar Night America® Event Chair Kathy Swanson.

Live Auction item “Rain of Faith” by artist Ryan Schmidt

Spring 2012 Wolfe Street Journal Page 4

Wolfe Street Membership Name_______________________

Address_____________________

City, State___________________

Check membership category and payment method preferred.

Corporate or Personal Sponsorship

_____ $2000 or more annually

Benefactor Membership

_____ $1200 annually

_____ $100 per month

Patron Membership

_____ $750 annually

_____ $62.50 per month

Supporting Membership

_____ $500 annually

_____ $41.67 per month

Voting Membership

_____ $240 annually

_____ $20.00 per month

Participating Membership

_____ $60 annually

_____ $5 per month

Friends of Wolfe Street

_____ Amount is optional

Yes, I want to become a Wolfe Street Member!

Please fill out the information below and send along with your

check or drop off your gift items at the Wolfe Street Center at 1015 Louisiana—P.O. Box 3708 Little Rock, AR 72203. You can also use your credit card at www.wolfestreet.org or by calling 501-372-5662.

Why I Became A Member of Wolfe Street

I started my journey to recovery in Nov. 2009. I still remember the words I heard in my first meeting at Wolfe Street "Keep Coming Back." I took those words to heart and attended every meeting I could. Soon I started to recognize faces and got to know others who went to meetings at Wolfe street. As I got to know these people bet-ter and listened to their stories I decided I wanted the same thing in my life that they had in theirs "serious sobriety". After Rehab I started on 90+ meetings in 90 days. Wolfe Street is and has always been my home base. I started volunteering at Wolfe Street in January 2010 and have never stopped. In Dec. 2009, I discovered I could strengthen my relationship with Wolfe Street. It was an easy decision for me to say yes. It was only $20.00 month (I spent more in a week on my addiction) and I knew my contributions were helping a lot of Bill W's friends and their families. In Dec. 2011, I wanted to do more so I moved up from being a Voting Member to being a Supporting Member. I truly feel that all of our contri-butions go to help EVERYONE AT WOLFE STREET. In doing this we are helping ourselves as well!!! I have truly been blessed to be-come involved with such a caring and sup-portive organization.

-Cheryl L., WSF Membership Chair

Spring 2012 Wolfe Street Journal Page 5

Wolfe Street Journal is moving to a new format and we need your help!

To better communicate with our friends and save money, the Wolfe Street Journal is moving to an electronic format over the next six months.

Our hope is to begin sending a monthly email that will offer more up-to-date information, allow us to communicate better with you and save the foundation the expense of printing the Journal every three months.

We’ll still print hard copies of the Wolfe Street Journal to distribute to visitors, hand out in meetings and give to friends who don’t have computers. To make this change, we need your help.

SEND US YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS Please email us at bookstore@wolfestreetfoundation.org so we can add your name to our email list. Just send us a blank email with the subject “Wolfe Street Journal” and we’ll do the rest.

We have nearly 900 subscribers to the Wolfe Street Journal, yet we have only a handful of email addresses.

Beginning in July 2012, we will publish the Wolfe Street Journal as a monthly E-newsletter rather than a quarterly print publication. We believe that a monthly publication will better serve our audience and will cut down on

operating expenses for the foundation. Please send us your email addresses

to ensure that you move with us in this new, exciting direction.

We will continue with one more print publication for the summer quarter. Beginning the month after the last print edition, we will move to the new format. Thank you for your support of the Wolfe Street Foundation. We look forward to serving you in the fu-ture! Yours, Markey Ford Brisbin Executive Director

Spring 2012 Wolfe Street Journal Page 6

Save the date—May 1, 2012

16th Annual Night at the Rep

Join us for a rock musical with book and lyrics by Brian Yorkey and music by Tom Kitt. Its story concerns a mother who struggles with worsen-ing bipolar disorder and the effect that her illness has on her family. The musical also addresses such issues as grieving a loss, suicide, drug abuse, ethics in modern psychiatry, and suburban life. It was nominated for eleven 2009 Tony Awards and won three, Best Original Score, Best Or-chestration and Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical for Alice Ripley. It also won the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, becoming just the eighth musical in history to receive the honor. Individual tickets are available in the Wolfe Street Bookstore for $35 each, call 501-372-5662 to reserve your tickets today. Please contact Markey Ford at 501-231-3557 or Committee Chair Doris Matthews at 501-372-5662 regarding sponsorships and/or donations. Or email us at bookstore@wolfestreetfoundation.org.

Mark Your Calendar—May 26, 2012

Annual Summer Luau

Contact the Wolfe Street Bookstore at 501-372-5662 for more information!

Adults $10. per ticket—children under age 10 are $5.

Don’t miss your chance to have fun in the sun with your family and all your favorite Wolfe Street Center characters and friends.

There will be a swimming pool, live band, pool tournament and

Cross-Eyed Pig BBQ!

Spring 2012 Wolfe Street Journal Page 7

-Upcoming Events-

Dunbar Group Speaker Meeting and Luncheon every Wednesday

$4 Plate Lunch

Upcoming Speakers

March 7—Shannon L., Bridging the Gap March 14—Reggie C., Serenity Park March 21—Marsha W. March 28—Henry S., Brown Bag

April 4—TBA April 11—Frank N., Hour of Power April 18—Vicky J. April 25—Neil G., Cosmo

May 2—Sierra H., Meeting in the Middle May 9—Steve H., Barely Legal May 16—Ali G., Barely Legal May 23—Chantz G., Barely Legal May 30—TBA

Growing in Sobriety A series of six workshops

By Scott L.

Last Saturday of the month through July 2012, 10-11:30 a.m., upstairs at the Wolfe Street Center

II. Where are you on the Bell Curve March 31 III. Altered Attitudes April 28 IV. What causes a “slip”? May 26 V. Core values and parenting inventory June 30 VI. How to love yourself July 28

Coming in July

Don Gold, author of Off the Walls, and one who calls home what until re-cently was ‘the big white house on the corner’ will join us at the new home of the Wolfe Street Center to share his story at a Wednesday luncheon and offer a book signing

Spring 2012 Wolfe Street Journal Page 8

In Memoriam Marty Porter

Marty Porter joined AA in 1948. Her husband to be, Jim Porter, joined AA in 1952. They both remained sober for the rest of their lives — Marty for 63 years and Jim with about 49 years. After Marty and Jim married, they found that they had to go to sepa-rate AA meetings in Little Rock since there were only all men’s and all women’s meetings. Therefore, in 1954, Marty, with Jim’s encouragement, started their own ‘mixed’ meeting and named it, The Cosmopolitan Group, which has grown to one of the largest AA groups in Arkansas with over 750 members listed on the ‘Cosmo’ roster today. Evolving from the one Tues-day night mixed speaker meeting at the beginning, there are now at least four meetings each day at the Cosmopolitan Group on Durwood Road which in-cludes one all men’s meeting and, at least, one all women’s meeting, along with one LAMBDA meeting. — Russell T. ———————————————

“If you can see me, I’m the least of your problems.’’ — AA Grapevine, January, 2012

"I asked him if he wanted to go to an AA meeting later and he said, "Let me sleep on it!" — AA Grapevine, November, 2011

Need a Birthday Coin! Does your loved one have an AA birthday coming up? Come to the Wolfe Street Bookstore where we have a

wonderful collection of birthday coins of all types. Come see us today!

Spring 2012 Wolfe Street Journal Page 9

Note from the Board

WSF Board of Directors

President Greg Alagood.

Vice President Rick Adkins

Secretary Alice Rowe

Treasurer Paula Gean

Additional Members Mary Clare Brierley

Larry Gaines Kathy Celeste Swanson

Bob O’Marra Janet Reynolds

Katherine Ann Trotter Doris Matthews

James Waldron, M.D. Shelley Calabough

Executive Director Markey Ford Brisbin

Advisory Board Bob Black

Nancy Kumpuris Kathy Gwatney Hardison

“I am honored to be serving a two year term as President of the Board of Directors of Wolfe Street Foundation, Inc. Obviously, this is an exciting time for Wolfe Street. I want to especially give a shout out to Jim Waldron for his dedicated work “at the helm” during the purchase and transition to our beautiful new facility at the corner of 10th and Louisiana, downtown Little Rock . I want to thank everyone who was able to attend our annual membership meeting on January 21, 2012. The energy level was great. We have a tremendous membership and a hard-working board. But we can’t rest on our laurels. I challenged every member to seek out six friends to join the foundation this year. Look on page 4 for membership levels. (We’ve got to keep the lights on and the doors open in our gorgeous building). I look forward to working with all of you this year. God Bless!” Greg Alagood, President Wolfe Street Foundation, Inc. Board of Directors —————————-

“God, grant me the serenity to accept the

things I cannot change, the courage to

change the things I can and the wisdom

to know the difference.”

—————————–-—-

Spring 2012 Wolfe Street Journal Page 10

MONDAY Name of Group

5:30PM Happy Hour Group

TUESDAY

9:30AM SS T-N-T Group

11:00AM Wolfe Street Group

WEDNESDAY

5:30PM Alateen

THURSDAY

5:30PM Al-Anon Step Study

FRIDAY

5:30PM Happy Hour Group

SATURDAY

8:00PM Dunbar Group

Group Liaison Meeting

5:30 pm 2nd Thursday of April, June, August,

October and December.

Everyone Welcome

SUNDAY Name of Group

7:30AM OD Hour of Power

10:00AM OD Hour of Power

5:30 PM OD Happy Hour

5:30 PM OD By the Deaf for the Deaf

7:00 PM OD 120 1/2—Newcomers

MONDAY

6:45AM Hour of Power

NOON OD Brown Bag

1:00PM OD LR Women

5:30PM CD Happy Hour

8:00PM OSS Dunbar

TUESDAY

6:45AM OD Hour of Power

NOON OD Brown Bag

5:30PM CD Happy Hour

8:00PM CD 120 1/2

WEDNESDAY Name of Group

6:45AM OD Hour of Power

NOON OS Lunch $4 Dunbar

5:30PM CD Happy Hour

7:30- CB Big Book Study

8:00PM OD Main Chance

THURSDAY

6:45AM OD Hour of Power

NOON OD Brown Bag

5:30PM CD Happy Hour

8:00PM OS 120 1/2

FRIDAY

6:45AM OD Hour of Power

NOON OD Brown Bag

5:30PM CD Happy Hour

8:00PM OD Y.E.S. Group

10:00PM OD Last Chance

SATURDAY

7:30AM OD Hour of Power

1:00PM CD Rebos

5:30PM OD Happy Hour

8:00PM OS Big Meeting

10:00PM OD Last Chance

Geno’s $4 Breakfast— Sundays 8:30-9:30 am.

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