AUSTIN RECOVERY ALUMNI ASSOCIATION BY LAWS
The Austin Recovery Alumni Association is a program of the Austin Recovery Network. Believing that the Austin Recovery Alumni Association (ARAA) can be of service to the clients and graduates of the Austin Recovery Network and to the community in which we operate, we have organized ourselves under the following bylaws:
Article I: NAME
The name of organization shall be:
The Austin Recovery Alumni Association
Article II: PURPOSE
The purpose of the Association shall be:
- To share and to promote the sobriety of the Alumni though ARAA.
- To share with Austin Recovery Network clients, the Alumni’s experience, strength, and hope.
- To continue and to maintain fellowship links.
- To supply Alumni volunteers to Austin Recovery for speaking and chairing 12-step meetings at the Hicks Family Ranch and Outpatient services.
- To arrange and participate in social and recreational activities for Austin Recovery Alumni, clients and family and friends of both.
Article III: DUES
There shall be no dues or fees for membership in the Austin Recovery Alumni Association. ARAA is supported financially by the Austin Recovery Network, as well as through its member’s contributions and fundraising. Fundraising activities are conducted with the approval the ARA Steering Committee and the Austin Recovery Network.
Article IV: MEMBERSHIP
Regular Membership
Upon admission to any program at Austin Recovery, including both in-patient treatment and IOP, each alumnus shall automatically be a member of the Association. Only eligible members are allowed to vote at the Monthly Steering Committee Meeting and/or hold leadership positions with-in the Association.
Honorary Membership
Any person granted honorary membership within ARAA shall be awarded all voting privileges afforded by regular membership. Any person who has attained and has provided distinguished service to the Austin Recovery Alumni Association may be granted honorary membership upon recommendation of the board. While honorary members are allowed to vote on any and all issues pertaining to ARAA, they shall be unable to hold office within the Association.
Article V: GOVERNMENT
Executive Committee:
Officers
The officers of the Alumni Association shall include: Steering Committee Chair, Vice-Chair, Secretary and Alumni Board Representative. Each position will be filled through a nominating process carried out at a steering committee meeting followed by an election at a Sunday alumni meeting
The Steering Committee Chair is elected for a one (1) year term and may serve two (2) consecutive terms. The other vise-Chair and Secretary are elected annually with serving one (1) term with no limit on consecutive terms. The Alumni Board Representative is elected for a two (2) year term, and may not serve consecutive terms. All officers shall assume office immediately following annual election.
Steering Committee Chair
The Steering Committee Chair presides with the vice chair, attending all steering committee meetings, appoints subcommittees, and in general performs all the usual duties attending the Association.
Vice Chair
The Vice Chair shall preside in the absence of the Steering Committee Chair. Should the offices of Steering Committee Chair become vacant due to uncontrollable problems or relapse, the Vice Chair shall assume the duties of the office of Steering Committee Chair for the unexpired term and be allowed to appoint an acting vice-chair until an election can be held with the approval of the Alumni Coordinator and steering committee.
Secretary
The Secretary shall record the minutes of all Executive Committee (officers) and Association meetings, file reports and papers received by the Association and provide file copies to the Alumni Coordinator; provide committee chairpersons with names and addresses of committee members and notify Executive Committee (officers) members of meetings.
Alumni Board Representative
The Alumni Association will have an alumni seat on the Austin Recovery Network Board of Directors. The Alumni Board Representative will be the voice of the alumni in all discussions at the board level that may impact the alumni or the alumni association. The position will be filled through a nominating process at Steering Committee meetings, and an election held by the general membership at a Sunday Alumi meeting. The term of the appointment is 2 years
Attendance
If, during any fiscal year, any Officer fails to attend or participate in two (2) consecutive meetings either in person, via phone or electronically without 24 hours’ notice and satisfactory excuse to the Steering Committee Chair, the position of the individual may be declared vacant by a majority vote of the Officers.
Conflict of Interest
It is the mandate of the Austin Recovery Alumni Association to maintain its governance independent of the Austin Recovery Network. To such end, staff members of Austin Recovery are ineligible to hold elected positions on the ARAA Steering Committee, even if they are alumni.
Resignation
All Officers are strongly encouraged to fulfill their obligation and position-centric duties. Even though these elected positions are voluntary, it is vital the structure and message of the Association to maintain your commitment; however, if at some point there is a need to resign from your elected position, a written declaration of resignation is to be presented to the Alumni Coordinator and ARAA Steering Committee Chair as soon as possible.
Vacancy
A vacancy occurring among Officers shall be filled by appointment of the Steering Committee Chair and steering committee at the following business meeting. Such appointees shall serve an unexpired term until the next election.
Required Lengths of Sobriety
In order to be eligible for election to any Officer position within the Association, an individual must have maintained continued sobriety for a minimum of 90 days preceding the date of election to office. In addition to this requirement, certain positions within the organization will have enhanced minimum lengths of sobriety to establish eligibility for election – They shall be thus:
Steering Committee Chair – To be eligible for election to Steering Committee Chair, one (1) year of continued sobriety immediately preceding election must be maintained.
Vice Chair – To be eligible for election to Vice Chair, 6 months of continued sobriety immediately preceding election must be maintained.
Secretary – To be eligible for election to Secretary, 90 days of continued sobriety immediately preceding election must be maintained.
Alumni Board Representative – To be eligible for the Alumni Board Representative position, two (2) years of continuous sobriety immediately preceding election must be maintained.
Obligation to Maintain Sobriety
Relapse does occasionally happen in recovery; it’s a fact, but it isn’t a requirement. Should any elected Officer relapse, it is imperative that he or she contact the Alumni Coordinator immediately to resign their position and present their resignation in writing.
Article VI: MEETINGS
Annual Meeting
The Annual Meeting shall be held every year on a selected date in the month of January. This meeting shall consist of a report by the Steering Committee Chair on the state of the Association, election/installation of the newly elected officers, and, if necessary, voting on items of business such as amendment of Bylaws.
Attendance is mandatory to qualify for nomination to any position with-in ARAA leadership and requires a majority vote for election. A two-thirds vote of the members present is required to ratify any proposed Bylaws changes. A majority vote shall be required to approve all other business.
Special Meetings
The Steering Committee Chair may call a special meeting of the Executive Committee. The Executive Committee shall be given two weeks written notice of such special meeting, stating date, time and objective of the meeting. The Steering Committee Chair shall call a special meeting of the Association at the written request, too, the Alumni Coordinator. Association members shall be given 10 days’ notice of such meeting.
Steering Committee Meeting (Officers)
The Steering Committee Meeting will be held once a month. This meeting will usually occur on first Sunday of each month. The meeting will consist of planning activities for the Austin Recovery Alumni Association, the fiscal state of the Alumni Association and the required monthly reports of each Officer.
Executive Committee Meeting Format (Agenda)
- Call Meeting To Order
- Open With Moment Of Silence followed by the Serenity Prayer
- Read Minutes From Previous Meeting
- Fundraiser Report
- Alumni Coordinator Report
- Old Business
- New Business
- Set Time And Date For Next Meeting
Austin Recovery Alumni Association Structure
Alumni Gender specify Groups and Co-ed Group
The Alumni Groups are another tool to support the ongoing recovery of a Austin Recovery Alumni. It also serves as a bridge for the newest alumnus during the critical transition from treatment at Austin Recovery to life in their homes and communities. For a newcomer, belonging to a group of people who share a common experience at Austin Recovery can be a key element to making that transition as smooth as possible. While an Austin Recovery alumni recovery meeting can be a valuable tool for recovery, Austin Recovery Alumni does not believe or endorse alumni recovery meetings as a substitute for regular attendance at 12-Step meetings. Rather, alumni groups serve as an enhancement to a resident continuing care plan and can enrich and strengthen sobriety.