CAWSO – 21720 S. WILMINGTON AVE, SUITE 304, LONG BEACH, CA 90810 3 10.539.5833 • FAX 3 10.559.2554 • CAWSO@CA.ORG
March 31,2020 Dear Fellow Members:
Two weeks ago, we wrote with some suggestions regarding meetings and the COVID-19 pandemic. In the short time since, the groups have acted quickly to adapt to difficult circumstances in a spirit of Unity.
The Trustees of the World Service Board have continued to discuss the situation regarding C.A. as a whole. After several full days of online meetings, we have made several decisions that we need to bring to the attention of the Fellowship. None of these decisions were taken lightly, and all were taken with substantial unanimity.
Some facts that influenced our decisions:
- The State of California has ordered the closure of all businesses, with a few exceptions, and our World Service Office is not among those exceptions. Therefore, the office is closed until such time as the State modifies its order and allows us to reopen.
- The effect of the COVID-19 pandemic continues to grow, and there is no clear date past which we can assume its containment
- Travel is difficult to impossible internationally, and domestic air travel in the United States has been impacted by quarantines and flight cancellations. Similar conditions exist elsewhere.
- Most locales have issued orders against people congregating and have suggested “social distancing” if not isolation to slow the outbreak.
- As of this time, most C.A. groups have either gone online, or have suspended operations for the time being, and 7th Tradition contributions at all levels have steeply declined.
As such, the normal operation of Cocaine Anonymous, its World Service Office and its various events and services have been severely impacted. We are also concerned about the health and safety of our membership, employees and trusted servants. Accordingly, we have decided to take the following emergency actions:
- The staff of the World Service Office has been placed on furlough, effective April 1. No chip or literature orders will be filled or shipped until the office can reopen. Some office expenses continue and must be paid out of the prudent reserve. The volunteer members of the WSO Board will cover any tasks as needed.
- The 2020 World Service Convention, scheduled for late May, has been postponed by mutual agreement with the hotel. We are working with the hotel on a new date, targeting the weekend of September 5th.
- The 2020 World Service Conference has been cancelled. The 2021 Conference will be held September 1-5,2021 at the Sheraton Gateway Hotel, located at 6101W. Century Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90045
- We have invoked the termination clause for the 2021 Convention hotel contract. We are investigating alternatives for 2021 in the New York City area.
- As the terms of World Service Delegates, Trustee and Office board members and Conference officers are expressed in numbers of Conferences, all such terms extend by one year.
- No Trustee election will occur until Conference 2021.
- Conference committees are instructed not to book any airline or hotel reservations, or otherwise travel on C.A. business, until further notice.
- The individual contribution limit to C.A. World Services has been temporarily increased to $10,000 from $5,000. All such contributions will be listed as “Anonymous”. The limit had been unchanged for many years.
Some of these actions were painful, but we felt all were necessary to ensure that Cocaine Anonymous would survive this perfect storm. Tradition One states that “Our common welfare should come first; personal recovery depends upon C.A. unity.” This, too, shall pass and when it does Cocaine Anonymous will still be here. Be well.
Your World Service Board of Trustees