by Samantha G.
Have you heard of Bridging the Gap (BTG)? Not many of us in AA have, according to one previous committee member, Juan, from Fremont Men’s Stag meeting. Yet this General Service sub-committee, formed over 30 years ago, serves our primary purpose—to carry the message of recovery to the alcoholic who still suffers—and is a convenient, yet impactful way to be of service.
BTG committee members and volunteers provide support for alcoholics and addicts who have just been released from treatment or correctional facilities. The process is simple: AA members on the “outside” fill out a card as a Bridging the Gap volunteer. Requestors on the “inside” fill out a card offered by BTG Presenters who bring the AA message to rehab facilities. All cards go to the committee’s Phone Coordinator, who matches a volunteer (outside) with a requestor (inside) based on their given location, gender and other potential factors (age, etc.). The Phone Coordinator calls the list of matching volunteers until they get a, “yes.” Then the volunteer initiates contact with the requestor, soon-to-be released from a facility.
For an inside scoop of this, I spoke with the current Chairperson of District 70 (Southern Alameda County) Kevin G., of Dublin’s Sunday Morning Coffee. Kevin is very passionate about his service commitment at BTG and says he has also been a volunteer, and a Phone Coordinator (his favorite of the roles). Volunteers are at-will and have no sobriety requirements (though six months is suggested). Committee roles, like Phone Coordinator, are a two-year panel commitment, and do require some sobriety. Other committee roles include Chair, Treasurer, Presenter, and more.
When asked about what it looks like to be a BTG volunteer, Kevin says, “It can look like anything from a call or text to introduce yourself or meet a requestor at a meeting, to maybe picking them up to take them to a meeting. But only if you are comfortable with that.” He adds, “There are many different outcomes as a volunteer… but any contact between the requestor and the volunteer after the requestor leaves the facility is considered a success.”
Right now, Kevin says they’ve had a hard time getting participants to come to their monthly Zoom meetings, held on the second Monday of each month at 7 pm PT. “These meetings could use more attendance,” he says. Here they share information with any AA attendees who can spread the word of BTG.
Kevin was happy to report the panel he chairs just started presenting again at Cronin House in Hayward, and they are also working on taking BTG to John George facility in San Leandro.
If you are interested in BTG service: email AlamedaBridgingTheGap@gmail.com or simply attend the Bridging the Gap District 07 & 70 Committee meeting on the 2nd Monday of each month. Meeting ID: 854 2205 6849 PW: 063142
“All are welcome!”
Samantha G’s home group is Women’s Freedom Finders, which meets on Wednesday nights at 7:00 at Irvington Presbyterian Church, 4181 Irvington Ave and online. Meeting ID: 374 316 89111 PW: 055230