North Shore Alano 2022 Annual Appeal
Dear Friends of North Shore Alano:
The North Shore Alano’s Annual Appeal is back after a three years COVID break and needs your help. The NSA was founded in 1981 as a non-profit (501c3) organization whose singular mission is to provide a safe, clean, reliable, dedicated, and welcoming place for AA meetings in Evanston, whose primary purpose is to stay sober and help other alcoholics to achieve sobriety.
For 40+ years, the North Shore Alano:
• has leased, paid for, operated, staffed and maintained a dedicated space for meetings.
• has meetings every day and is home to over 45 meetings of Alcoholics Anonymous and two ACOA (Adult Children of Alcoholics) meetings each week.
• has always welcomed first-timers, regulars and those returning, alike.
• employs two stewards who are present during meeting times, who oversee the day-to-day operations of the NSA, with responsibilities too numerous to list. Without their hard work and dedication, we couldn’t operate.
• has organized trips to Founder’s Day in Akron, and local AA conferences
• hosts and organizes social events, talent shows, holiday parties, holiday meals.
• helped save thousands of people’s lives, maybe yours!
COVID:
The NSA recognized an immediate need to keep the Evanston AA community connected during the COVID shutdown. Because of unquestioning generosity of the greater Evanston AA community, their families and friends and the dedication of many members, the NSA was able to quickly pivot to online zoom meetings and ultimately to hybrid meetings. Maintaining this lifeline for so many at such a difficult time was critical and continuing online access to meetings also allows for members with disabilities or compromised immune systems to continue participating in the NSA community.
Think about what your recovery would look like without the North Shore Alano. Passing the basket at meetings helps defray some of these expenses but it’s your generosity at the Annual Appeal that enables the NSA to continue the ongoing responsibility and duty to its members, providing a safe, dedicated place for meetings 7 days a week. North Shore Alano humbly asks you to make a special gift of whatever you can, to sustain our mission and our presence in the AA community.
Envelopes addressed to NSA will be available during meetings for Annual Appeal contributions. Contributions will be collected through January 31, 2023. As always, contributions can also be made via PayPal on our website. Remember: contributions are tax-deductible.
Also, you can always send a check or money order, payable to North Shore Alano and sent to:
North Shore Alano
PO Box 949
Evanston IL 60204-0949
Please write “Annual Appeal” in the memo
The North Shore Alano (NSA) at 607 Lake St. in Evanston, Illinois is currently open for some, not all, live meetings. Please check our Onsite-Meetings page for details. As for now, we will continue all Zoom Meetings along with a couple Hybrid* meetings, available on our Online-Meetings page, until further notice.
The church and North Shore Alano board, has decided to lift the mask mandate for onsite meetings. However, anyone may wear a mask at their discretion.
If you are a newcomer to the AA fellowship or you need the hand of AA, please call the Chicago Area Service Office for assistance at 312-346-1475. You also leave a voicemail at 847-328-9830 and we will get back to you as soon as possible.
The North Shore Alano in Evanston, Illinois, was established in 1981 and is home to 45+ Alcoholics Anonymous meetings each week. The North Shore Alano also has one Al-Anon and two ACOA (Adult Children of Alcoholics) meetings each week.
The North Shore Alano is located on the second floor of the Lake Street Church of Evanston, 607 Lake Street, Evanston, Illinois. The entrance is on the north side of Lake Street, just west of Chicago Avenue. There is plenty of street and metered parking nearby, as well as a public parking lot on Sherman Avenue, just one block west. On Sundays, metered parking is free.
Click the ‘Meetings‘ tab above for a schedule of all meetings, including ‘Open’ meetings, that are open to all.
Our Mission
The North Shore Alano’s mission is to provide a safe and clean place for meetings.
As such, there are a few things we’d like to remind everyone about:
- Please be respectful of each other during meetings. If there are disturbances or you feel unsafe, please see the steward for help.
- No smoking or vaping in the NSA including meeting rooms, restrooms and any part of the church.
- The use of recording devices or photography at the NSA or in meetings is not allowed. Remember, anonymity is the spiritual foundation of our program.
- The NSA rooms are for meetings, not a gathering place outside of meeting times. Please arrive no more than 20 minutes before your meeting and depart from the club 20 minutes after the meeting has ended.
Should you have any questions, please feel free to contact Mark S. or any other board member. Their contact information is available from our stewards.
*Hybrid meetings are both online Zoom meetings and onsite live at North Shore Alano at 607 Lake Street in Evanston, Illinois.