The South Florida Intergroup of Co-dependents Anonymous

CoDA, the abbreviation for Co-dependents Anonymous, is an anonymous program for those experiencing co-dependency. Using the twelve steps for recovery, adapted from Alcoholics Anonymous, we offer a solution for those caught in a recurring, ever-worsening pattern of co-dependency. We have found that only through meeting regularly with those actively involved in their own recovery process is personal recovery possible. We share our recovery with others in order to maintain our own.

The South Florida Intergroup of Co-dependents Anonymous (SoFCA) serves the CoDA community in the Florida counties of Charlotte, Glades, Martin, Lee, Hendry, Collier, Broward, Dade, and Monroe, including the Keys, and supports the Palm Beach County Intergroup in the service of Palm Beach County.

This includes Atlantis, Aventura, Bal Harbour, Bay Harbor Islands, Belle Glade, Biscayne Park, Boca Raton, Bonita Springs, Boynton Beach, Briny Breezes, Broward County, Cape Coral, Charlotte County, Clewiston, Cloud Lake, Coconut Creek, Collier County, Cooper City, Coral Gables, Coral Springs, Cutler Bay, Dania Beach, Davie, Deerfield Beach, Delray Beach, Doral, El Portal, Everglades City, Florida City, Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers, Fort Myers Beach, Glades County, Glen Ridge, Golden Beach, Golf, Greenacres, Gulf Stream, Hallandale Beach, Haverhill, Hendry County, Hialeah, Hialeah Gardens, Highland Beach, Hillsboro Beach, Hollywood, Homestead, Hypoluxo, Indian Creek, Islamorada, Islandia (inactive city), Juno Beach, Jupiter, Jupiter Inlet Colony, Jupiter Island, Key Biscayne, Key Colony Beach, Key West, LaBelle, Lake Clarke Shores, Lake Park, Lake Worth, Lantana, Lauderdale Lakes, Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, Lauderhill, Layton, Lazy Lake, Lee County, Lighthouse Point, Loxahatchee Groves, Manalapan, Mangonia Park, Marathon, Marco Island, Margate, Martin County, Medley, Miami, Miami Beach, Miami Gardens, Miami Lakes, Miami Shores Village, Miami Springs, Miami-Dade County, Miramar, Monroe County, Moore Haven, Naples, North Bay Village, North Lauderdale, North Miami, North Miami Beach, North Palm Beach, Oakland Park, Ocean Breeze Park, Ocean Ridge, Opa-locka, Pahokee, Palm Beach, Palm Beach County, Palm Beach Gardens, Palm Beach Shores, Palm Springs, Palmetto Bay, Parkland, Pembroke Park, Pembroke Pines, Pinecrest, Plantation, Pompano Beach, Punta Gorda, Riviera Beach, Royal Palm Beach, Sanibel, Sea Ranch Lakes, Sewall's Point, South Bay, South Miami, South Palm Beach, Southwest Ranches, Stuart, Sunny Isles Beach, Sunrise, Surfside, Sweetwater, Tamarac, Tequesta, Virginia Gardens, Wellington, West Miami, West Palm Beach, West Park, Weston, and Wilton Manors

Vision, Policy and Structure

The SoFCA currently serves the Co-Dependents Anonymous community in the counties of Martin, Palm Beach, Broward, and Dade and the Keys.

Any of the below vision, policy or service structure can be modified through appropriate expressions of Intergroup Conscience.

This version of SoFCA Vision, Policy and Structure reflects the initial state, not yet ratified by Intergroup Conscience.

The Threefold Vision of the South Florida Intergroup

1. We envision a network of committed Co-Dependents Anonymous group members involved in carrying the message of Co-Dependents Anonymous recovery to those addicted who have never heard about Co-Dependents Anonymous recovery to professionals, organizations and facilities that are involved in the treatment of co-dependency related disorders.
2. We envision a vital South Florida Co-Dependents Anonymous Community formed by regular meeting attendance, phone conversation and special events.
3. We envision a store house of up-to-date South Florida Co-Dependents Anonymous meeting and special event information available to Co-Dependents Anonymous members, professionals, and suffering Co-Dependents that are seeking recovery.

The Twelve South Florida Intergroup Policies

1. The SoFCA adheres to the Twelve Traditions of Co-Dependents Anonymous and to the 12 Recommended Guidelines for Dealing with Media and Public Relations Opportunities.
2. SoFCA provides information to the professional community, members of other recovery communities and people who are suffering from co-dependency that have no relationship with either therapeutic or recovery resources.
3. The SoFCA maintains a confidential list of people interested in service, their contact information, their service function(s) and their home group to facilitate inter-group communications. These people are notified well in advance of Intergroup Conscience meetings.
4. The SoFCA is focussed on providing communication services to individual Co-Dependents Anonymous groups in the service area, keeping SoFCA decision-making and financial activities to a minimum, so that most authority and responsibility within the community is delegated to the group level.
5. General Service Representatives (GSRs) will be the point person or people for their respective groups. Each group may choose one or two GSRs if they wish to be represented in the SoFCA.
6. Because each group is autonomous, each group will have the ability to limit what of the information related to its meetings will be available in the SoFCA printed schedule and on the SoFCA web pages.
7. Because of privacy concerns, contact information associated with Co-Dependents Anonymous Groups will not be shared with other Co-Dependents Anonymous Trusted Servants, included in the SoFCA printed schedule or place in SoFCA web pages without the direct consent of the people for whom the contact information relates.
8. To gain a wider base of service experience, rotation of SoFCA Trusted Servants is preferable whenever a reasonable term of service has elapsed and sober and willing people are available to step up to service. Where practical, it is encouraged that each SoFCA Trusted Servant and Group Service Representative hold only one office at a time.
9. Duplication of service functions between SoFCA Trusted Servants is encouraged to stabilize and secure SoFCA operations. Similarly SoFCA meeting and contact information is to be held by two or more SoFCA Trusted Servants to reduce the likelihood of loss of critical operations information and service archives.
10. The safety of new members depends on the accuracy of meeting information. Changes to the printed and Internet versions of the SoFCA meeting schedule must be submitted or confirmed by either an established Group Service Representatives (GSR) or two corroborating Co-Dependents Anonymous Members
11. Although perseverance is an important quality to develop in recovery, SoFCA functions will rely on postal and electronic communications where possible to conduct business to get the most out of the service hours donated by SoFCA Trusted Servants and Group Service Representatives (GSRs).
12. The SoFCA provides Trusted Servants respond appropriately to phone, e-mail and in-person inquiries from those who seek information and/or support not otherwise available.

Offices of The SoFCA

Intergroup Conscience Chairperson

1. Abstained from bottom line behavior for a suggested one or more years.
2. Calls quarterly meetings of Intergroup Conscience with the assistance of the Notification Secretary, choosing an available centralized meeting location.
3. Chairs the Quarterly Intergroup Conscience Meetings.
4. Encourages the following of Co-Dependents Anonymous tradition and policy at Quarterly Intergroup Conscience Meetings and in general in SoFCA service.
5. Maintains list of motions that passed and motions that failed.
6. Encourages and oversees that each SoFCA officer is active in their responsibilities and communication with other SoFCA officers.

Group Service Corespondent

1. Gathers and updates an SoFCA Membership List containing the contact information of all Co-Dependents Anonymous Members interested in SoFCA service.
2. Synchronizes the SoFCA Membership List with that of the Notification Secretary.
3. Gathers and updates an SoFCA Meeting Schedule containing all meetings in the SoFCA service area that autonomously indicate their wish to be on the schedule.
4. Synchronizes the SoFCA Meeting Schedule with that of the Notification Secretary.
5. Encourages Group Service Representatives (GSRs) to share recovery and service information with both the group they represent and other SoFCA Trusted Servants. This encouragement is done via phone and by visiting each Co-Dependents Anonymous Meeting
6. Plants the idea into each group that does not have one or two active General Service Representatives that service is the backbone of recovery as pointed out in Tradition One.

Notification Secretary

1. Gathers and updates an SoFCA Membership List containing the contact information of all Co-Dependents Anonymous Members interested in SoFCA service.
2. Synchronizes the SoFCA Membership List with that of the Group Service Corespondent.
3. Synchronizes the F.W.S. list of meetings for South Florida with that of SoFCA.
4. Ensures that the SoFCA web site and South Florida Co-Dependents Anonymous meetings are listed properly on the F.W.S. web site and in the F.W.S. International Meeting Directory.
5. Notifies F.W.S. of any changes in contact information.
6. Notifies GSRs and groups without a GSR of special events.
7. Notifies GSRs and groups without a GSR of matters of Intergroup Conscience.
8. Sends updated SoFCA Meeting Schedules to GSRs and groups without a GSR.

Public Information Chairperson

1. Becomes clear on the meaning of the Twelve Traditions and the 12 Recommended Guidelines for Dealing with Media and Public Relations Opportunities.
2. Considers maters of anonymity, confidentiality, abuse of contact information and the safety of meeting places;and attempts to strike a balance between these and active dissemination of information about Co-Dependents Anonymous Recovery in South Florida.
3. Develops relationships with the professional community, government, other 12 step fellowships and recovery institutions.
4. Sends updated SoFCA Meeting Schedules, carefully selected pamphlets and a cover letter containing the F.W.S. And SoFCA web site addresses to professionals, government offices, other 12 step meetings and recovery institutions.
5. Chairs the Public Information Subcommittee and delegates outreach activities to other SoFCA Trusted Servants to penetrate all factions of the local community with correct information about Co-Dependents Anonymous And meetings in South Florida within the constraints of Co-Dependents Anonymous Tradition
6. In the future, a two sided glossy index-card-sized general public outreach card may be printed and distributed by the Public Information Subcommittee.

Schedule and Calendar Coordinator

1. Gathers and updates an SoFCA Meeting Schedule containing all meetings in the SoFCA service area that autonomously indicate their wish to be on the schedule.
2. Synchronizes the SoFCA Meeting Schedule with that of the Group Service Corespondent.
3. Directly updates the Internet version of the SoFCA Meeting Schedule with the assistance of the SoFCA Webmaster.
4. Adds special events to the SoFCA Calendar.

Inquiry Response Representative

1. Answers questions that arise out of outreach activities with official information. If an inquiry cannot be answered officially by the Inquiry Response Representative, the inquiry is delegated to F.W.S. or another SoFCA Trusted Servant who can, or as a last resort simply responds "we don't know".
2. Responds to incoming inquiries via e-mail, the SoFCA web site inquiry form.
3. In the future, an SoFCA post office box and SoFCA voice mail box may also be rented and monitored by the Inquiry Response Representative.

Intergroup Archivist

1. Keeps dated a copy of motions that passed and motions that failed from each Quarterly Intergroup Conscience Meeting.
2. Keeps dated a copy of the SoFCA Membership List that failed from each Intergroup Conscience Meeting.
3. Keeps any other official F.W.S., SoFCA or Co-Dependents Anonymous Group documents that fall into the hands of the SoFCA.
4. Cleans the SoFCA Archive of superfluous materials and documents.
5. Keeps the SoFCA Archive well organized and cataloged.

Webmaster

1. Ensures the correct operation of the SoFCA web site.
2. Registers and reregisters the SoFCA web site with various search engines and other Co-Dependents Anonymous sites.
3. Provides software tools and passwords to the Schedule and Calendar Coordinator for direct update of the SoFCA Meeting Schedule and Calendar.
4. Makes modifications to the SoFCA web site per Intergroup Conscience.
5. Protects the SoFCA web site from tampering, abuse and links and references from inappropriate web sites.

Alternates

1. Provides backup support and prudent redundancy for the other SoFCA offices.

Composition of Meeting Schedule Items

Any of the following information can be made available on either the printed SoFCA meeting schedule the SoFCA Internet schedule or both.

• name of the group
• general format (discussion, Co-Dependents Anonymous text, speaker, chairperson's choice, mixed format, etc.)
• special characteristics (step, anorexia, Co-Dependents Anonymous-anon, handicap accessible, getting current included, etc.)
• time slot (day of week, start time, end time)
• name of the facility and/or building
• full street address and city
• clear directions
• map image or images
• name of the Group Service Representative (GSR)
• phone contact(s)
• e-mail contact(s)
• post office box

© 2007 South Florida Intergroup of Co-Dependents Anonymous.Providing electronic links or references to this web page or any other South Florida Intergroup web page is expressly prohibited unless such electronic link or reference originates from an official Co-dependents Anonymous web page or written permission has been granted by the South Florida Intergroup to provide such electronic link or reference. Content of this page may be duplicated and distributed freely provided the following three restrictions are adhered to during the duplication and distribution, regardless of the number of recursive duplications or distributions made:
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