What is the Fresno Central Service Office?

The Fresno Central Service Office is an A.A. service office that involves partnership among groups in a community—just as A.A. groups themselves are partnerships of individuals. The central office is established to carry out certain functions common to all the groups—functions which are best handled by a centralized office—and it is maintained, supervised, and supported by these groups in their general interest. It exists to aid the groups in their common purpose of carrying the A.A. message to the alcoholic who still suffers.

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Functions of the Fresno Central Service Office

A.A. Inquiries

By providing an Alcoholics Anonymous listing in the local telephone directory, the central office may receive inquiries from those seeking help. They will refer the caller to a nearby A.A. group, where sponsorship may be arranged, or have a twelfth stepper contact them. Many local A.A. offices now have their own Web site.

Office Facilities

The central office maintains a conveniently located office in which paid workers and/or volunteers are available to carry the message of A.A. to the alcoholic.

Meeting Lists

Semi-annually, the central office publishes and distributes up-to-date lists of meetings and other information about A.A. services.

Information Exchange

The service office functions as a clearinghouse for the circulation and exchange of information among all the A.A. groups in the community. In this same connection, a logical function of the central office is to provide “program exchange” meetings, where group program chairpersons meet regularly to exchange meetings with other groups.

Local Committees on Public Information and Cooperation With the Professional Community in cooperation with district and area committees

The central office is an ideal contact with those in the community seeking information about A.A. Thus, A.A.’s relations with the public and professionals in the alcoholism field are often handled through the cooperation of the area committee and central office.

A.A. in Correctional and Treatment Facilities

The central office can maintain contact with local groups in correctional facilities and treatment facilities, offering literature and prerelease A.A. contacts and arranging for A.A. speakers and visitors to meetings. When there is a correctional or treatment facility committee for this purpose, the service office may assist it through close cooperation with local hospitals and prisons.

Local A.A. Events

An A.A. central office is a logical body to manage the details of an annual dinner, picnic, or convention, if the participating groups wish it.