Type of Project:
Public Meeting
Project Name:
Overeaters Anonymous Public Meeting (held in local church hall)
Project Goal:
Goal was to inform health care professionals, clergy and the public about OA.
Organizing Service Body:
Canterbury Intergroup, New Zealand
[email protected]
Contact Information:
Canterbury Intergroup
Public Information Chairperson
[email protected]
Resources Needed (budget, volunteers, materials, etc.):
The resources needed for this project were Intergroup funding, committed volunteers, tablecloths, banners,
(string and ladder to hang them), signage pointing people in the direction of event, literature ($15 worth was
sold) and a microphone system. Envelopes, flyers, posters, and printing costs/supplies are additional needed
materials. A podium, tables, chairs and all cleaning equipment (including a vacuum cleaner) were provided by
venue. Approximately $700 was spent for this event. Click here to view a PDF of budget (link to budget found
at the end of PIad12NZPublicMtg.pdf) – please note that this budget is in New Zealand dollars.
Implementation Process (including length of time for planning and implementation):
PI MEETING (SIX MONTHS PRIOR)
Discussion for event began six months prior at Public Information Committee meeting:
• Discussed plan for Public Meeting
• Confirmed date and time for the meeting (length and format)
• Started researching venue and discussed venue requirements (size, cost, location, parking…)
• Discussed and researched who to invite, for example: Doctors, Counselors, Clergy, Schools,
Naturopaths, Homeopaths, Recovery Centers, CDHB, and sources of these addresses
• Discussed and researched how they wanted to advertise, for example: Buses (link to PIad12NZBus
Poster.pdf), Community Flyer Drop, Paid Advertisements and Free articles and community notices
through radio, TV, magazines and press.
Intergroup meeting: Plan was presented by committee.
PI MEETING (FIVE MONTHS PRIOR)
• Confirmed venue based on research
• Reported on research regarding who was to be invited (used approximate numbers for budget)
• Decided mail-out addresses needed to be put on computer – found volunteers for this
• Reported on research for how event will be promoted
• Idea was presented regarding Christchurch City Council window display
• Confirmed budget requirements to present to Intergroup –included expenses such as: Postage of
invitations letters; Flyers and poster costs; Hire of Venue; Advertising; Paper and printing costs and
Additional costs
• Established a shortfall of $600.
Intergroup meeting: Discussed Public Meeting budget and shortfall was approved and given to the PI
committee.
PI MEETING (FOUR MONTHS PRIOR)
• Continued typing out information for mail-out with deadline of 30 days away
• A media sub-committee of three people began discussion on how to approach the media and to
prepare the advertising flyers
• An advertisement was booked to appear one month prior to event
• Christchurch City Council window display scheduled for the week before the public meeting
• Decided to research and get a budget for taping to present to Intergroup
• Drafted letters to send to contacts based on the letters prepared for the Public Meeting in 2000
• Drafted flyers prepared to promote the Public Meeting
Intergroup meeting: A half page flyer with the details of the Public Meeting was brought to Intergroup
meeting and distributed to the groups in Canterbury and the wider region.
PI MEETING (THREE MONTHS PRIOR)
• Finalized exactly who to send letters to and all the information was completed and input into
computer spreadsheets. Information was proofed and then cross-checked for duplicates.
• Finalized letters based on the ones sent for the last public meeting with copies given to all the relevant
contact people
• Prepared mail-merges and printed letters from the above information
• Media sub-committee prepared flyers, a press release and a cover letter and started to contact media
where appropriate
• Two quotes were obtained for taping but were too expensive
• Discussed options for chairperson and speakers, readings and readers.
• Discussed volunteers to be greeters, pamphlets for visitors, set-up and clean-up
• Discussed Library Display, PI Display and Literature Display
• Discussed Banners, 7th Tradition, flowers and tea and coffee
Intergroup meeting: Made reminder announcement and brought more flyers. Reminded members that we
wanted to distribute extra tear-off tag posters to the community prior to the public meeting. Asked members
to arrive at event early to greet and make a good impression on public. Spoke with Phone Answering
Coordinator about adding a message to Intergroup voice mail that directed people to a public meeting contact
with any questions.
SPECIAL PI MEETING (FOUR AND 1/2 WEEKS PRIOR)
• All invitation letters were printed, signed, folded and stuffed into prepaid envelopes to be sent one
month prior to the meeting (completed by volunteers prior to the meeting)
• Remembered to also invite library staff, prison staff and contact CABs
• Celebrated media successes to date
• Media sub-committee met again to discuss progress and specifically consider radio and television
contact
• Confirmed details of format and set-up
• Discussed option of literature to be available
• A sub-committee with two members was formed to complete the Christchurch City Council window
display
Intergroup meeting: Smaller flyers (1/3 page) were distributed at the Intergroup meeting to take to all the
meetings. Members were requested to help with distributing tear-off tag posters throughout the community.
PI MEETING (TWO WEEKS PRIOR)
• Reported on mail-out successes, media successes and community flyer distribution
• Finalized requirements for Public Meeting and for the window display
• Confirmed final details for venue and arranged key pick-up
• Decided on what literature was to be available
• Discussed sound system and taping requirements and planned to ask meetings directly for help with
this - as to date no help had been forthcoming
Intergroup meeting: Asked the fellowship to let us know where they have seen or heard about the public
meeting.
PI MEETING (AFTER EVENT)
• Follow-up on event with thank you letters and summary of result.
Additional Comments (including things of which to be mindful):
MAILING (FOUR WEEKS PRIOR TO EVENT)
A total of 778 letters were sent with event details and an invitation to attend. The mailings were dispersed
amongst volunteers and broken down into the categories below. Click here for details of how addresses were
obtained for mailing (link sentence to copy on page 5 headed “Mailings”).
• doctors (352) and clergy (152)
• counselors (135) and Naturopaths/Homeopaths (58)
•
•
•
dieticians (16)
schools (31)
recovery centers (20) and community groups (14)
Library staff, prison staff and the Citizen Advice Bureau were also contacted to be made aware of and invited to
the public information meeting. Three of the churches that were mailed invitations and the communications
department of the CDHB advertised the event in their newsletters. (Only 17 letters (2.2%) were returned with
incorrect addresses.)
MEDIA
Below is a list of media advertisements for event:
• An article in the Press (Christchurch’s local newspaper)
• A community notice in the Christchurch Star (Christchurch’s most widely read free local newspaper)
• A listing on the Tearaway website (A website for a national youth magazine)
• An article based on our press release was printed in The Christchurch Mail (A free local community
newspaper). There was a mistake regarding “fees for membership” but a correction was printed one
week later which was basically another advertisement for the Public Meeting.
• Ad in the “What’s On in the City” column in The Christchurch Mail – 1 month, 2 weeks and a few
days prior
• Ad in the Community News Advertiser – 1 month prior (Another free local community newspaper)
• A ten minute interview on Plains FM with a member on the week prior to the event
• A thirteen minute feature on Radio New Zealand aired on the afternoon program
LOCATION & SET UP
Location for event was chosen based on availability, adequate size, reasonable price, comfortable chairs and
surroundings and central city location. The seats (set up for 70 people) were facing away from the door with
the chairperson and speaker table at the front. The Literature, PI and Library Displays were at the back of the
room. Flowers were used for decorations. Greeters were posted at front door. Contact people were appointed
for the various professionals (based on who had sent the letters and a list of possible guests based on phone
calls received prior to the event and interest expressed in attending).
MEETING FORMAT
Saturday morning 10:30 am – 12 noon
Opening Introduction by chairperson who reads preamble
Steps and Traditions read
3 speakers approximately 15 minutes each
Questions from the floor fielded by chairperson, answered by panel
Closing with 7th tradition and Serenity Prayer
RECORDING EVENT
Quotes from professional technology providers were sought, but too expensive: Shipley’s ($600) and Business
Visuals ($400). We also asked the fellowship, no help was forthcoming. A simple MP3 player was sat in front
of the amplifier and a volunteer pressed record and stop to tape it. This provided digital recording which a
volunteer then edited and got to a size suitable for an 80 minute CD and a 90 minute tape. The radio
interviews were also included which are available as downloadable podcasts. The quality of the recording is very
good.
Results:
A total of 45 people attended the Public Information Meeting. The meeting itself attracted 11 visitors that
included a doctor from the National Addiction Center, a dietician from Burwood Hospital, a reporter from
National Radio, a visitor from Timaru OA and most importantly seven newcomers; 6 women and 1 man. The
newcomers found out about OA from tear-off flyers (link to PIad12NZTEAR OFF TAGS.pdf) posted in
doctor offices and the Christchurch City Council window display. One of the newcomers was invited to attend
as a professional clergy member but decided that she needed it herself.
We received a substantial increase in the number of phone calls to the Intergroup answerphone service in the
weeks surrounding the meeting. One telephone inquiry came from a community organization called Lifelinks
(offers support to morbidly obese people). They saw the article in The Christchurch Mail and will now be
contacted on a regular basis by the PI committee.
Another result was Canterbury Intergroup was approached for an article from Healthy Options (A national
magazine that focuses on alternative medicine) and Tearaway (A national magazine for youth aged 16-25).
MAILINGS: All letters were sent one month prior to event
Sources for whom to invite to the Public Meeting came from:
Doctors: Volunteer got the names of individual general practitioners and updated any clinics not previously
included. Data was put into electronic format and checked for double-ups.
Counselors: The counselors were sourced through the Christchurch Library CINCH database. The key word
used for this was ‘counseling’. A printout of the information was supplied which then needed to be typed into
the computer, proofed and cross-checked (especially against the lists we had for the Clergy, Recovery Centers
and Community Groups). Click here for a sample letter sent to counselors (link to PIad12NZCounsellors
Intro.pdf).
Clergy: Clergy members were also sourced through the CINCH database. The number of Religious
Organizations on this database was too large to use so we chose only the major denominations. This
information was all typed in from scratch and checked for duplications.
Community Groups: A volunteer compiled a small list of community groups based on a pamphlet of who to
contact for help in Canterbury.
Recovery Centers: A volunteer used the Mental Health Education Resource Center Directory to source 20
Recovery Centers.
Schools: The PI Committee already contacts school counselors on an annual basis. The existing list was
updated and invited to the Public Meeting. Click here for a sample letter sent to schools (link to
PIad12NZSchools 2008.pdf).
Naturopaths and Homeopaths: The PI Committee already contacts these professionals on an annual basis. The
existing list was updated and invited to the Public Meeting. Click here for a sample letter sent to naturopaths
(link to PIad12Naturopaths.pdf).
Dieticians: The PI Committee already contacts these professionals on an annual basis. The existing list was
updated and invited to the Public Meeting.
CDHB: The Communications Department was contacted and they decided that the best way to inform staff of
the public meeting was to include it in the staff newsletter called “From the CEO”. The information about the
Public Meeting was included in their staff newsletter and specifically mentioned who might be interested in
attending as follows: “OA’s experience of problem eating and recovery plans may be of interest to some CDHB
staff, particularly those from cardiology, gastroenterology, general medicine, diabetes, women and children’s,
community based health providers as well as social workers, nurses and dietary staff.”
Other: Prison staff and Library staff were contacted by e-mail. The Citizen Advice Bureau were called and
updated with pamphlets and a flyer specifically advertising the Public Meeting.
Is food a
problem
for you?
Is food a
problem
for you?
Do you eat when you’re
not hungry?
Do you eat when you’re
not hungry?
Do you go on eating
binges for no apparent
reason?
Do you go on eating
binges for no apparent
reason?
Is your weight affecting
the way you live your life?
Is your weight affecting
the way you live your life?
Call
OVEREATERS
ANONYMOUS
Call
OVEREATERS
ANONYMOUS
Ph: (03) 365 3812.
Ph: (03) 365 3812.
- listed in the help section
in the phone book
- listed in the help section
in the phone book
OA 365 3812
OA 365 3812
OA 365 3812
OA 365 3812
OA 365 3812
OA 365 3812
OA 365 3812
OA 365 3812
OA 365 3812
OA 365 3812
OA 365 3812
OA 365 3812
OA 365 3812
OA 365 3812
OA 365 3812
OA 365 3812
Overeaters Anonymous
P O Box 2451
Christchurch
Telephone: (03) 365 3812
<<insert date>>
<<insert contact organisation>>
<<address one>>
<<address two>>
Christchurch
Attn: <<insert contact name>>
Dear <<title (Mr or Ms)>> <<contact surname>>,
with the start of the new year, we would like to take this opportunity to
re-introduce our organisation of Overeaters Anonymous (OA) to you.
OA is a twelve-step programme for men and women who support each other
in solving their common problem of compulsive eating including anorexia,
bulimia, obesity and overeating.
Our programme may be of help to some of your clients.
If you would like more information please contact us on:
Telephone: (03) 365 3812
Christchurch
We have also enclosed a reply paid postcard. Please feel free to answer this
at your convenience.
We are also listed in the Personal Help Section of the Christchurch telephone
book.
Yours sincerely,
Carla Martin
Public Information Committee
Christchurch Overeaters Anonymous
Is eating a problem for any of your clients?
Is eating a problem for any of your clients?
Yes, I am interested in:
Yes, I am interested in:








Receiving some information about OA
An opportunity to speak with an OA member
Having information on file for my clients
Other
...................................................................
Receiving some information about OA
An opportunity to speak with an OA member
Having information on file for my clients
Other
...................................................................
From:
_________________________________________
From:
_________________________________________
Contact Person:
_________________________________________
Contact Person:
_________________________________________
Telephone:
_________________________________________
Telephone:
_________________________________________
Is eating a problem for any of your clients?
Is eating a problem for any of your clients?
Yes, I am interested in:
Yes, I am interested in:








Receiving some information about OA
An opportunity to speak with an OA member
Having information on file for my clients
Other
...................................................................
Receiving some information about OA
An opportunity to speak with an OA member
Having information on file for my clients
Other
...................................................................
From:
_________________________________________
From:
_________________________________________
Contact Person:
_________________________________________
Contact Person:
_________________________________________
Telephone:
_________________________________________
Telephone:
_________________________________________
Public Information Committee
Overeaters Anonymous
Canterbury Intergroup
Public Information Committee
Overeaters Anonymous
Canterbury Intergroup
P O Box 2451
CHRISTCHURCH
P O Box 2451
CHRISTCHURCH
Public Information Committee
Overeaters Anonymous
Canterbury Intergroup
Public Information Committee
Overeaters Anonymous
Canterbury Intergroup
P O Box 2451
CHRISTCHURCH
P O Box 2451
CHRISTCHURCH
OVEREATERS ANONYMOUS
PO Box 2451
CHRISTCHURCH
Phone (03) 365 3812
18 January 2006
Naturopath/Homeopath
P.O. Box xxxx
Christchurch
To Mr/s Doe,
Required reading must take up a lot of your time.
We sympathise.
Briefly, we would like you to know:
1. Overeaters Anonymous has built up a significant record in helping suffering
Compulsive Overeaters, Anorexics and Bulimics.
2. Our programme may also help some of your clients.
3. There are no membership fees.
The nearest Overeaters Anonymous contact can be found at:
Telephone (03) 365 3812
CHRISTCHURCH
We are also listed in the help section of the telephone book.
We enclose a pamphlet giving you a little information about Overeaters Anonymous.
Kind regards,
members name
CHRISTCHURCH OVEREATERS ANONYMOUS
PUBLIC INFORMATION COMMITTEE
Christchurch O.A. Public Information Committee
Calender of Events --- 2008
Thursday 17th January
Thursday 7th February
PUBLIC MEETING, 23rd February
Public Meeting Mailout:
Invite to public meeting sent to Doctors,
Citizens Advice Bureaus (Claire)
Counsellors, Clergy, Schools, Dieticians,
Naturopaths, Recovery Houses and Community
Library Display commences (Fran)
Groups
Special Community Flyer drop for
Public Meeting
Statistics Graph (Carla)
M.S.
Bridge
Doctors' Surgeries (Tina)
CDHB Sectors (Carla)
M.S.
Plains FM "Quiet Minds" Interview
(Sharon)
Bridge
Thursday 1st May
Noticeboard CTV (Carla)
Radio/Newspaper letters (Carla)
29
8
Thursday 5th June
Thursday 6th March
Thursday 3rd April
Noticeboard CTV (Carla)
Radio/Newspaper letters (Carla)
Update P I Resource kit/folder (Carla)
Community Flyer Drop (Kate)
Counsellors (Robyn BB)
Re-contact schools (Fran)
Book Donations to Libraries (Fran)
Central Electorate Office (Sharon)
Call for Treasurer nominations
Community Groups (Sharon)
Recovery Houses (Sharon)
M.S.
Bridge
28
Thursday 3rd July
Literature update (May - Aug)
Treasurer up for rotation
M.S.
4
Bridge
Thursday 7th August
Citizens Advice Bureaus (Claire)
Noticeboard CTV (Carla)
Radio/Newspaper letters (Carla)
Re-contact interested Counsellors (Robyn)
Order cards for GP surgeries (Tina)
Doctors' Surgeries (Tina)
Call for Chairperson nominations
Literature update (Sep - Dec)
Research buses (Kate)
CDHB Sectors (Carla)
Community Groups (Sharon)
Recovery Houses (Sharon)
Central Electorate Office (Sharon)
Contact Dieticians (Claire)
M.S.
23
XA Speakers
Bridge
M.S.
M.S.
Bridge
Bridge
Bridge
4
22
18
16
Thursday 4th September
Thursday 2nd October
Thursday 6th November
Chairperson up for rotation
M.S.
22
Thursday 6th December
Noticeboard CTV (Carla)
Radio/Newspaper letters (Carla)
Citizens Advice Bureaus (Claire)
Noticeboard CTV (Carla)
Radio/Newspaper letters (Carla)
Set up Library Display Schedule (Fran)
Central Electorate Office (Sharon)
Book donation to Library
Order cards for GP surgeries (Tina)
Community Groups (Sharon)
Recovery Houses (Sharon)
Update P I Calender for 2009 *
Prepare 2008 Annual Financial Report
M.S.
CDHB Sectors (Carla)
Bridge
M.S.
10
Bridge
10
Ongoing Projects:
* Library Display Timetable (Fran)
* Medical Student visits through the year (Liana)
* Bridge visits through the year (Tina)
* Harbour House visits through the year (Jill)
* Odyssey House visits through the year (Tony S)
Doctors' Surgeries (Tina)
Set up Prison Roster (Carla)
M.S.
Contact Plains FM (Sharon)
Call for Secretary nominations
Bridge
Possible Projects:
* Mail-out to Dentists
* Plains FM Community Project
* CDHB Surgeons
28
Literature updates (Jan - Apr)
Secretary up for rotation
XA Speakers
M.S.
Bridge
* Remember to look at the 2007 Calendar when
completing.