The Westside Central Office is a result of the fruitful growth of our fellowship. Around the early-to mid 1990s, some A.A. members in the Hillsboro area realized that there was a need for a Central/Intergroup Office closer to the groups on their side of town. At times, the need for A.A. Services on their side of town went unfulfilled and some groups began to feel isolated from the Portland A.A. Community. Some members then proposed opening up an Intergroup in Hillsboro that would be run entirely by volunteers and offer evening and weekend office hours. Although the effort did not get off the ground back then, the wheels for additional Central/Intergroup offices were set in motion.
In January 2009, the idea was revisited, not just by our friends in the Hillsboro area, but by interested members all over the Portland metropolitan area. Some reasons for revisiting the prospect of an additional Central/Intergroup Office include:
- Providing improved services to groups that are located on the edges of our geographical area as well as to groups that are not currently served by the existing Intergroup.
- Helping the existing Intergroup Service Committees with their 12th Step Work.
- Offering more opportunities for 12th Step Work to our A.A. members.
- Providing conveniently located offices that sell A.A. Conference approved (and A.A. Grapevine) literature and offer evening and weekend hours.
An Exploratory Committee was founded to see if there is a need and support for additional Central/Intergroup Offices. The committee surveyed the Portland metro area A.A. community and received 91 responses from members and groups. The results were unveiled at the committee’s last meeting in January 2010. Based on the survey results and feedback at the meeting, the body concluded that there is a need and a willingness to support one additional Central/Intergroup Office on the Westside of town.
Before adjourning the January 2010 meeting, the decision to move forward to create this new entity was made by those in attendance. Under the recommendation of the Exploratory Committee, another committee, called the Formation Committee was created. A monthly meeting time and place were established, the first Saturday of every month at the Barnabas House, 2025 SW Vermont ST, Portland, from 2-3pm. We would meet at this place and time until switching to the first Saturday of the month, 10am, at the Unity Church of Beaverton (12650 SW 5th ST, Beaverton, OR 97005) in July 2011. From August 2012 – March 2014, we would meet on the first Monday of the month, 7pm, at the Beaverton First United Methodist Church (12555 SW 4th ST, Beaverton, OR 97005). We now meet at a rented office in Cedar Hills.
In February 2010, the Formation Committee held its first meeting where it elected committee members. Next, a name for the entity was chosen: The Westside Central Office. The Formation Committee was then renamed to The Westside Central Office Formation Committee.
By mid-2010, a website was started, a treasury established, and a P.O. Box rented. Next, the committee registered the Westside Central Office, under the name Westside Central Office, Inc., as a non-profit corporation with the state of Oregon. In late 2010, the Westside Central Office began selling A.A. Conference approved literature.
In October 2011, the Westside Central Office added a telephone number, 503-684-0415, which can be used to purchase literature and to obtain information on A.A. and the Westside Central Office. With the addition of a phone number, the Westside Central Office also formally established itself as a virtual central office. As group support increases, additional services, including a physical office location would be added.
In March 2012, the participating groups approved the creation of service committees.
In July 2012, the participating groups approved guidelines for the Westside Central Office service structure. The guidelines describe how Westside Central Office organizes itself, our service position job descriptions, and how we conduct elections and business at our monthly business meeting.
In October 2012, The Westside Central Office unveiled a monthly newsletter, called Into Action!, that A.A.s can view on our website or through their email.
In August 2013, The Westside Central Office began offering a printed meeting schedule.
In September 2013, The Westside Central Office began accepting 7th Tradition Contributions through its website.
The Westside Central Office leased its first physical office space on March 4th, 2014. The first office was Suite D located at 12705 SW Beaverdam RD Beaverton, OR 97005. On June 6, 2014 we moved into the slightly larger Suite E located next door to Suite D.
On Saturday, November 1, 2014, the Westside Central Office began offering open office hours on Saturdays from 12noon – 4pm.
At the August 1, 2016 Westside Central Office business meeting, the voting members approved a motion to move all September business meetings to the third Monday of the month. The first Monday in September is Labor Day, a national holiday. All other business meetings will remain scheduled for the first Monday of the month.
On July 13, 2017 the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) classified Westside Central Office as a public charity under Internal Revenue Code (IRC) 501(c)(3). Upon receiving this recognition from the IRS, the Westside Central Office completed the last major milestone of its formation.
On November 18, 2017, Westside Central Office moved their office to Cedar Hills Shopping Center (10220 SW Park Way, Portland, OR 97225) in unincorporated Washington County.
Now that Westside Central Office has a physical office space, we are now in search of an office manager and additional volunteers to staff the office. Individuals interested in helping with this effort are encouraged to contact us.
In loving service,