Announcements

2018 Nominations for President and Vice President – The Calix Society

 

 

Nominee for President – Gaylen E.

Gaylen E. is a recovering alcoholic from Cleveland, Ohio.  His AA home group is Bay Sunrise, and his sobriety date is January 23, 2004.  Gaylen has been an active member of the Cleveland Calix unit since 2015.

Gaylen was a ‘Cradle Catholic’, raised in the Catholic faith, served as an altar boy, and attended a prominent Jesuit high school.  In his young adulthood, Gaylen stopped participating in the Church.  His career as a practicing alcoholic, addict and agnostic blossomed over the following decades.

He entered AA at age 50 and began the lifetime process of recovery. The message of hope – that the 12 steps could lead him to a better life; that the Fellowship would guide and support him; and that a Power greater than himself would supply the power and grace to pull it off – made miraculous changes in his life.

Eventually, after six years of sobriety and facing a pending divorce, he became really willing to get serious about the 11th Step. The Big Book directed him to “Be quick to see where religious people are right. Make use of what they offer.”  Thanks to fellow AA members, he joined a Bible study and a spiritual book club.

After 35 years away, Gaylen returned to the Church in 2011.  He now serves as a Lay Eucharistic Minister at his parish.

Gaylen has come to appreciate how his spiritual growth in sobriety has been aided by his participation in the Catholic faith. In Calix, he stands in recovery at the intersection of the AA 12 Step program and the Catholic Church.

In preparation for the Cleveland 2016 Calix International Retreat, Gaylen served as co-leader of the Agenda Committee, responsible for designing theme and content.  It was at the retreat that he was nominated for membership on the Calix Board.

Gaylen has served on the Calix Board of Directors since 2016, and has been a member of the Outreach Committee since 2017.

Gaylen is a father of four, grandfather of 10; and has lived in Cleveland his entire life.

Nominee for Vice President – Mike M.

Mike M. has been a member of the Northern Virginia (NoVa) Calix Unit in Leesburg, VA since October 2014.  He also is an active member of Al-Anon. Mike first entered Al-Anon in 1995 when his then-wife entered into AA.  After a period of absence, Mike re-entered Al-Anon in 2011 when his oldest daughter fell into serious trouble with alcohol.

Service is an important aspect of Mike’s recovery.  He has been a Calix Board Member since September 2016.  Mike currently chairs the Outreach Committee for the Calix Board of Directors.  For Al-Anon, Mike is a Group Rep for a mixed Al-Anon group and a Treasurer for a Men’s group.  Mike is also an Alateen Sponsor.  He is a Board Member for a recovery venue organization, Club 12, located in Leesburg, VA.

Mike is a devout Catholic, having attended parochial schools until his sophomore year in high school. While attending American University in Washington, DC, Mike completed a semester study abroad program in Jerusalem, which made an impactful highlight in Mike’s life.

Professionally, Mike has been a Marketing Manager and a Business Development Manager for many years for a plastics company in the construction industry.

He is inspired to grow the awareness and membership of the Calix Society, helping others with their spiritual development, as Calix has been a significant factor in Mike’s own spiritual growth, especially over the last three years.

Mike is a divorced father of a son and three daughters – ages 18, 20, 24 and 26.