Women who make strong bonds in recovery tend to have longevity in sobriety. The Arbor Women’s Group bridges the gap for women, and we do it in a FUN way! A2WG conducts monthly activities to strengthen and enhance women’s recovery through fun, informative, healthy events.  Our events, workshops and retreats are free, low-cost, and/or scholarship based.

Who Can Attend an A2WG Event?

If you are a former alcoholic or addict in recovery, and you are a woman, you qualify. Just register for our events.

Finding Out About Events

We list upcoming events on the home page and on the events and retreats page. We also post all of our events on social media. There are links to your favorite social media sites on every webpage. The fastest way to find out about upcoming events is to sign-up to receive recovery event emails and/or by joining our text notification list by texting EZA2WG to 313131.

Ann Arbor Women’s Group Board

 

Catherine M. Freeman, President
MA in Pastoral Ministry, Ecumenical Theological Seminary in Detroit; BA, University of Michigan. Worked 20 years as a manager in an Information Technology Department. Ordained as a Deacon in the United Methodist Church in 2011. Currently works as the Pastoral Assistant at Dixboro United Methodist Church and volunteers as a retreat leader, a spiritual director for women, and as a Board member for A2WG and two other non-profit agencies

 

Nancy Rhodes, Vice President

 

Georgea (Gigi) M. Langer, Secretary
Georgea (Gigi) Langer has served on the board of A2WG since it began in 2007. As a person in long-term recovery, she hasn’t had a drink or a drug since January, 1986. She began her professional career as a middle school Spanish and French teacher. After receiving her doctorate from Stanford University, she spent 24 years as a professor of teacher education at Eastern Michigan University. During those years, she authored several books on teacher effectiveness. Gigi currently lectures, writes, and leads retreats on personal and spiritual growth. She lives happily in Michigan with her husband, Peter, and her cat, Murphy.

 

Amy Gibson Thomas, Treasurer
BA in Biology and English at Rice University; MBA at University of Michigan; PhD from University of Utah (topic in Biochemistry/Protein Structure and Function). Research faculty scientist (3 years), University of Michigan Medical School, Department of Biological Chemistry. Research Administrator and Division Administrator (11 years), University of Michigan Medical School, Departments of Internal Medicine and Pediatrics. Founding Board Member, Michigan Biotechnology Association. Served as business consultant (2 years) to biotechnology startups, and new medical device manufacturers. Currently provides freelance independent scientific writing and editing, and serves as a seasonal tax professional.

 

Andrea Forbing, Member at Large

 

Eileen Grady, Member at Large
BS in Nursing, University of Kansas; MS in Parent-Child Nursing, University of Michigan. Worked 30 years as Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner, 10 years as Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner. Served 3 years on Washtenaw Alano Club Social Committee.

 

Diana (Di) H. Kimball, Member at Large
Married 41 years, 3 adult children. Spent 35 years in Southern California before moving to Ann Arbor in 2014.
Active in my spiritual development, in my recovery from alcoholism for 29 years, in
my family and in various social activities (flower arranging, book club, “wise women”
small group discussions, “lunch bunch”, etc.). Proud to be of service as a Board
Member of the Ann Arbor Women’s Group.

 

Janice Weber, Member at Large
Masters Degree in Library and Information Science (MLIS), Wayne State University; Bachelors of Arts (BA), University of Michigan; Worked 20 years as system analyst in computer-based project development for IBM, Dow Chemical Europe, Serprocor AG.; Currently web interface designer for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) responsible for the Clean Diesel Program portion of their website.

 

How It Started

In February, 2007, a former Executive Director and several other Ann Arbor, Michigan women recovering from alcohol or drug addiction attended a recovery conference in nearby Detroit. This conference and other events for recovering women (e.g., retreats) cost more than many women in early sobriety can afford. Yet, such events are a crucial “booster” to a woman’s sobriety. She saw women laughing, connecting and having fun. She saw that life without alcohol and drugs can be good as she listened to the stories of women of varied economic and ethnic backgrounds. She began to have hope.

The Idea

The former Executive Director began to wonder how to provide support to sober women who could not afford to attend such events. She knew it would take money and organization to achieve this goal.

Higher Power

In Recovery we speak of a “Higher Power” that cares for our lives. This Power was surely present as the former Executive Director stood in line to buy an audiotape of one of the Detroit conference’s main speakers. She began to chat with the woman in front of her and shared the idea of funding women’s attendance at such events. The woman said, “Please come and meet my mother; think she would be very interested.” The mother (Ms. Negley) agreed readily to allocate some of her extensive foundation funds to our cause, and asked for a concrete proposal. And that was the beginning…