the Great Fact for us
22nd Spring Into Sobriety Women’s Conference
May 5, 6, 7, 2023
Program
Hotel
FAQs
SIS Story
Contact
Program
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2023 SIS Program
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2023 SIS Program
Frequently Asked Questions
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When does the SIS Conference start and end?
Friday PM
- 3:00 – Registration Opens
- 4:00 – AA Meeting
- 6:00 – Dinner (if purchased)
- 8:00 – Speaker
Saturday
- Workshops throughout the day, lunch (if purchased) at the hotel
- 6:00 – Dinner (if purchased)
- 8:00 – Speaker
Sunday AM
- 11:00am – Ends
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How do I make a hotel reservation?
Please contact the Hotel Venezia directly by calling 941-308-7700. Ask for the SIS Conference room rate of $104 per night.
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What airport should I fly into?
- Sarasota (SRQ) – 27 miles to hotel
- Punta Gorda (PGD) – 37 miles to hotel
- Ft. Myers (RSW) – 73 miles to hotel
- Tampa (TPA) – 77 miles to hotel
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I have a disability, can I attend?
The SIS Conference is all on the first floor and is handicap accessible.
The Venice Hotel Venezia, is in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
If you have other special needs, please contact us here:
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How do I get involved in service for the SIS Conference?
If you are interested in volunteering, please complete this form:
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When does the program come out?
We will publish the Program mid-May 2022. If you’re on our mailing list, we’ll let you know when it’s available.
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Can I bring my children?
No, this is not a family retreat, is a conference for women by women.
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Can I smoke?
Per hotel rules & regulations.
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Can I bring my Pet?
People with disabilities may be accompanied by their “Guide” or “Service” dog during the conference; other pets are not permitted.
Guide dogs are the guiding eyes for people who are blind or visually impaired. Service dogs are assistance dogs for people with disabilities other than blindness.
The hotel may/may not allow other pets, please check with them.
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Can I add meals to my registration?
Yes. Please contact us with your phone number and we will call you.
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Can you accommodate special dietary needs?
Please contact us. We’ll check with the hotel and let you know.
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What is the cancellation/refund policy?
The deadline for full refunds is April 5, 2023.
To request a refund, complete this form before the deadline:
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Are there COVID restrictions?
Six weeks before SIS Conference, we will check with Sarasota County and the Venezia Hotel to see if there are any COVID restrictions. We will send out an email at that time to let you know.
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Who organizes the SIS Conference?
We have a rotating Conference Committee. That means every year there is a new group of ladies to plan, organize, promote, and host the conference.
Because hosting a conference is a REALLY big task, we also have an Advisory Committee. This committee is comprised of ladies that have been on the Conference Committee in recent years and understand many of the challenges that may arise.
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Can I talk to a live person?
Absolutely, please contact Donna K at 912-313-5278.
2000 – Here We Grow
1st Spring Into Sobriety Women’s Conference. May 19, 20 & 21, 2000, Holiday Inn, Venice, Florida
It was so exciting, flyers were sent out to women’s groups in the area and women responded.
2001 – Here We Grow Again!
2nd Spring into Sobriety Conference. May 18, 19 & 20, 2001. Holiday Inn, Venice, Florida
Story from 2022 expect a miracle conference:
This was my very first SIS Conference. I had gotten sober March 10 2001 and was court ordered to a halfway house. I was living at the Tammy House at the time. Sharon T, the owner, was familiar with the conference so she allowed myself and another girl, Patty, to come on Saturday night. Before this hotel burned down and was rebuilt, they had an amazing auditorium. Saturday night was always the talent show and that year the talent show was incredible! I’ll never forget this girl singing Shania Twain’s “I feel like a Women”. But, the most important thing I remember was at the end of the night, we all held hands and sang Amazing Grace acapella. I cried…and, that was the start of my journey with Sis Conference, With Love and Gratitude, Lori E
2002 – Come Grow In Our Garden
3rd Spring into Sobriety Conference – May 17, 18 & 19, 2002. Holiday Inn, Venice, Florida
2003 – Here We Grow Again!
4th Spring into Sobriety Conference. May 16, 17 & 18, 2003. Holiday Inn, Venice, Florida
2004 – Here We Grow Again!
5th Spring into Sobriety Conference. May 14, 15 & 16, 2004. Holiday Inn, Venice, Florida
2005 – Here We Grow Again!
6th Spring into Sobriety Conference. May 20, 21 & 22, 2005. Holiday Inn, Venice, Florida
2006 7th Annual Women’s Conference
7th Spring into Sobriety Conference. May 19, 20 & 21, 2006. Holiday Inn, Venice, Florida
2007 – Sober Living In Paradise
8th Spring into Sobriety Conference. April 27, 28 & 29, 2007. Holiday Inn, Venice, Florida
Story from 2022 expect a miracle conference:
My First SIS Conference-Out of jail 4 months and living in Sober House. Terry, who brought meetings to jail, brought 5 of us to the conference. Thank you ladies for keeping it going and being part of my journey. Mary Ellin W 5/8/06
2008 – Sunlight Of The Spirit
9th Spring into Sobriety Conference. April 18, 19 & 20, 2008. Holiday House of Venice, Venice, Florida
2009 – A New Freedom
10th Spring into Sobriety Conference. April 17, 18 & 19, 2009. Holiday Inn, Venice, Florida
Ten year Anniversary: The Hotel had issues certainly, ask any lady still waiting for her Saturday Banquet dinner on our 10th Anniversary. SIS had 239 women registered that year and we REALLY maxed out, packed to the gills. So our HP provided us another place and perhaps a home to hold our next conference.
Story from 2022 expect a miracle conference:
Shelia S was Chair
2010 – Sought Thro’ Prayer and Meditation
11th Spring into Sobriety Conference. April 16, 17, & 18, 2010.
The hotel had a fire so the conference had to unwind…wow, it cost a lot of money to NOT have a conference.
2011 – The Road of Happy Destiny
12th Spring into Sobriety Conference. May 20, 21 & 22, 2011. Day Spring Conference Center, Parrish, Florida
The 2011 Conference was held at Day Springs in Ellenton, Florida and was a GREAT success! The weekend was beautiful and a great time was had by all. Our HP was there to guide us all the way.
2012 – Keep it Simple
13th Spring into Sobriety Conference. April 20, 21 & 22, 2012. The Helmsley Sandcastle, Sarasota, Florida
For the 2012 SIS Conference, we decided to stay ‘up north a bit’ for our first ever ‘Resort’ conference and held it at the Helmsley Sandcastle on Lido Key in Sarasota, FL. Although the facility space would only hold 200 women, we found that our approach to “keeping it Simple” with a stay on the breathtaking beachfront and St. Armand’s shops nearby was a delightful & welcome change.
2013 – A Life Second to None
14th Spring into Sobriety Conference. April 19, 20 & 21, 2013. The Helmsley Sandcastle Resort, Lido Key Florida
2012 was such a success, we decided to do it again and re-booked the Helmsley Sandcastle for 2013. There is just something about the connection factor that can be found on the white sandy beach, in the pool, at the functions, and in the workshops. “A Life Second to None”! For all of this, we are truly grateful!
2014 – Stepping Into Paradise
15th Spring into Sobriety Conference. April 25, 26 & 27, 2014. The Helmsley Sandcastle Resort, Lido Key, Florida
On a gorgeous spring weekend in April, the 2014 conference was again held on Lido Beach, in Sarasota FL. The theme was Stepping Into Paradise where recovery workshops, speaker meetings and lots of fellowship received accolades. We added a yummy hospitality room open to all. And ‘sold out’ way before the deadline.
SIS 2014 was ‘The Best SIS Yet’
Story from 2022 expect a miracle conference:
Women spoke who was Bob Marley’s neighbor. Had the best time!! Marla B
2015 – Stepping Stones
16th Spring into Sobriety Conference. April 17, 18 & 19, 2015, The Day Spring Conference Center, Parrish, Florida
We moved the conference back to the Day Spring Conference Center in Ellenton, Florida. So relaxing and serene.
Story from 2022 expect a miracle conference:
Every year the SIS Conference Chair has a Co-Chair to pass the responsibility onto for the next year. Well, I had none, we had a service crew of over 25 women and none of them were “ready & willing”. We tried to make it happen all weekend. I must have asked 100 women myself and everyone “balked”. Until the last meeting, the last speaker and during the closing prayer, as if “God” popped her weasel. Desiree stood up and many, many, many of her posse stood to back her up and the 2016 SIS Conference Committee was formed…Thank God Joycee C
2016 – Living The Dream
17th Spring into Sobriety Conference. April 29, 30 & 31, 2016. Day Spring Conference Center, Parrish, Florida
Again at the Day Spring Conference Center in Ellenton, Florida. The serenity & privacy is second to none. You’ve got a story to tell and here’s where you do it.
Story from 2022 expect a miracle conference:
Port Charlotte & Punta Gorda ladies organized the 2016 SIS Conference. We took the responsibility on a spur of the moment. 2015 SIS did not have a chairman for the 2016 arranged. The last day of the conference, Desiree M stood up and took responsibility, the women who had travelled and met up there stood up with her. No one had planned to do this. It was a true God moment.
Our bonfire where we burned our resentments was a tear jerking success. As was game night and dance party.
2017 – Return To Your Heart
18th Spring into Sobriety Conference. May 5, 6 & 7, 2017. Hotel Venezia Resort, Venice, Florida
SIS 2017 was coming home to Venice, FL to the revamped, rehabbed Resort in Venice, The Ramada Hotel Venezia where it all began. We are excited at our Home Coming!! This is hard to do, writing words that are feelings that go deep, perhaps a prayer to bring it up in a healthy way, sounds familiar. Not all growth has to be from pain, SIS has not caused me pain though the growth sometimes is not known to me at first but in a short time I know where it started. The 2017 SIS Conference has given me so much growth through each of you, your work your extra effort to do whatever for others is a growth lesson not soon to be forgotten. Trust, commitment and being responsible for the sake of others is something you hear about in meetings and read about in books I got to see and feel it first hand from you at this years SIS conference. I only know to say to each and everyone of you thank you for the growth.
Tela T.
2017 Conference Chair
2018 – Growing Together
19th Spring into Sobriety Conference. May 4, 5 & 6, 2018. Venezia Resort Hotel, Venice, Florida
Story from 2022 expect a miracle conference:
Chair Stacey R, Co-Chair Sandy W, Entertainment Rene K, Pam A and Deb D, Voice of Conference Brenda R.
This is the Conference where the Key to Willingness sign was created which has been used in 2019 and 2022 to pass the conference to the next committee.
2019 – Beyond our Wildest Dreams
20th Spring into Sobriety Conference. May 3, 4 & 5, 2019. Venezia Resort Hotel, Venice, FL
SIS 2019 was our 20th Conference. Beyond our Wildest Dreams -We wanted to make it special and it was. We sold out at 300 women. The beautiful registration bags, the amazing hospitality room, flower arrangements, beautiful T-shirts, wonderful workshops, Old timers panel, fantastic raffle, the funny entertainment and moving speakers, made for a very special weekend. A member created a quilt with some of the T-shirts from the different conferences and it was raffled off. It was beautiful. It was a labor of love. The love and fellowship was palatable! The weekend was beyond my wildest dream. Thank you everyone for making it so special.
Love and service,
Mary O.
2019 SIS Conference Chair
Story from 2022 expect a miracle conference:
I was 1 year sober when I attended this meeting. I held my breath and then cried until I couldn’t cry anymore. Thank God for the love and program after continue share with me. Love Molly B
2020 – Cancelled by COVID
2021 – Cancelled by COVID
2022 – Expect A Miracle
21st Spring into Sobriety Conference. June 10, 11 and 12. Venezia Resort Hotel, Venice, FL
Comments about SIS Conference in 2022:
I would like to Thank all the ladies who volunteered there time & energy to making this a fantastic weekend. I got so much out of each & every speaker and new person I met. I hope to volunteer for next years event.
Thanks so much! Retsy
Thanks for a great 2022 conference. Looking forward to the 2023. Eileen
2023 – The Great Fact For Us
The 22nd annual SIS conference started off challenged. Hurricane Ian ripped through the area in the Fall of 2022 right as planning for the 2023 conference kicked off. It is unlikely Ian will fade from our memory anytime soon, as it affected not only every committee member involved in the planning but the venue itself sustained damage. As a testament to how the program works however, we worked through the obstacles and the 2023 SIS conference was a success – THAT is the Great Fact for Us!
Each speaker had an inspiring story of how God works in their lives. The workshops provided an opportunity for deeper insight. The meditation and yoga sessions where the perfect companion to a weekend of recovery.
Despite our early challenges, we would like to think that our contributions in 2023 will carry the SIS conference forward for years to come. We designed a permanent logo for the conference and for the first time ever, have offered the recordings of our wonderful speakers free on the website.
Many thanks to the committee members who made this happen and to all those who attended, it does not happen without you!
In Love and Service
Donna K. – 2023 SIS Conference Chair
Send us a note!
Here’s how you can get involved!
Raffle Baskets
Volunteer
Scholarships
Raffle Baskets
Every year we raffle many beautiful baskets. Groups and individuals create and/or donate to the Raffle Committee.
Please Note:
- We do not accept gift certificates from businesses nor contributions with business logos from AA members. This is in keeping with our 7th tradition.
- Literature may only be “AA Conference Approved” which means published by GSO.
- All Items must be new.
If you are not feeling creative, you can make a monetary donation and the Raffle Committee will create the baskets.
This raffle is our fund raiser for startup monies for the next year’s conference.
~or~
Donate a Basket
Volunteer
Volunteers are essential to the success of the Spring Into Sobriety Women’s Conference! And it takes a lot of them.
Come and be a part of fun, fellowship, and love. Complete the form to the right and that committee chairperson will contact you.
Scholarships
We try to make the Spring Into Sobriety Women’s Conference available to all women. Most of us have been in those challenging financial times so we ask for donations to the Scholarship Fund. Please make a donation by clicking on the ‘Donate to the Scholarship Fund’ button to the right. In the past, everyone has been very generous.
Anyone who feels they cannot attend the conference because of financial reasons, you may apply for a Scholarship by clicking on the button to the right to complete the form online. Alternatively, click the ‘Download Registration Form’ button and then print registration form, complete it and mail it in.
Scholarship recipients receive full admittance to the Conference and Saturday Night Banquet. We request that the women receiving scholarships volunteer for a few hours in one of the committees that need help.
Scholarships are awarded a few weeks before the conference. This is so we can give as many women as possible the opportunity to share in the fellowship and love of the conference.
