Setting The Record...Webb/Sun City.

One of the first things anyone learns in recovery is not caring what others think of you. Too many people are fixated on being liked. It makes sense in that one of the other tenets the big book taught was; "to thine own self, be true." Staying grounded in who and what we are helps staying sane and sober.

With that out of the way, for some odd reason, one of the poster's thinks by attacking Del Webb or Sun City they are somehow getting even with me. It's actually comical to watch because the only she is doing is making herself look naive and foolish. She simply has no clue and she insists on proving it post after post.

Let's address Del Webb first and quickly dispense the stupidity. In the 40's he had 25,000 employees working for him. He was the most successful builder in the country. He owned the Yankees. He supported Boys and Girls Clubs around the country along with countless other organizations.

Some argue his "legacy" is Sun City, it wasn't. While is name lives on attached to the community most of us love, his name will always be remembered more from a philanthropic nature. Upon his death on July 4, 1974, Del left the bulk of his fortune to his foundation.

The Del Webb Foundation has been funding hospitals and hospital research for more than 50 years. With good management, they will be around another 50 years. In spite of everything he built, nothing is more important than his vision to give back to the country he loved and help shape and build.

By all accounts Del was a modest humble and soft spoken man. There was no ego or narcissism in who he was or how he lived. Sadly, it's one of those stories that most don't know. Now you do.

Stay tuned and we will cover Sun City next.

 

Wow, me and Trump in your head 24/7. If I did not get to you I would simply be ignored, however that is not your nature. Much like Trump you want to fight, fight, fight. Welp enjoy.

 

There's no point in belaboring the Sun City story. It's been told and retold. It's been studied and dissected time and time again. Jane Freeman's vision was for the Sun City Area Historical Society (Del Webb Sun Cities Museum) to be the curator of the story and to insure both the community and Del Webb live on in the minds of those who had an interest in moving here.

She, along with so many others, knew the story how we were carved from nothing but hardscrabble was important. They knew what had been built was so different, so unique that preserving everything they could was essential. No one was more critical to the Museum's success than Jane. Not only did she devote a large portion of her life to it, she left an endowment to insure the story would carry on.

For anyone who knows the Sun City history, they know Jane Freeman was just of one countless volunteers who worked tirelessly to build something very special. The beauty of our history is no one ever measured the number of hours donated, all that mattered was those living here took ownership and give back what they could.

The other half of the equation is the amazing number of Webb employees who stepped up and worked tirelessly to insure what we (the residents) would be left with was a community that had a chance to flourish on its own. There was no how to book when it came to the first of its kind active retirement community for seniors. Clearly it was all trial and error. Two steps forward, one step back.

In 1978, with DEVCO leaving for Sun City West, the pieces were in place. It also meant those living here had to pick up the pace. By 1981 the infighting over direction was intense. Some wanted to stay the course, others realized without DEVCO subsidizing many aspects of Sun City we would need to become more aggressive, more future aware.

Realistically, Sun City has more than lived up to expectations. We have an exceptional amenity package coupled with more than reasonable costs. We are still one of those communities attractive to those of moderate retirement means. We have a fascinating infrastructure of support organizations who help keep us affordable and desirable. We are easily the most unique community of our kind.

While there has always been the disgruntled, the unhappy and dare i say miserable, most often they move for what they think is better for them. What makes it tiring is their incessant whining ad moaning. It's simply unbecoming from alleged senior citizens.

 

“While there has always been the disgruntled, the unhappy and dare i say miserable, most often they move for what they think is better for them. What makes it tiring is their incessant whining ad moaning. It's simply unbecoming from alleged senior citizens.“ BP

The miserable don’t just talk the talk trying to convince others how horrible Sun City is.

They walk the walk, run, too, “to move for what they think is better for them.”

Win/win for both the miserable and our community.

 

Researching my quest for 1 time payment for assessment last year and ran across this. Made me feel all warm and fuzzy. It started with my questioning the confidentiality of information with all the people that go in and out of the office, including volunteers. I love this! It will look great in my post to the community about our foundation.

Eyesopen
THE SUN CITY FOUNDATION BOARD POLICY No. 1
Approved December 15, 2022
GUIDELINES FOR FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE
1. TO QUALIFY FOR FOUNDATION ASSISTANCE:

a) Applicant is at least 67 years of age and a property owner in Sun City for a minimum of five years and resides in the home. The applicant must also be a member in good standing for the three years prior to applying for assistance unless there are exigent circumstances.

b) The Sun City residence is their/his/her sole residence.

c) Applicant is an RCSC member whose annual assessment is no more than 60 days past assessment due date.

d) Applicant does not exceed income of 150% of the current year Federal Poverty Level.

https://f2f286.a2cdn1.secureserver....15-BP-1-Guidelines-for-Financial-Assistance-F


All true, however you failed to mention the pages of financial and personal info they want. Someone dropped off an app at my home, I took one look and threw it in the trash.

Josie P, Jan 30, 2024



As always, the question remains:

Who freaking cares who you are?
And the answer is; No One. Absolutely no one.

BPearson, Jan 30, 2024

 

Thank you, Bill, for this information. I wonder if SC Foundation or RCSC has ever explored receiving funds from the Del Webb Foundation. If not, I think this might well be the first avenue the SC Foundation can contact for potential grants.

I have spent less than ten minutes on the Del Webb Foundation's website and have learned the following:

1) their office is in Prescott AZ
2) funding is available for nonprofits 501(c) 3 organizations (the SC Foundation is)
3) priorities for funding are child and health initiatives (Keeping seniors healthy could be a health initiative)
4) maximum grant is $750,000
5) mission is "productivity that results in long term benefits" (so many of our projects could qualify for that)
6) four deadlines a year, next one is December 2024 (may need to aim for the next one in March 2025)
7) must not have received funds from DWF for one year
8) grants available in the states of Arizona, California, and Nevada
9) 501(c)3 needs to have a website (will need to get this done as soon as possible)

This gives anyone an idea of the potential for the SC Foundation to benefit ALL of the RCSC Members including those in financial need. But what do I know since I have been deemed "unqualified".

 

Look at the 2022 990

 

Why waste your time time with a 990 when you can look at the CPA prepared statement, hubby can explain it to you.

 

Haven't got that far yet. Tomorrow. Nebraska got creamed in football today so everyone is depr

Thanks for the suggestion, Josie. I scanned it and found their grants ranged from $3,000 to $500,000 in 2023 for various projects. We need to learn more about the Del Webb Foundation and begin building a strong relationship with them. They like to fund projects that can be sustained and I believe RCSC fits into that description.

I am energized by the possibilities ahead!

 

Because the 990 is available online to the public. To get the CPA report, one has to go to the Corporate Office, complete a form, wait until the RCSC Board has decided you can get access to that information and the President has signed the form, and go pick it up or have it mailed to you. I have done this many times. If the 990 has the information sought, it is a much easier process.

 

The true beauty of Sun City and how it was created is found in our history. It was a commitment by and from those first home owners (pioneers as they became known) that willingly took on ownership of a process. They were responsible and accountable every step of the way. It was never easy and the infighting was often fierce. There was no struggle that went on longer or more became more heated over whether to incorporate.

There was an assumption by those working for Webb and most of the organizations that it was a given we would become a city. At one point in the mid 60's, DEVCO set land aside for a town hall. That single dynamic would have changed Sun City as we know it. For that matter, it would have changed Sun City West as well. The argument for it was "revenue sharing."

It is simply an arrangement where the state refunds taxes collected to help fund the local governance. From DEVCO's perspective, becoming a city would have taken them off the hook in building the infrastructure, as tax dollars would have been the driving force. From the resident side of the equation, by 1970 (based on the latest census), the community would have benefited to the tune of around 1 million dollars back from the state.

Those living here were a tough sell. They loved a community different from where they came. The only real vote taken was in 1964 and was easily voted down. Over the coming years and until the early 90's proponents were still arguing for it. The residents never wanted Sun City to become an actual city with a mayor, city council and all the various departments that came along with it.

Instead they forged a community of supporting organizations. It's why our history is so intriguing as each step of the way, when a need was identified, a group of residents found the will and the way to make it happen. We often lose sight of that attitude of self-reliance and self-governance. As a society we have changed and the evolution will continue.

The more new buyers come to understand the role they can play, the better chance Sun City has to flourish and grow. The more those buyers embrace the beauty of us being a community rather than a city, the more special and unique we become. Everything in life can be a teachable moment. It doesn't happen by accident, it is a process the Webb Corporation understood and built into their business model. They always knew they would leave and they always knew our survival would depend on those left behind.

Amazing, truly amazing how well those who came before us did.

 

Janet, I never understood why a member has to go through that Kabuki theater to receive the statement. The first year I requested the statement there was a section on the form asking why I wanted it. I responded that as a member I am entitled to receive the statement with no exceptions. Since then I have always received the statement without going through that process. Of course at the time of my original request the members of the Board wouldn’t have known the difference between a balance sheet and a balance beam. This is one of the little things I tried to change while on the Board.

 

The form still asks why I want the information. I wrote, "To determine if the SC Foundation is in compliance with RCSC Corporate documents and SC Foundation Bylaws." and "To determine if the SC Foundation is ts in compliance with IRS 501(c)3 regulations." No wonder they don't like me. That implies that there is a possibility they don't." They haven't been in compliance with the RCSC corporate documents for years. I don't think any of the Directors realized this. That is why it is important for Directors to be very familiar with their documents and consult them when there are questions.

I am not as familiar with the IRS regulations for 501(c)3 because all of the organizations I was with had a CFO who handled those. However, Linda knows them inside and out. There may need to be some adjustments so we don't compromise our tax exempt status which could also impact RCSC. That would be a disaster for the Members! The Foundation hasn't had to do audits when their assets were under $100,000 which is another reason to find information on the 990's. I think they received the $200,000 estate from a Member in 2023 so we will need to do those from now on. We definitely need to be completely in compliance! Linda is also very familiar with software packages that 501(c)3 organizations use and resources for foundations to access information. And they say she is "unqualified"?

 

Their assets have been around the $200,000 mark since the 40th anniversary (2000). The estate left in 2023 would have doubled that amount.

 

The idea on grants is to fund projects not covered by PIF, CIF and Capital reserve. RCSC needs a new revenue stream to cover instances that are not covered by the budget nor the above mentioned funds which are restricted. The only answer would be to continually raise assessments in amounts that would potentially be prohibitive, which we certainly don’t want to do.

 

Janet, I know I am rather direct but why go through a long winded explanation since, as I said, you are entitled as a member to the statement with no exceptions. Of course, you can proceed any way you want but the Board cannot argue my succinct approach.

 

Hmmm, I thought I was responding to one of Bill P's comments about the Foundation doing home visits.

You are calling me "long winded"? Isn't that like "the pot calling the kettle black"? I plead guilty. Do you?

 

I thought you were referring to securing the RCSC financial statement. I apologize for the mistake.

 

Actually, my bad. I really was responding to Bill, but I see why you were confused.