Over the years, i 've known several people who have come to understand, Sun City wasn't their cup of tea. I've known some that initially thought Sun City was their forever home, and then it wasn't. In virtually every case, they made a conscious decision to pack up and move somewhere else; somewhere they may be able to find hapiness. For the most part, i ignore the noise and just try and have/hold quality discussions. Sadly, these days the new norm is to jump on a thread and crap all over it with personal gripes and grievances. There is absolutely no upside to it, other than ruining the discussion. Normally, the administrator would just remove the person. The other day a remark was made about me shaming/forcing seniors to volunteer. I smiled at how ludicrous the idea was. The problem is those comments are read by folks, and when left unchecked, they may influence what people think. Rather than nattering back at the poster, i like/love the power of a good story. In 1964, The New Yorker magazine sent Calvin Trillin to live in Sun City for a couple of weeks. Calvin, who is still alive and writing, was a mere 30 years old at the time. The article was 40 pages plus long and was glowing in the remarks, until the conclusion. After having immersed himself in the "new active way of life," he came to believe the concept would not survive. That summary was based on the idea that seniors would grow tired of playing their lives away. He believed even seniors wanted a life that included more than golfing, laying by the pool, playing cards, dancing and an occasional cocktail. He was right about them wanting/needing more. What he failed to understand, was what more meant in that "new active way of life" being built into the fabric of our community. The whole volunteerism piece of the puzzle was the defining difference to his fears of seniors growing weary of the hedonistic lifestyle he felt Sun City was. It's always been that way. Oddly enough, it was also the exact reason the decision made in 2006 to become more like other senior communities (where fun was more important than volunteering) failed so badly. Millions of hours are offered up yearly across the wide number of options available within our white walls. There's literally something for everyone who wants to give back a piece of their time. One of the challenges, with so many opportunities available, is finding out where to volunteer. My old friend Paul Herrmann, while serving as the director of the Visitor Center, created a form and became the clearing house where residents could sign up to volunteer. It was brilliant, until it was discontinued. I've written this before, but it is worth repeating: In a large survey done by the Sun City Home Owners Association in the early 1980's, the report showed something less than 50% of the respondents were volunteers. The number is telling because some think those members of the "greatest generation" volunteered in far greater numbers than what they did. During our trial run "Gatherings" we found an interest from those in the room of helping create a more user friendly Sun City. The comments were made about clubs being available, but clubs are strictly structured with rules that are absolutes. Nothing wrong with that, other than some want/like the idea of less formality. It was interesting the numbers of those attendance agreeing with the concept. Let me just conclude with this thought: Volunteering is and always has been a personal choice. On the other hand helping those moving here know and understand their options seems like a no brainer. We had lots of great ideas and suggestions to do just that. As always, just one man's personal opinion.
Opinion Letter to the editor SCHOA Board Member talks about serving on the board (Do you know the four stages that retirees face?) ✍️ By Emilie Baggett | SCHOA Board Member As we choose to live in Sun City, many of us are retired or near retirement. I was reminded of this as I recently listened to a TEDTalk; 4 Phases of Retirement, by Riley Moynes. He lists four stages that retirees face; The Vacation, The Feeling of Loss, Trial and Error, and Re-Invent and Rewire. • The Vacation; you may find it is the first time in your adult life that you have the freedom to travel, join clubs, take classes, essentially do things that you weren’t able to while working. • The Feeling of Loss; can include the loss of routine, identity, relationships, purpose and power. You find yourself asking, “What do I do now that I don’t work?” Thankfully in Sun City, we have no shortage of volunteer activities, clubs and community centers where you can gather with other like-minded people! • Trial and Error; this is opportunity to find what brings you joy. What gets you up and out the door in the morning: Softball, ballroom dancing, card clubs, pickleball or perhaps serving on a board of an organization? • Re-Invent and Rewire; is centered around, “How can I give back? All of this leads me to share with you a great opportunity for you to consider. Have you thought about possibly serving on the Sun City Home Owners Association Board of Directors? SCHOA is primarily responsible for enforcing the CC&Rs for single-family homes and protecting our Senior Citizen Age Overlay. SCHOA has been an advocate for Sun City since 1963 and does many other things for our community, such as, monitoring legislation that could affect our community, hosting free workshops and educational seminars, hosts our annual Lifestyle Senior Expo, and many other things. I know it can be exhausting but also highly invigorating to realize there are many options and choices to volunteer. Once I got settled in Sun City, I looked for ways to give back and decided to run for the SCHOA board. Now serving on the Board I find it a rewarding experience. If this piques your interest, candidate packets are available at the SCHOA office, 10401 W. Coggins Drive, that includes more information about the election, qualifications and timeframes. Sincerely here to serve you. # Posted Sun City Independent, online, Wednesday, August 20, 2025.
This will make folks run to fill out an application. Here's what we do know; those who stay away, who have never given 30 seconds of their time, expertise or energy to the concept of self-governance have never and will never help change the direction. Hiding behind one's keyboard and screaming about how bad everything and everyone else is does nothing, NOTHING. BPearson, Dec 8, 2024
My goodness, i have to agree, i do have a way with words. Clarity, succinct and seldom do i mince words. Though, from time to time, brevity is problematic. Here's the deal, so i am perfectly and abundantly clear and concise: In 22 years, after interacting with thousands and I do mean 1000’s of people, i honestly have only know one person those comments were intended for. Only ONE!
Emilie Baggat's letter posted above is really good. Using that TedTalk; 4 phases of retirement is just one of the countless numbers of books, podcasts and articles written to help new or soon to be retirees find solid ground as they approach a new phase in their life. I just wrote a book preview for an author i met at the Museum and reading it, he covered much of the same territory. From day one in Sun City, those arriving on opening day, found something wholly unexpected. The 60's were an era unlike others, as the coming batch of retirees finally had financial stability. Social security was kicking in, defined benefit pension plans were also starting to pay off for a company's senior workforce and along with personal savings, the three-legged stool was born. During those 20 years of development by DEVCO, the goal was to make every new home buyer feel like they had found paradise. The palm trees, lakes and greenery weren't an accident. The company employed 3 full time employees that focused on insuring new arrivals felt welcomed and helped them become an integral part of the community. No question, the goal was to sell more homes, but more importantly those moving here took ownership. If there was a mistake made along the way, it was when DEVCO moved to Sun City West, the RCSC didn't follow in the company's footsteps and attach a fee to every home sold. Buried in the archives at the museum was the dollar figure each new home sold had included with it; the amount needed to pay for the amenities they would one day give us. Phase 1 was in the $150 range with phases 2 and 3 being closer to $250. The golf courses were of course paid for by lot premiums on homes on the golf course. DEVCO gave us back what every home sold paid for. Genius. It wasn't until 1999 when the RCSC board realized the amenities were aging and money would be needed. Huge dollar sums that if they tried to pass on to existing owners, would never fly. It was at that point they passed the impact fee, point of sale on each new home, in affect, they were asking new home owners to pay for the improvements they would enjoy in the coming years. The PIF was born. While i often point to the importance of that act by the board, i also find it disconcerting how little they view the importance of every new home sold. It's easy to understand, for more the better part of its inception, we averaged 2000 home sales a year. I would argue, we took new buyers for granted. With each passing year, we minimized their importance and seniors moved to the community, hoping it all worked out. That's a plan i guess. From my vantage point, with the current first year buy-in pushing past $6000, those who do choose Sun City should be welcomed every bit as much as DEVCO did during those first 20 years. Back then, the choices were limited, today, there are 3000 like-communities. We know from data, there are countless numbers of us living in Sun City who are second and third generation owners. We saw what our parents or grandparents had up close and personal and moved here. We also know, from our history, a huge number of sales over the years were driven by visitors to those already living in the community. My folks found Sun City by visiting high school friends. Shortly after moving here, i ran into a couple a few blocks from our house. They were throwing a house party and there were 14 couples, all from a small town in southern MN. They all came after visiting their friends. That's not a new phenomena, DEVCO understood their best sales force were those living here. They nurtured that relationship and it made the company millions of dollars. Investing in the community and those living here may well have been the best investment decision they had made. More importantly, it solidified that sense of community coming with that ownership. Imagine if we did that these days? What if we treated new buyers like they were gold? Helped them feel like they had just made the best decision of their lifetime? I hate to say this, it's not that hard; it just takes a commitment, set a goal and then create a plan to make it happen. As i have said, time and time again...History Matters!
My folks moved to Sun City for reasons best known to them. Now, a generation later they have two of their children living here, though they have moved on. I wonder how many people living here now are second generations?
Hundreds, maybe thousands ct, and there are a fair share of third generation in the community as well. I know when i visited my folks after they moved here, it took me about 30 seconds to realize this would be our place in the sun as well. They found a quality and pace of life they could not have afforded back in Minnesota. Throw in the winter comparison's to the frozen tundra and it was an easy choice. Finding (getting to Sun City) is more challenging these days. 3000 choices compound the matter and those with new housing still market the daylights out of their developments. People cringe when i say we need to market Sun City. There was a time when we were averaging 2000 home sales a year and the PIF monies were flowing like water. Last year we saw the number drop well below 1500 and this year will be more of the same. Home sales around the country are soft, interest rates and inflation are argued as the reason. In Sun City we know historically we are less impacted by market bubbles, with the biggest challenge being selling the home from where they live. We also know, there's been some overreach in pricing on homes in Sun City. Prices are becoming more realistic for those who have to sell. Others are pulling their homes off the market in hopes of lower interest rates and higher property values. Even if and when that changes, it doesn't change the dynamic; we are one of 3000 competing in the senior marketplace. We also know we have massive expenses on the horizon. Every home sale in our community is critical to being able to afford paying the bills that will be coming due on projects. When revenue drops off, projects stall and we fall further behind the curve. This isn't rocket science gang, Sun City was the first, is one of the most affordable and offers unrivaled amenities. Those of us who are second or third generation know just how good our folks had it, just how good we have it. The key is to help others find their place in the sun. It should be one of our high priority goals.
I have a friend who moved here with her father, then her daughter moved here and now her daughter and even granddaughter are lurking about, making at least 4 generation in SC. Can anyone beat that?
My volunteer stint was in the library until I was relegated to the injured reserve list. I do stilll use my vol discount at the book store because . . . . . .... I can.
