A Place to Feel Welcome

I can see you are right with SCHOA not doing anything. We have several large dead pine trees in the area. They are now unattractive and totally dead. No one is doing anything. Year after year these dead trees stay. It must cost quite a bit to take down a very large pine tree, but still, the tree should come down. Homeowner responsibility possibly, but homeowners aren't doing anything. This has become frustrating if you live near these fossils.

 

You're so right Bill. I've been here almost 15 years, and no one ever say, hello, nice to meet you, and welcome to Sun City. I agree it would show some class to have at least a welcome lunch.

 

When you say fossils, are you talking about the trees or the people? Lol.

 

I went searching for some tag lines to undo the “Fun City” one.

here are two suggestions, not my favorite at first but could be repurposed into something bett:

• Glad to know you are here….

• The right place to start a new life.

The acknowledgement that you are here and we are glad you are takes a different approach to saying a standard welcome.
The second honors the choice to buy in Sun City and could be flexible to include additional explanations
Just some suggestions for thought

 

I've often wondered how much different Sun City would have evolved had we stayed the course and not tried to become like every other age restricted community across the country? It never made any sense to me, knowing our unique place in the history books as the first, it always seemed to make more sense to capitalize on it, not run from it.

For the small cadre of us who have invested so much time and energy in understanding our past, we tend to view the community through the lens of what was. I know that troubles some, which is why i so often take additional time to relate the stories; the hows and whys we got here. The Del Webb Sun Cities Museum is stunning on so many fronts.

One of the most spectacular items in their vast collection are those early newspaper ads. Created by a 50 person in-house advertising agency, the ads were crafted to stir both the emotions and the imaginations of anyone seeing them. They were that damned good, they still are. Having sifted through them dozens of times, i can tell you there are countless images and slogans worth considering to rebrand Sun City.

And just for shirts and giggles, take a look at the 1961 video, The Beginning. While a bit dated and a bit sexist, it's still fun to watch. We show it at the Museum in our mini-Sun Dome theater; you can also view Part 1 online here. It's been broken into two parts with the second half here.

Imagine recreating this video to reflect and retrofit it to today's retirement/still working needs.

 

Just because I could I called the rec center and asked if there was a generic stretching class/floor exercise class. My answer was (just minutes ago) was "sorry, no. all classes are run by clubs and all charge by class". No putting on hold to double check, nothing. I will be attending this class that does not exist Monday and pay my $5 annual fee. I wonder how many others were forced to find a Silver Sneakers near here. Wonder how many of those people joined other activities at the facilities that host Silver Sneakers.

Love Sun City for all the things it has to offer, but when trying to find out something or get help it's a different story. When someone dies, getting help with the website, I could go on but I have said it all before. Grab the $6k then everyone is pretty much on their own. Hiring a recommended contractor is something that will forever stick because nothing was done. I had a guy who drugged and raped a woman in another state, skipped out on the trial, was on the CA FBI wanted list, sitting at my kitchen table and causing havoc for about 10 months. I sent the FBI wanted sheet to the HOA via email and they would not remove him. People liked him was my response. Yes I still have all communication.

Even watching the board meeting held yesterday was so odd. Especially the coyote part. Not one person had a clue about them. Mom and pups may be coming and going but no one was sure. Were folks safe in that area after it was re-opened?

Love Sun City for what it was but it can't be denied it's not the same.

 

Hi Bill, I remember that video. It is charming.
I think after reflecting on what I remember from my early days of living here until now. I feel the reason why SC was such an inclusive community is because there was nothing else around SC itself. It sat out here like an island unto itself. I feel people where more dependent on reaching out and having community with others out of necessity. I also think the culture was just different. Probably everyone that actually moved here were truly retired and could simply live a retired persons life. Today, you may have retired folks, but many folks are still trying to earn more money with a part time job. Many folks have extended family living in the Phoenix area. Some folks are taking care of elderly parents or helping with grandchildren and so forth. It seemed from my memory people lived much more simpler than we do today. People would spend a Friday night square dancing or playing cards. I remember my parents going out to nearby farms around here and picking grapes. My mother made homemade raisins. Is anyone out there doing that today? I do think SC had a stronger sense of community though. That without question seems true. People weren't edgy, angry, political from my memory. More kind, considerate, proper and helpful. We could use more of this.

 

Most of what you've written is true Eileen. However the age to buy was 50 (it wasn't a legal requirement until the 80's when it became law and added to our deed restrictions) and oddly enough DEVCO featured an entire series of ads showing those continuing to work and enjoying all Sun City offered. My vision has always been to recreate them.

The one tag line, " a small town in miniature" was the classic example of staying within the community. Unless they traveled to Phoenix or drove to the East Valley, there wasn't much around us locally. I would make the argument now with everything just outside our walls, living within them is even better. Personally i don't leave unless i have to.

My mantra has never wavered, i doubt it ever will. As a collectivist, i have always understood the importance of community. The decision to disassociate and disconnect from it never made a lick of sense. Restoring it is challenging but certainly not impossible.

Think in terms of every club as a micro-community; every organization a micro community; every church, every neighborhood. Pulling them together and pooling the impact of being committed to one another's success almost sounds too easy. We know on a national level we have never been more divided; there's no upside to being that way within these white walls.

Society has changed, people have changed, does that mean the vast majority of those buying into Sun City wouldn't love to feel the joy that comes with being part of something special and so unique? Hell, most of those moving here are unaware of why a piece of this small desert setting where cotton was picked could become a welcoming destination for more than 100,000 seniors over the years.

Dreamer? Maybe, but i'll take that over being a fatalist every time. This community, in spite of our flaws, is within reach of most seniors of moderate means and a desire to enjoy their remaining years whether they are working full time, part time or fully retired. DEVCO showed us the way, we simply need embrace and showcase it.

 

Division as a country is not an excuse for incompetent employees. Allowing a rapist wanted by the FBI on the recommended contractor list is due to division? And then not to remove them from the list when presented with proof? How is that encouraging member confidence. There is no way you can explain that away Bill. How many other contractors on the "preferred list" are scammers or criminals?

When people pass away there is no one to help their loved ones at all. No one knows you can get a partial refund on the assessment fee for the unused portion. "It's up to the family to understand rules". Grieving family members are not thinking about that.

There is no member liaison. There are numbers to call, but as the saying goes no one is home. These are just a couple of reasons why there were only 25 people at the meeting.

 

I love those commercials and I miss those people.

 

The early ads, the video, the focus on new home buyers always played an integral role in marketing and selling Sun City. DEVCO and especially John Meeker understood the importance of acceptance in this "new active way of life." Everything they did was to inspire those buying here to love it and to help others feel the same way.

As i sit here typing this, i find myself asking the question: Who does that these days? During those early years, the challenge was to get seniors to uproot and leave their families. There wasn't the staggering competition we have today. Back then it was all about rewriting the norms and how those retiring viewed life once leaving the workplace and then moving away from family and friends.

Today, it's all about which one of the 3000 age restricted communities is right for me? The impression of Sun City is that as the first, everything must be old and tattered. Much of what has been discussed has been about that effort to overcome first impressions. If we don't set it as a goal, how do we ever begin to change it?

Sun City has so much to offer, from quiet clean streets and neighborhoods, to unlimited social engagements via the clubs to an even broader array of volunteer opportunities, Sun City has always been one of the most affordable options in the senior marketplace. Hoping people find us and buy here is a fools game. We have unlimited potential only to be held back by our failure to understand the history of a community rich with tradition that was about creating that sense of community.

It doesn't happen by accident, little in life does. While the naysayer's will find cause to whine, no matter where anyone finally elects to live, it will come with their own set of problems and less than perfect people. Pretending otherwise is nonsense. Working together to make things better has been Sun City's calling card from the very beginning...it still is to this day.

 

Defer, deflect. No comment on the HOA allowing a criminal rapist to be on the RECOMMENDED contractor list. So I am a naysayer and a whiner because this man wanted by the FBI was in my home and after providing proof to the HOA was kept on the list? Hell of a way to show you care about the members, and you refuse to comment even though you had a nightmare situation by using someone from that same list.

Watching videos from the past and reading articles from the past is not going to change what is happening now. How many attended board meetings in the past vs the 25 or so that attend now. Heads are in the sand.

 

You really want to go there on convicted felons and rapists? I don't which is why i keep ignoring your remarks, no idea what is true or fiction. Don't care, sorry lots of stuff has happened over the years and rather than agonize over it, the best lesson to takeaway from what happened is to learn from it. I continue to grow in wisdom and knowledge with each passing day...simply a better way to live.

Everything in life is a teachable moment. Just saying, happiness is far more attainable when you are happy in your surroundings. Hopefully your next stop is better than your last. Life is too short to be angry over every perceived slight.

 

I have the email chain from the HOA telling me so sorry, people like him. I have all the paperwork from my insurance company re the damage he did. I have the FBI wanted sheet with the crime committed and the federal code with his photo which shows date crime committed and FTA court date in California and I have his signature on all contracts and picture ID on business card. Yet you still defend this HOA supporting a rapist over the community members. You are what I always thought you were, but worse.

Stuff happens huh? Did they remove the person who screwed you from the list? What I find so interesting is your lack of compassion and understanding. This rapist and his wife came to my home begging me not to call the FBI. He made a mistake. He didn't mean to drug the girl then rape her.

The HOA did a horrible thing by allowing that man to continue to work in Sun City. I should have sued. Now my only recourse is to tell everyone not to join the HOA and why. I did today on ND when they posted asking for members.

 

Oh I learned from it! I learned never to trust the HOA and RCSC. I also learned that you learned very well from your Big Book not to give one shit about anything or anyone but yourself. Yet another lie:

No, the Big Book does not say that to stay sober you must be selfish. In fact, it emphasizes the importance of overcoming selfishness and developing selflessness as a key aspect of recovery. The Big Book highlights that selfishness, or self-centeredness, is seen as a root cause of troubles and must be eradicated for alcoholics to stay sober.
The Big Book uses the phrase "self-will run riot" to describe the destructive nature of unchecked selfishness, emphasizing that alcoholics need to be rid of this selfishness to achieve and maintain sobriety. The 12 steps outlined in the Big Book include steps that encourage self-examination and the development of unselfishness and a willingness to serve others, which are crucial for ongoing recovery.

I will post the email chain tomorrow here and on ND. I need to redact my personal information first.

 

Post the FBI wanted sheet to prove your point.

 

Tell me how to upload a jpeg from my computer to this site and I will. Do you know what a jpeg or png even is?

 

It's truly amazing how one poster who admittedly wants to move out of Sun City is allowed to come and crap on every thread. I would have thought that once we had an administrator, that nonsense would stop. Apparently not.

As i mentioned in another thread, the timing for Sun City to return and restore that sense of community is nearly perfect. Home prices are dropping, areas around the country that include parts of Florida, Texas and California are witnessing staggering increases in home owners insurance. Seniors on fixed incomes are facing crushing costs and they are looking for options.

I would argue Sun City could be their place in the sun. We know from reading the rants by a single disgruntled home owner, we aren't the place for everyone. There have always been buyers who moved here and weren't happy, so be it, most of them moved on somewhere where they were happier. It's not the RCSC's or SCHOA's job to make those living here to feel contented and fulfilled.

Anyone who understands life (and sobriety), knows gratitude is an attitude and it all starts from within. They also know, the RCSC and SCHOA has clearly defined functions that when executed well, improve our way of life and add to how we live. There are those who expect perfection from them, i'm far more realistic in understanding what they can and cannot do.

Pushing them to be better has always been my goal. Even with that, i have always been delighted with our choice to make Sun City our final destination. After all, i'm simply a guy with an opinion. No more, no less.

Enjoy life, it is way too short and being angry over every perceived slight is silly.

 

Funny, whenever you are asked prove something with evidence you claim to have in hand, there always seems to be a problem that allows to skate on proof.

If memory serves me correct isn’t jpeg an old form of saving pictures of things. The other I never heard of in my years. The real question here is you berating me for my lack of what you believe to be necessary computer skills. Now since it serves your purpose you have become clueless. I thought you were some sort of super secretary at Sun Health, guess not.

Well since you are relatively soon taking your BS train to Peoria, but for the moment you are just a jive Turkey fraud.

 

You are one of the dumbest cowardly people I have ever met. Every time you have asked me for proof I have provided it to you. I see you don't have a photo in your icon. Why? Because you can't upload a jpeg or png file here anymore. Give me your email address. Lord I am sick of your stupid BS. Or you can go to the HOA office. They have everything. Sad old man.

You think I am too stupid to know if I post that photo publicly I could get in trouble??