In another thread, i posed the question, "Is Sun City Back?" Lots of good answers and for the most part an interesting exchange of ideas. For anyone with a live brain cell, they understand the value of good, in depth communication; you know, where people are willing to be straightforward without trying to be mean spirited or slighting others. Then in another thread posted, the question was asked: "Do You Really Want To Move To Sun City AZ?" As i am want to do, i answered the question with a lengthy response (no surprise there). It was basically a data driven assessment of why Sun City was so compelling a community for both those retired or still working. I knew my answer was a far more clinical approach, than some would take. So, i took the liberty of cutting and pasting my remarks on a Facebook group page (Sun City Chat Arizona) i am a member of and asked for member responses "Why Was Sun City Right For You?" In less than 24 hours there are 70 plus responses and some of them are stunningly good...dare i say beautiful to read. There is a long standing tradition of using member/resident stories to amplify the love affair between the community and those living here. Initially it was one of the tools DEVCO used so successfully in their ads. Once they left for Sun City West, Sun City's 25th Anniversary book, Jubilee did some of that. The offshoot of the book, the Del Webb Sun Cities Museum, took on the responsibility of telling our stories through oral histories and recently adding video interviews. As i was rereading the various comments and threads, it dawned on me: "Was Sun City Ever Gone; Really" To help answer that question, i looked at my response to why i/we moved here, and it was abundantly clear everything i wrote was every bit present to this exact moment in time. My response wasn't about what was, it was about what is. That being the case, Sun City never left. Nope, sorry it's still as clinically close to perfect as it can get. With that out of the way, what has disappeared has been that sense of community that was far more prevalent during our formation and growth periods. We know society has changed, we know people have changed, so it should be of little surprise, as a community, we too have morphed into something different. Going to go refill my cup of Joe and come back and share my thoughts further in my next post.
I think i mentioned the flurry of activity within the RCSC the past week or two has generated several email exchanges by members concerned and interested in what is going on. I am more pragmatic than some; knowing our history makes it easier to say, "yup, we've been here before." While the circumstances haven't been identical, the challenges every bit as daunting...and every time we came out of it learning and growing from our missteps or mistakes. To quote a bible passage (no idea which one); "this too shall pass." That's about as close to religion as i get, sorry. I am a believer in a higher power and i have no interest in debating what others believe in, being better, worse or wrong. I'm even fine with those who believe in nothing spiritual, as long as they don't harangue me our others about what we believe in. As usual, i drift. However, there is a point to my drifting and it is to make the point about our society as a whole. I absolutely believe this phenomena is impacting our nicely packaged Sun City. In fact, just this morning in a lengthy email to a friend/RCSC involved member i said this: "I'm truly frustrated by much of what i read. We've become so culturally fixated on hating the other side, we lose sight of what matters. Within our white walls that sense of community shouldn't be that hard to focus on. It all starts internally and the beauty of the internal success spreads out externally and becomes that path forward for marketing purposes. This could be so massively successful, running against the tide and focusing on building that sense of community is an interesting dichotomy of the world we are trapped in." If you don't understand what i am saying, read back some of the comments and remarks. I know they are well intended, and i know that as i read many of them, i saw a lot of finger pointing and blame. I've done more than my share of the same and while i can try to defend it by saying it was more from a historical or educational perspective, i am certain many felt i was just piling on. Maybe i was. Identifying problems without posting solutions is an exercise we seldom engage in. I've seen sites where the goal is if you acre going to post a problem, make sure to propose a solution. I know, pretty high-minded, but it is certainly an idea that adds to the mystique of non-stop whining and complaining. Not proposing it here, but as i read through the 70 plus positive comments on the Fcaebook group, at least a couple of us saw the possibilities of using the words of those who moved here providing the impetus for others to follow in their footsteps. You know, like DEVCO did. Beyond that, i finished my email with my thoughts in a way that i think would provide a value added perspective for all of us, when i wrote this: "Finding our way looks and feels like it might be difficult. I can write all the fluff and stuff, but movements come from energy. It can be by the board/ by management or by the members, but the best is when it is a collective process. Not sure how we get there when the board is worried about hurting a member's feelings rather than being honest with them." Clearly there are hurdles to restoring that sense of community, sense of ownership and sense of belonging. Not impossible, but doing so will take hard work, dedication and commitment. It all starts with setting goals (mission, vision and values?), creating a plan and finally measuring success via outcomes. One final thought, leaders are for government, corporations, military and others with hierarchical structures. Communities are built by people which includes the membership, the board and the management/staff. And, while we are at it, let's not forget the clubs and other organizations that form the partnership that help mold big picture Sun City.
Sun City was never gone, it’s just been refocused in a different direction than it used to be. And I will say it has not been for the betterment of the community or the members. The board and its members are collectively doing the best they can to regain their traction from past foibles not necessarily of their doing. I feel they can embrace the opportunities presented if they are willing to examine the priorities of their duties and balance with the community needs. This community needs involvement and interaction that makes us feel like we are a valued partner in this community. This is going to take thinking outside the box and creating new and meaningful change that focuses on the members. In turn, once the RCSC makes overt outreach activities, making sure everyone is invited and that they are wanted as a valued member of the community, this can be turned around. The one concern I still have is that the RCSC relies on electronic media for its communication strategy. I will reiterate that this is woefully inadequate as this requires the use of cell phones, tablets, or other devices. This is an aging population that does not want or utilize these technologies. Based upon numbers I read on the Census Bureau website, we could be missing about 25% of the population of Sun City due to the age of the population as well as the cost of owning and maintaining the devices. The community printed newspaper was well received and read by most of the residents. When it was declared to not be cost effective by the GM, it was in fact, another way to control the members access to information about their community. It fits in with all of the other items lost to the members. Is it possible no one wants to do a paper delivery to the members? I truly feel if we say we want member outreach, then that means reaching out to all. Not just those that have the capacity to sign up for electronic services.
