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!
