In another thread we saw the gif of the hat that proclaimed "T33. Make Sun City Great Again." Most of us laughed, it was cute and funny. It was also about as true as the guy in the white house having to make America great again. Point being, neither was needed to make either great again. For the purpose of this thread, let's focus on Sun City. Let's look closely what makes us special. The kind of place that most of us never thought we could afford. If you have ever been to the museum, push the button near the life size cardboard cutout of Del Webb. You will hear an actual audio clip of a woman who moved here from Chicago in the early 70's and what she said to Webb...her words are still true to this day. We have the most amenities at the least cost, and the amenities are nothing short of spectacular. Had they not been improved over the years, they would be ruined wrecks. Think not? Look at the old pictures of Bell, Marinette, Oakmont and Fairway. They were awesome in their day, but 40 years later, their day had long passed. Even with those in place, that's not what makes us special. There's well over a thousand age restricted communities in this country. All are newer, many way nicer. All more expensive, but that's not really the point. Ultimately people have choices and if they can afford more, they can live elsewhere. A good number of those other choices are simply pricing out most people of average means. Virtually every other of them (short of Sun City West), have what i call single entity governance. One organization runs/oversees everything. It was the hybrid that came from Sun City's model of self-governance. Most were small enough they didn't waste valuable land or resources to build a support infrastructure of organizations to be there for people. Most didn't waste space on churches or hospitals or doctors offices or even shopping centers. They built walls around them and told those living there to go outside the walls for that type of stuff. It was all about maximizing profits by putting the most homes in the least space. They understood that if those buying were financially healthy, they didn't need support systems that outlived their resources. They were built in a different era and catered to a different clientele. Dang, the list is getting longer, but we still haven't got to what makes Sun City special (i hate the term better because it is so subjective). Over the years I have pontificated over Del Webb, John Meeker, Jim Boswell, Bob Johnson and the rest of the Webb team from DEVCO, they were that damn good. In the end, they weren't the reason we succeeded beyond anyone's wildest imagination. Ultimately, our uniqueness, the reason we are special has been and will be because those buying here took ownership as a responsibility. Making Sun City special didn't happen by accident. It worked because and each and every year, since the day we opened, residents have given back millions and millions of hours to insure we maintained the quality of life we enjoy. I know people wrinkle their forehead and question the validity of that statement. When the Visitor center was free-standing there used to be a breakdown of the number of volunteers at various organizations and hours on a yearly basis and fixed a dollar value to it. It was staggering. We can argue that volunteering has dropped off, and it has. As many new home buyers in Sun City continue to work later in life, they have less disposable time. Even with that, consider the organizations they still support with the time they have available: 130 clubs all have officers and many have monitors. The RCSC has volunteer boards and committees. The POSSE, the PRIDE, SCHOA, the Museum, Sun City Community Action Network, the Sun City Foundation, the board for Sunshine Services al have countless volunteers. There are 31 churches that rely on those living here giving back. Banner hospital relies on volunteers. Many of the thrift stores have volunteers. Friends of the Library, Olive Branch Senior Center, Condo Owners Association, Meals On Wheels are all volunteer driven. I've probably missed a few, but you get my point. From our inception we have been built and run by those who bought here and made it work. By being willing to give back we created a lifestyle that was well beyond what most of us ever thought possible. Millions of hours is probably more an understatement than an overstatement. So before you start buying into the idea that someone who sued us has walked the walk and the rest of us have sat passively on the sidelines, quickly grasp what has made Sun City special and why it stays that way today. The lawsuit won't make us better, each of us is responsible for that. It's always been about taking ownership in a community most of us love.
I certainly don't take any exception to what you've said. But I do think there're more reasons than working in retirement that makes people less involved today. For the first half of SC's existence people moving here likely had lived as adults through the Depression. Giving, sharing, helping and a world dealing with war was a major influence on their life before retirement. They respected each other. Today, most of us had parents who were children during the depression; we grew up heavily moderated by the post-war boom times... we're the baby boomers. We're often overly competitive with a must win no matter what attitude. As a demographic our work ethic is different, we value partisanship over a what's best compromise, we are less charitable. We are less likely to respect others. It is what it is. But, I think we should to be somewhat cautious extrapolating the history of what made SC great initially to what will make it great today/tomorrow. As the Bob Dylan song says, for the times they are a-changin... In my view a lot of people have attitudes and expectations that are clearly different than the SC residents from earlier times. When I first moved onto my street (about 20 houses) here in SC most everyone had bought in the '70s, they knew one another, helped each other, watched out for one another. They talked about what was going on in SC, took bus trips together, met at the pool, etc. Hardly a day went by that the rec centers, or the Prides, or the Posse weren't mentioned in some context. Most of those people are gone now. The residents that replaced them are more transient, less friendly. Some don't even acknowledge a hi or wave as you pass by walking the dog. Of course it could all be me, but I don't think so. Some new neighbors are just as friendly as past ones, just as helpful, just as willing to accept help. As far as I know, only a few of my neighbors work, only a couple golf, only a couple use the rec centers to any extent. They don't seem to know much about the Prides, Posse, the RCSC, etc. They don't see a tangible benefit for themselves if they got involved. More and more of our residents aren't living the SC lifestyle of the previous generations and it's unlikely they ever will. I'm pretty sure they aren't going to change to embrace the SC philosophy of the past. I don't see a lot of movement at the RCSC and service organizations to take the lead to understand future trends and change to accommodate them. There's an infinite stream of overtures for change... the RCSC mostly has a deaf ear. That attitude doesn't bode well for the future unless open meetings persist under T33.
I agree IC and have written in the past, we are living in different times and with differing wants and needs, likes and dislikes. Technology has changed us, people live glued to their phones. Contacts are miles away, not next door. That said, i've never believed anything is above "fixing." Not easy, but doable. The problem is, there is no energy from the board or management to make that a priority. It's why i have written many times how i failed in serving on the RCSC board. And so i am clear, the long range planning committee is looking exactly at the next generation of home owners and their nuances. Clearly different. One of the main focus will be technology, it's how they were brought up, and how they live. We best get our head around it, and i mean quickly. We know they aren't golfers, certainly not like the "greatest generation," and not even like the boomers. I will start a thread later today with the info from yesterdays meeting on golf stats; scary. As a society we have become fragmented and disjointed. Wouldn't it be refreshing if Sun City was able to present a picture of a community focused on caring about one another? All of the pieces are in place, we just need find a way to energize the various organizations, churches and clubs to make a commitment to be better than the rest of the country. Grandiose? Maybe, but how silly is it not to look for a better way of life? That's exactly how and why Sun City was built. It's why we succeeded. Damn dude, now you have me tilting at windmills again.
If you're able, before you do your post about the golf stats, I have often wondered if even the reported stats are way off base. There are somewhere around 300+ employees of RCSC both full and part-time. Employees get a special benefit in using the rec center facilities even if they aren't cardholders or residents of Sun City. This is where it's cloudy....employees can open/practice bowl for free and it used to be that they could also golf either for $2.00 a round or some get free golf. If only 150 of the employees golf once a week that's a 600 pad of the total golf rounds per month. Am I way off base?
Another feature that is sometime overlooked which makes Sun City so special is the availability of services which aid in being a caregiver. So many in Sun City have moved here to care for a parent, relative or find a neighbor that needs assistance. We were caregivers for both of my parents for nearly 8 years and having so many services nearby was a blessing. The 90 year old couple across the street had no family in AZ so we adopted them also. Much of the volunteering in Sun City is not able to be reported as it is unseen.
Hey aggie. Great point on those who volunteer and those stats aren't ever seen or recorded. Much of the early Sun City years were with people interacting (as IC indicated) on a whole different level. Block watches and block parties were regular features in the community. Still some of that around but not nearly like it was. While on the board we asked to see the rounds of golf "played" under the header of it being a perk for employees. It was substantial. I don't know if their played is recorded in the total rounds played, but if i had to guess, given how they love to fudge stats, that answer would be yes. Maybe a board member can jump on here and clarify (said with a smile).
