Fitness Manager’s Message

FROM THE FITNESS MANAGER WHAT DO WE MEAN WHEN WE TALK ABOUT “WELLNESS”?

Allison Adams

Fitness Manager

The Oxford dictionary defines it as “the state of being in good health, especially as an actively pursued goal”.

The Global Wellness Institute defines wellness as “the active pursuit of activities, choices and lifestyles that lead to a state of holistic health”. In other words, wellness is proactive, preventive, and driven by selfresponsibility; an approach focused on prevention, healthy lifestyles, and the pursuit of optimal well-being. (https:// globalwellnessinstitute. org/what-is-wellness). Sun City Grand supports the concept of wellness as seen in our value statement: “We believe in life-long learning, and a desire for active well-being” How are we supporting wellness in our community? Through a variety of group classes, articles, social events and workshops. At Sun City Grand Fitness, we believe that now, more than any time since childhood, you probably have more time to really focus on your wellness. If you research the topic, you can find a plethora of different wellness topics: financial, spiritual, occupational, physical, to name a few. Although all relevant, we’ve chosen to direct our attention to the following 6 pillars that directly affect your physical health. Strength, endurance, flexibility, balance, cognition, and mindfulness. Strength: A measure of physical exertion against an object Endurance: Capacity to perform physical activity that increases the heart rate above 50% of max heartrate. The ability to sustain a prolonged stressful effort or activity Flexibility: Ability for a joint to move pain-free through a range of motion Balance: Ability to stay in control of body’s position Cognition: The mental action or process of acquiring knowledge and understanding through thought, experience, and the senses. Mindfulness: a mental state achieved by focusing one’s awareness on the present moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting one’s feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations, used as a therapeutic technique. We’ve chosen these 6 pillars, because to maintain and improve them, we strengthen the foundation to living a rewarding, healthy, and active lifestyle. Sun City Grand is committed to promoting wellness within our community. This is what drives our future group fitness choices, workshops, and lectures and articles. Let’s get started by attending the Grand Re-Opening of the Village Center. We invite you to participate in any of the free, abbreviated RELAXATION classes being held during the week-long celebration. Join us on Thursday, February 3rd, when our theme is RELAXATION. Scheduled between 4-7 pm, you can participate in free yoga, T’ai Chi, meditation, or a Stretch and Relax class, held on the Palm Court lawn. Miller Massage, located in the Cimarron center, will also be on site offering chair massages and assisted stretching. The topic of RELAXATION, in relation to fitness, is one of the components of not only a wellrounded fitness program, but is a principle of overall wellness. Having the Village Center as a location for relaxation allows our members to rest, read, socialize and engage in seasonal classes on the lawn. Yoga and Stretch and Relax, featured at February 3rd’s Grand Re-Opening, are geared toward stretching the muscles of the body, reducing aches and pains, improving blood and fluid circulation in the body. T’ai-Chi and meditation improve physical awareness, and is effective in improving balance. All of these classes develop mindfulness which can be beneficial for heart health; lowering blood pressure and heart rate. Bring a mat if you have one. SCG fitness will provide extras. At Sun City Grand, the subject of wellness extends well beyond the Grand Re-Opening of the Village Center, it’s more of a mission here.

Vacation at Home

Preparing for a bliss-filled retirement or a vacation home in paradise? Whatever your home dreams are, I will help you get there.

Donald Simpson

Senior Mortgage Lender

NMLS# 450311

623.428.2202

dsimpson@bell.bank | homeloansbydonald.com

What / Who is the LRP? What LRP work is going on currently? What's The Impact For Our Community!

OVERVIEW “LRP” stands for Long Range Planning. An LRP advisory committee was officially established by the Board of Directors in 2017 and continues to report to the Board.

The LRP committee is the steward of our community’s Long Range Strategic Plan. We are the innovators, researchers, and planners for our community’s future aspirations. We evaluate trends, innovations and opportunities to meet the needs of current and future residents. We propose initiatives to address our community’s livability and vitality. The Strategic Plan is a roadmap for the future which includes the Master Community Plan that highlights major areas of LRP focus (see MCP graphic). While the LRP committee evaluates and proposes potential plans, the Board is ultimately responsible for all decisions and approving funding.

A Brief History

In 2016, the forward-looking Board of Directors realized the need to think about the long range opportunities for Sun City Grand - 5 to 10 years in the future - to ensure a healthy, active community with attractive property values. The 2016-2025 Strategic Plan was developed to provide a “big picture” view of the community as it existed then and to visualize what it may look like in 10 years based on forecasted trends in the market and inevitable changes. A team was appointed to define the strategic plan, based on trends and on community research. The original team refined a broad spectrum of community ideas and defined a “roadmap” to guide SCG toward the future. The roadmap included eight key success factors, with related goals and tactics: Attract and Integrate New Residents, External Community, Golf, Landscaping and Structures, Living Life Fully, Space Allocation and Utilization, Technology, and Community Association Staffing. Over the past 5-6 years, many of the original initiatives were accomplished, some were removed due to infeasibility, and some became major focus points. For example, Golf and Technology were deemed to be so vital to the community that separate advisory committees were established and report directly to the Board - the Golf LRP Advisory committee and the Board Ad Hoc Committee on Technology. The current LRP committee is charged with continuing to evaluate opportunities and enhance our community.

Current LRP Work

The LRP advisory committee has three major areas of work underway - Brand Refresh, Space Allocation/Utilization, and a potential Community Garden - as well as other initiatives in the pipeline. These initiatives are founded on community research, substantial data analysis, and external trend assessment and each initiative supports the Long Range Strategic Plan (see MCP graphic). A brief overview of each follows - including the goals, work underway, and next steps.

Brand Refresh—Reflecting Our Grand Lifestyle!

The goal of the LRP’s Brand Refresh work is to retain current residents and attract new buyers to our vibrant community by updating and refreshing Sun City Grand’s brand image and “experience” (delivered through communications, amenities and socialization) to stay competitive with changing and growing competitors in the housing segment. Based on extensive community research (over 2,600 residents completed brand surveys in August 2021) and external trend assessment, Rawle-Murdy, a brand consultant, and the LRP proposed a brand refresh to the Board in November 2021. The proposed brand promise is that we “Live Grand” and our refreshed brand name would be “The Grand” - recognizing the significance of our history while pivoting to a fresh future which will continue to attract new residents.

(As part of the rationale for their proposal, Rawle-Murdy showed data that the “Sun City” name hasn’t been used on any new builds anywhere in the country since 2007. For a deeper dive on the Brand Refresh, please see p16-17 of the January Lifestyles.) The Board will make the strategic decisions on the brand proposal. The research and brand proposal has been covered in various Board meetings and community calls in November and December. In the meantime, the LRP advisory committee continues to work on a potential rollout plan.

Space Allocation and Utilization—May We Have a Room Please?

The goal of the Space Allocation and Utilization Project is to promote, enhance, and support community socialization via the “highest and best use” of our facilities for both current and future residents. This initiative encompasses the potential for new buildings as well as enhancement and/ or repurposing of current facilities. Socialization includes club activities as well as other events where people gather - everything from sports to social games to artistic endeavors, performing arts, and CAM-sponsored events. To address the wide scope of this goal, the LRP committee began with a detailed, fact-based assessment of current space usage. We looked at buildings, rooms within the buildings, usage of each room, and types of events or activity. We analyzed usage by time of day, day of week, by season. We began to consider the potential for flexible vs. designated space, the need for technology-enablement, and possible options for creating activity zones, where similar activities could be highlighted. The initial LRP analysis is completed and leads to the need for space and architectural expertise and design considerations. The next step will be for CAM to issue an RFP for the consultation services to develop viable options. The LRP will continue working with all stakeholders to confirm space needs in order to ensure the final recommended remodeling and/or building remodeling project meet those needs.

A Grand Community Garden —It may be in our future!

Gardening is a popular hobby practiced by people of all ages and abilities; many retirees look forward to spending more time in their gardens! Community Gardens provide an opportunity for life-long learning, community building, volunteerism, healthy exercise, and growing organic fruits and vegetables to eat and share. So it’s no surprise that Community Gardens are one of the major trends in active adult communities - and could not only benefit homeowners today, but also help Grand remain competitive with other active retirement communities in attracting new buyers.

continued on page 18

SCG

Master Community Plan (MCP) INDEX 2

Purpose: Multi-year roadmap to enhance SCG

Guiding Values

Solid investments that enhance SCG Vibrant lifestyle; open, welcoming Highest & best use of resources Future orientation; ongoing improvement

MCP Components / Priorities Branding for the Future

• Brand re-launch • Marketing plan • Ongoing SCG ambience

Socialization / Amenities & Programs

• New concept proposals • PDP requests • Community garden assessment • Multi-use sports area evaluation

Our Foundation Space Allocation/Utilization

• Space assessment - buildings/rooms; use by clubs, SIGs, open play, sports, socialization, etc. • Zones - potential specialty areas across

SCG campus

Technology

• Increased community knowledge and use of new technologies to enhance engagement and well-being

Communication

• Proactive, effective communication / information for residents • Town halls, focus groups, surveys, etc.

Brick & Mortar

• Village Center • Sonoran Plaza • Chaparral Center • Cimarron • Palm Center • Desert Springs Socialization

Area • Possible additional buildings

Future Trends

• Ongoing external research and evaluation to ensure competitive community

Care Fund / Budget Recommendations

Collaboration with Board, CAM, Committees Research Data-based decision-making Partnering with SCG community residents Forward thinking Improvements via key learning

continued from page 17

In June 2021, based on a proposal advocating a new Community Garden amenity, the Board of Directors directed the Long Range Planning committee (LRP) to create a Community Garden subcommittee to assess the viability and potential benefits of a community garden. The subcommittee has been hard at work since Fall of 2021 and is nearing a formal proposal stage. At the February 3 LRP Meeting, the Community Garden subcommittee will present their “Proposal to Advance a Grand Community Garden” for an LRP committee vote. The proposal will include information on the extensive site search and top potential sites, recommended design, materials and water conservation strategies for the garden, along with estimated construction and operating costs. If the LRP approves the proposal, it will be forwarded to the Board of Directors for consideration at their March 10 meeting. At that meeting, the Board would consider whether to affirm their intention to construct a Community Garden and authorize the LRP, Community Garden subcommittee, and CAM to finalize a Garden Project Report for inclusion in the 2023 budget.

Benefits to Our Community

The work of the Long Range Plan advisory committee is wide-ranging, but the overall goal is to keep our community strong by enhancing our key assets and adding new ones. Our focus is toward the future; our foundation is data; our operating mode is collaboration. The Long Range Planning committee members dedicated to this work: n Eileen Brooks, LRP Chair n Tony Spata, Vice Chair n Jean Dowis n Christine Gibson n Amy Hunter n Gary Jaan n Kathy Marker n Eugene Neigoff

Want to Learn More about LRP and/or Community Gardens?

Public meetings of the Long Range Planning committee are held via Zoom the first Thursday of every month. Tune into the LRP zoom meeting on February 3 (1-3:00 pm) to hear more about the Brand, Space and a deeper dive on the Community Garden initiative.

COMMUNITY LIFE SAFETY EDUCATION DIVISION

14250 W. Statler Plaza , Ste. 101, Surprise, AZ 85374 P: 623.222.5400 F: 623.222.5002 CITY OF SURPRISE

www.surpriseaz.gov, 623.222.1000 Non-emergency police, 623.222.4000 Non-emergency Fire, 623.222.5000 Mayor’s and Council’s Office, 623.222.1300