Travel Opportunities

KINDRED TOURS

For more information, and a complete listing of all that Kindred Tours has to offer, call the office to receive a free subscription to the monthly newsletter. You can reach Kindred Tours at 480-497-2478 or visit kindredtours.com.

SOUTH RIM OF THE GRAND CANYON

JULY 11TH | MONDAY | $109 ALWAYS … PATSY CLINE AT PHOENIX THEATRE

JULY 23RD | SATURDAY | $99 THE DURANGO/SILVERTON RAILROAD & MESA VERDE NATIONAL PARK

JULY 26TH-29TH | TUESDAY-FRIDAY

$869 (DOUBLE OCCUPANCY) | $199 (SINGLE SUPPLEMENT) ON YOUR FEET!

The Story of Emilio & Gloria Estefan AUGUST 6TH | SATURDAY | $99 SAN DIEGO SUMMERTIME GETAWAY!

AUGUST 22ND-25TH | MONDAY-THURSDAY

$899 (DOUBLE OCCUPANCY) | $240 (SINGLE SUPPLEMENT) TREASURES OF IRELAND

MARCH 14TH-22ND

$3995 (DOUBLE OCCUPANCY) | $700 (SINGLE SUPPLEMENT) Includes Roundtrip Airfare Phoenix

FREE SPIRIT

For more information or reservations please contact Free Spirit Vacations and Events at 480-926-5547 or reservations@freespiritvacations.com PAGEANT OF THE MASTERS

JULY 20-22 | $775 PP/DOUBLE | $975 PP/SINGLE FLAGSTAFF NIGHT SKY

JULY 27-28 | $425 PP/DOUBLE | $550 PP/SINGLE YELLOWSTONE & GRAND TETONS

AUGUST 21-28 | $2599 PP/DOUBLE | $2999 PP/SINGLE AIRFARE IS ADDITIONAL BROADWAY IN THE DESERT

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat AUGUST 22-25 | $825 PP/DOUBLE | $975 PP/SINGLE *COLORADO ROCKIES*

SEPTEMBER 10–18 | $2999 PP/DOUBLE | $3699 PP/SINGLE INCLUDES AIRFARE ALBUQUERQUE INTERNATIONAL BALLOON FIESTA

OCTOBER 2-7 | 6 DAYS | 5 NIGHTS $1,950 PP/DOUBLE | $2,775 PP/SINGLE ALBUQUERQUE INTERNATIONAL DELUXE BALLOON FIESTA

OCTOBER 4-7 | 4 DAYS | 3 NIGHTS $975 PP/DOUBLE | $1,275 PP/SINGLE

FOR PICKUP LOCATIONS CONTACT THE TOUR PROVIDER.

We are looking for SCG men and women volunteers to help with Vacation Watch and Evening Patrol. We will supply vehicles and training. Call (CAM) 623-546-7432 or the C.H.A.P.S. office 623-546-7553 and leave a message if you are interested in joining us! You may also find more information about C.H.A.P.S. (including an application form to join) at suncitygrand.com – volunteer central – C.H.A.P.S. Resident Patrol

PATROLLING OUR NEIGHBORHOODS

Submitted by Dennis Hanscom

C.H.A.P.S. member As I scratch my head for new subject content for specifics that deal with open garage doors, malfunctioning street lights, and inspecting homes for unlocked doors and windows, I seem to have drawn a blank for this edition so I will try to draw a picture of how it is determined where we patrol. Sun City Grand has 9,800 homes. We have the community divided into 6 zones.

We have one volunteer assigned to our office desk as a Dispatcher or Coordinator and he or she determines which zones to cover on any given day or night. We have 3A zones and 3B zones. Since we only have a maximum of 3 teams going out on one day, only 3A zones get covered, and the next day 3B zones will be covered. Each zone is approximately 25 miles and it will be covered within the 2 hours our volunteers have signed up for. The “zone method” is used by Evening Patrol. During the daytime for Vacation Watch, things are handled differently because the duties are different.

The coordinator at our office desk assigns a zone notebook that holds all of the houses signed up for our Vacation Watch program. They are filed according to the named subdivisions within Grand. We try to check these vacation homes once per week. When a batch of new sign-ups (homes to be checked by our Vacation Watch group for the first time) are turned into our office, those homes are placed into a separate notebook and given the highest priority to be checked by the very next volunteer group going out to check vacation homes. These homes are aways high priority because those are the homes we generally find an unlocked window or door very soon after the homeowner has departed. The keyholder is then called and the home is secured ASAP.

Now, to explain the two main functions of your C.H.A.P.S.* volunteers:

VACATION WATCH

When residents are away from home for two weeks or more, they are encouraged to fill out a Vacation Watch form which is available in the Welcome Center and the Membership Office at the Palm Center, as well as online at suncitygrand.com. Completed forms are to be returned to the Membership Office in the Palm Center. Two criteria are required for homeowners to use this program: (1) homeowner must be away for a minimum of two weeks; (2) a keyholder must be identified on the request form. C.H.A.P.S.* volunteers will walk around the home checking for unlocked doors, unlocked or broken windows, etc. The goal is to make the house look occupied. When an irregularity is found, the designated keyholder will be notified. C.H.A.P.S.* does not report homeowner violations to the Standards Office.

EVENING PATROL

During evening hours, volunteers patrol our streets in Association vehicles to observe and report unusual activity. The volunteers look for breaches of security such as open garage doors, suspicious vehicles and/or people. Street light outages and road hazards will be reported to the proper authorities. TO VOLUNTEER We are actively looking for new volunteers. All residents are welcome! We will provide classroom and field training. There are two-person patrols where you select your days/evenings to volunteer and you select how many times each month you wish to volunteer. Call Carol Murr (CAM) 623-546-7432 or the C.H.A.P.S.* office (623) 546-7553 if you may be interested in joining us. Our next meeting is Tuesday, July 26th at 1:30 p.m. in the Palms/Palo Verde Room at the Sonoran Plaza. All homeowners are welcome to join us.

*C.H.A.P.S.: Community Homeowner Association Patrol Service C.H.A.P.S. MEETS THE 4TH TUESDAY EVERY MONTH (except December) AT 1:30 P.M. EVERYONE IS WELCOME. MAKE A DIFFERENCE WITH C.H.A.P.S.

How Being Kind

Makes You Healthier

You probably know that treating someone else well has a positive effect by helping them feel valued and supported. But did you know that making kindness a regular habit is good for your health and it even slows your body’s aging process? You begin to produce “happy chemicals” like dopamine and oxytocin and serotonin more often, which increases your positive feelings and well-being, and enhances social connections, and relationships. Even small acts of kindness such as smiling and saying “thank you” can give your immune system a boost and make you more resilient. Random acts of kindness can make us feel grateful. Being nice to others is one of the easiest, most inexpensive ways to keep anxiety at bay. Being kind regularly gets easier as you do it. Be alert to opportunities. We often miss these because we have too much on our minds. It’s easy to become overwhelmed by negativity in the world and this has an adverse effect on our health. If you find yourself becoming annoyed or angry, take a deep breath. Acting calmly will not only reduce stress but will likely help you to resolve the situation more easily. You can practice kindness as you go about your day and see what a difference it makes over time. And don’t overlook the power of kind interactions with strangers or those you don’t know well. Often these opportunities are the ones that mean the most, both to you and your recipient. When we help others, we become more aware of the blessings in our own lives.

And remember . . .

Kindness is contagious. Being good to others inspires others to be kind as well.

Stop Dreaming, Start Doing

Dreaming of a vacation home where you can retire in style? Let Bell help you make your home dreams come true! Donald Simpson NMLS# 450311

Sr. Mortgage Loan Officer | 623.428.2202 dsimpson@bell.bank | HomeLoansbyDonald.com