What's In It For Me?

Are you involved with the community you came from?
The first one has to do with the community from which you came. The vast majority of residents in Dreamland Villa moved here from other parts of the country, many from the mid-west. I thought it might be interesting to compare the size of Dreamland Villa with some of the towns in a few of these states. The population of Dreamland Villa is approximately 5,000 people or maybe a few less. If you came from Illinois, Michigan, Ohio or Wisconsin, there’s a 70% plus chance you came from a town with a population under 5,000. For those from Wolverine country, there’s an 84% chance; and for you Hawkeyes there’s 92% chance. So what, you say. The point is how involved you were back then. Did you belong to the Elks, the Moose Lodge, or the Knights of Columbus or were you a Lion, a Kiwanian, or Rotarian? Did you serve on a community Board, volunteer at a local hospital, or run for public office? Did you get involved? I think you get the point. Dreamland Villa is not a town or city but it has a population greater than nearly three-fourths of the towns and cities around the country. And, as such, requires similar involvement from its citizens for it to remain a viable and desirable place to live.

What attracted you to Dreamland Villa?
Ponder also over what attracted you to Dreamland Villa, why did you decide to settle here? Was it the inexpensive housing, the attractiveness of the community, the fact we are a 55+ community, or was it the various activities we have to offer? Put your thinking cap on and try to remember what it was that you found more attractive in Dreamland Villa than you did anywhere else. And then, ask yourself if that attraction is as strong today as it was when you moved here. If the answer is “no”, ask yourself why. Be honest with yourself – is it too much complacency in the community, too much “Let someone else do it”, too much “There’s nothing in it for me”. Ponder on these questions and then ponder some more….

A Club to encourage community activities and enjoyment
When Joe Farnsworth founded Dreamland Villa some fifty years ago, he was also instrumental in the establishment of the Dreamland Villa Community Club. DVCC was founded (let me paraphrase what the Articles of Incorporation say) “…exclusively for pleasure, recreational, (and) civic purposes, …to provide an opportunity for the members to associate with others of like interests and ambitions, …to safeguard the individual rights of the citizens of Dreamland Villa (and) …to operate and conduct all types of recreational activities.” Back when Dreamland Villa and DVCC were just beginning, there was a real sense of community, a camaraderie among neighbors, people interacting and enjoying each other’s company and interests. Over the years we seem to have lost some of this. I’d like to think we can get it back. And the Dreamland Villa Community Club is the one common thread in our community of some 5,000 residents that can accomplish this. What may have been part of the attraction for you to settle here hasn’t disappeared – it’s just being ignored. You may have guessed by now that I’m going to make a pitch for you to join the Dreamland Villa Community Club. You are right! But not for the dues, for what the benefits being a member will mean to you and what the Club means to the community as a whole.

An Activity for everyone!
Let’s review the types of activities available to DVRC members. When you look at this list, you will see that there is really something for almost everyone. Ready for use you have three pools (two with spas), bocci ball, shuffleboard, pickleball as well as our award winning mile long nature walk. There are the Dreamland Villa ladies’ and men's golf leagues and bowling leagues, although not directly sponsored by the Club. There are horse shoe courts, ignored for years but just waiting for an enthusiastic group of players to bring them back to life. There’s a Game Room where you can enjoy a game of pool, table tennis or darts. Want some exercise? We have an exercise room in Read Hall and three exercise groups including one that is comprised of aqua aerobics. Like cards? How about joining in canasta, cribbage, euchre, bridge, pinochle, poker, whist or “500”. Feel creative? There’s the Art Department, Ceramics, Lapidary, the Photography Club, the Quilters Club and the Wood Shop. Don’t worry if you haven’t done anything like this in the past. You’d be surprised how many of us have talents we don’t know we have. You’ll never know if you do or don’t until you’ve tried. Regardless of your skill level, there are monitors and instructors ready to help and encourage you. Some of you already have skills and hobbies creating interesting items that you may want to share. Consider joining the Arts and Crafts group. Four shows are held each year, at which you can offer your creations for sale to the public.  We have a Computer Club that welcomes both beginners and advanced computer users. Besides offering training and help with this new technology, the Club sponsors seminars put on by specialists in their field. Just want to get together with other folks? How about the Michigan Club, the Minnesota Club or the Iowa Club? We also have the Singles Club. And how about attending the coffee social every other Saturday morning, or the pancake breakfast or the Potluck Dinner held once a month? Like dancing? There’s line dancing with lessons, polka dance sessions, country music and dance as well as ballroom dancing. Once a month a group of musicians get together for a jam session. The Farnsworth Community Theatre presents a number of entertainment programs. There’s the annual Fine Art Show presented by the DVRC Art Department, the annual Photography Club Show and the Fashion Show. Of a more community service nature, special seminars are occasionally provided on topics of interest to our residents. And for a sure way to meet your neighbors and at the same time provide a neighborhood service you can join your neighborhood’s block watch group. Providing on going service to our community, we have a library filled with both fiction and nonfiction reading material including westerns, biographies, mysteries and romance. They also stock a variety of DVD’s. And Help Services: this is a community run charity that provides, on a loan free basis, sickroom and other health care equipment to the sick, injured and convalescing residents of our community. Dreamland Villa is fortunate to have Farnsworth Hall, a facility providing a full blown stage that can accommodate a number of different types of performances and a hall that can accommodate an exhibition, a dance, the Arts and Craft Show, a reception, a dinner or a stage performance. With all this activity going on, I’d be surprised that there isn’t at least one thing that will interest you. I am very much aware that there are a number of residents who are still working full or part time jobs. There are some who, because of age or physical restrictions, find it difficult to participate in our community activities. However, with all there is to choose from, I’m sure even our working population can find something to interest them. For more information on any one of the many activities, just browse this website or contact the Club’s Business Office at 832-3461 or stop by the office for a personal chat. If they can’t answer your questions, they will direct you to someone who can. Most of the activities are available only to DVRC members. While most activities take place in facilities maintained by the Club with dues from its members, some activities or programs may require a nominal participation or an admission fee.

An advocate for you
When it comes to our community as a whole, DVRC is really just an advocacy organization. Beyond establishing and enforcing the rules associated with its facilities as well as the many activities and the upkeep of its facilities and common areas, DVRC has limited ability to deal with problems that develop within Dreamland Villa. Liken, if you will, this other side of DVRC, the advocacy role, to: the AARP with its constant lobbying for the benefit of the senior population; the NRA and its promotion of gun rights; Common Cause, an organization that serves as a vehicle for citizens to make their voices heard in the political process and to hold their elected leaders accountable to the public interest; the DAV, the most long-lasting veterans advocacy and assistance group in this country; Americans for Responsible Solutions, Gabby Gifford’s campaign for responsible gun control and the National Heart and National Lung Associations for their battle to stop smoking. I’m sure you have heard of them all. Many of you contribute to at least one. They are out there advocating for that for which they stand – that in which you believe. These organizations aren’t able to directly resolve an issue or solve a problem. They, however, bring pressure with a loud and effective voice on those who can where an individual could only whisper. Returning our focus to Dreamland Villa, what can DVRC do for you? When the dog next door seems to never stop barking, when that family with young children moves in down the street, when that couple in the next block heads north in the summer and their yard produces enough weeds to feed an elephant or when “Ma and Pa Kettle” move in across the street with all their “collectables”. When it comes to issues like these, threats to our life style, our property value and our property rights, who is going to represent, fight and stand up for us? You say we have our County Supervisor. True, but with all the people that individual represents, how important is one person living in a senior community? We have our State and Federal representatives. Again, consider not only the number of people they represent, but the fact that the further up the governmental bureaucracy ladder, the less important the individual becomes. Of course as individuals, anyone of us can seek help from any number of sources. For those of you who have gone out on your own, how far did you get? Some of you may have been successful, I’m sure. But I’m equally sure that many of you failed to achieve the sought relief. As I mentioned before, Dreamland Villa is a community of some plus or minus 5,000 residents. And, that is where the Dreamland Villa Retirement Community, as an advocacy group, comes into play. They are an established organization that can and does represent the community as a whole. Now, instead of one person trying to fight a system, you have an organization, DVRC, doing it for you, an organization that can use the clout of 5,000 individuals to make its point, to make your voices heard.

55+ Overlay
I repeat, what can DVRC do for you better than you can do it for yourself? You have the Senior Overlay that lets us have a community devoted entirely to senior citizens with like interests, hopes and problems. Did you know that the establishment of a community limited to residents 55 years of age and older is a result of Federal legislation passed back in the 80’s? Back then, Congress passed legislation into law so a community like ours could legally discriminate against younger people. It designated HUD to administer and oversee the program at the Federal level and in turn, HUD passed responsibility for the program down to various local governmental entities. In our case, responsibility for administering the program was given to the Maricopa County Planning and Development Department. The County, in turn, established numerous SC (Senior Citizen Overlay) Zoning Districts, one of which is Dreamland Villa. The County designated the Dreamland Villa Retirement Community to be the organization to oversee the program within Dreamland Villa and to ensure the community’s compliance with the Federal guidelines. DVRC cannot enforce the restrictions within the senior overlay, but they can and do act as the watch dog for violations. These violators are then turned over to the County for action. Just recently, a case fi led with the County last July involving under age children was resolved in our favor. The family has moved. How about the other problems I mentioned above, barking dogs, the “Kettles”, weeds, etc. Most often these are County code violations. Yes, you can call the County Code Enforcement Division and complain. So can any of the other 415,000 residents living in the unincorporated areas of the county. Or, you can coordinate your complaint with the Club’s Complaint Committee and let them file it with the County. There are only five Code Enforcement Officers available to follow up on complaints. That’s nearly 83,000 residents for each officer. Who do you think will get the fastest action, a single individual or an organization that represents 5,000 individuals? In this case size is better. OK, so even with the backing of DVRC we don’t always achieve the results we seek. But, I guarantee you, our batting average is much better than if we had gone individually on our own. As individuals we spend thousands of dollars each year for property insurance and fire protection. We spend for upkeep to our property so its value doesn’t decrease. Consider the dues to the Dreamland Villa Retirement Community another form of insurance – protection of our property rights and property value. And as a bonus, look at all the activities that are just waiting your participation. Where else will you get so much for so little an investment? Many of use donate regularly to organizations like AARP, the NRA, Common Cause and other advocacy groups so that they can fight for the issues we believe in. Why not include DVRC in that group. The dues, so little an amount, for what you get in the long run. DVRC’s constant fight to protect our community, our way of life, is there whether you pay dues or not – maybe. Without the support of the entire community there may come a time when the Dreamland Villa Retirement Community may no longer be there and then what will you do? Move?