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10 | SUN LAKES LIFESTYLES | NOVEMBER 2023 | All right everybody — I want you to stand up, raise your right hand and repeat after me, "I will seriously consider attending a holiday event presented by my district." That didn't hurt at all, did it? Please, take it seriously, join in with your neighbors and friends and celebrate the holidays together. Your District Delegate works very hard with his or her staff to stage the holiday events. Getting the dates, ordering food and table decorations, arranging entertainment, designing a flyer and all of the other details it takes to put an event together for everyone to enjoy, and then what happens, 50 residents show up! Out of a hundred or more homes, some two to three hundred residents in any given district received the notice, and 50 or so find time to have fun and enjoy a holiday dinner or brunch with their neighbors. It is even worse when two or three districts come together to set up an event, and they have the same results. Some Districts are having a luncheon or brunch during the holidays so residents do not have to travel at night. Check channel 97 or the Lifestyles Magazine for dates and times. At the Delegate meeting there is a lottery whereby each district selects the location of their Christmas tree in the center medium of Country Club Drive. Districts 16 and 17 place their Christmas Trees at the North Clubhouse. Volunteers from each district decorate the colorful trees. Not long after Thanksgiving we have a Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony at 5 pm in front of the Main Clubhouse. For most of us, we feel like kids again and begin to get into the Christmas spirit. Hopefully the Christmas spirit is extended to the "Holiday Wish Program." This is a program fostered by the District Delegate Assembly. Each district accepts two or three families and purchases gifts for the children and the parents. The families write a "wish list" of what they would like for items since they are quite needy. Each district collects money from its residents and shops for the gifts. Please watch for your district's collection of funds and help out as much as you can. We have always believed that the holidays are for the kids. As our kids grew up, the grandkids took their places, and we started all over again. However, from the comments of some of our residents, we are beginning to believe we have a complex full of kids living here who enjoy the holidays as much as they did as a youngster. That's good thinking, it will keep us young! ~ Joe Formino, Chairman, District Delegate Assembly DISTRICT DELEGATE ASSEMBLY REPORT SEE YOU AT THE HOLIDAY PARTIES! In Emergency Preparedness things seem to be done in 4s. Let's start with the Four Pillars of Preparedness which focus on the fundamentals of survival: food, water, location and medical. To survive in any situation, you must have food and water, at least seven days of food and one gallon of water per person for at least seven days. Location is equally important. Emergencies and disasters can occur anywhere. Since you can't predict where you might be, it is important to plan ahead and have the supplies you may need with you wherever you are. Communicating your where abouts with others could be vital to your survival. Medical is not just medication! As discussed in previous issues, it is always good to have extra prescription medication stockpiled. But equally important is OTC medications and first aid supplies. Keep these items in your go bag as well (remember to rotate and update supplies). Also include a list of your doctors, medication, dosage information, and any pertinent information with you always. If traveling or just away for the day, know the location of a healthcare provider who accepts your insurance plan. Planning ahead can save your life! In all aspects of life, we use the Four Cs: Communication, Coordination, Cooperation and Collaboration. But how does Sun Lakes EPAP effectively use them? One - Communication is fundamental for developing and maintaining effective channels for sharing information. e Sun Lakes EPAP Team works diligently to communicate with Sun Lakes' Administration, Securitas, the EPAP Coordinators and Zone Captains and of course the First Responders who may be responding to the emergency. e EPAP Management Team and Radio Operators attends trainings and meetings then shares the information with EPAP members. Monthly radio checks are done to ensure community-wide communication. Two - Coordination efforts allow for resources to be most effectively used and help communities prepare for and respond to disasters. By coordinating with Securitas, our local first responders and other groups in our Pass area, we can strengthen our resources in a disaster. ree - Cooperation is important to overcome challenges and working towards achieving the same goal to help those affected by disasters, whether it is in Sun Lakes or our surrounding communities. Four - Collaboration is needed to pull together and network our strengths and capacities, share available resources, and complement existing expertise to reduce vulnerabilities and to prevent and mitigate disasters more effectively. Working as a team is the most valuable tool we have in the event of a disaster! EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS The 4s of Emergency Preparedness

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