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| SUN LAKES LIFESTYLES | APRIL 2026 | 17 This article is about solicitors in our community, based upon a personal experience. Recently I was at my home in the afternoon watching a sports event on TV. My doorbell rang and when I answered the door, I was greeted by a young man, nicely dressed and well spoken. He asked me if I remembered him from last year when he came by my home. I had never seen this person before and I told him so. I wanted to see what his angle was so I asked him what he wanted. He said he noticed that the tree in my front yard needed trimming and he'd be happy to give me an estimate. He indicated they were doing some work for someone down the street from me. We went to my front yard and his partner was waiting in a truck there. I asked how much would they charge to trim my tree. His partner said $550. I was a bit surprised by this amount so I declined their offer. Later I went to talk to my neighbor who was having work done by this company. She told me they approached her with the same line, "Do you remember me from last year?" and gave her the same exact quote they gave me of $550, though her estimate included additional shrubs and smaller trees. This neighbor was totally dissatisfied with this company. She gave me a tour. I called Mike Romero then to report this company and before I even gave him the name, he knew who it was. Security had received several complaints from residents here about this company. This was discussed in our Safety Advisory Committee meeting with Joe Ganino, our Compliance department, and the Committee. There are legal issues that must be addressed before we can ban this vendor from Sun Lakes. That review is underway. The main point is don't be taken in by solicitors who ring your doorbell. Their objective is to take advantage of people in our community. In fact, you are well advised to not answer your door to any stranger. Please remember: Keep your dogs on a leash Pick up after your dogs Keep your garage doors closed Drive defensively and obey speed limits and stop signs ~ Michael Volz, (818) 310-1950, vmv1950@aol.com Safety Advisory Lifestyles Magazine is the resource most residents use to find out what's going on in our community. At 80 pages, it includes pictures from residents plus articles from the Master Board, Delegate Assembly, FirstService, CCL, the golf pro, and all the advisory committees. Clubs and groups send articles and photos about their activities to Sunlakesnews@yahoo.com by the sixth of each month. The Lifestyles Advisory Committee meets on the seventh of each month, unless otherwise specified, to review and edit the articles that are submitted for each month's issue of the magazine. We also publish want ads and for sale items from residents at no cost and hide a monthly joke for residents to find. Responses to our "Get the Joke" contest are put in a hat and a winner is randomly drawn, earning a gift card as a prize. We publish a special "Friends We Will Miss" section to keep friends and neighbors informed when a resident passes away. On page 2, we present a useful guide that includes the contact information for our clubhouses, Master Board members, administrative staff, advisory committee chairpersons, as well as when and where the committees meet, hours of Sun Lakes operation, and other valuable information. Photographs taken by residents of areas within Sun Lakes are used on the magazine cover. We also post pictures of residents on their vacations or of their beloved pets. If you're good at proofreading and are interested in joining us, please fill out a volunteer application form that you can get in the Main Clubhouse Lobby, and we'll put you on our waiting list. ~ Linda Vieira, lvieira@eltree.com Lifestyles Advisory

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