Unit 27 Activities
Sue Case
During this pandemic, unit social opportunities have largely been limited to small, socially distanced gatherings of close friends and family. However, our Unit Rep, Jeff Depka, and his wife, Eileen, decided to offer unit residents the opportunity to celebrate Halloween by offering food and drink from their garage. The offer was gratefully accepted by approximately 30 residents, who either walked or drove their golf carts to the Depka property. There, they could choose from sliders, with or without cheese; and a great variety of packaged snacks and margaritas, all served from a long table set up in front of the garage. It was certainly impressive! Some of the attendees walked up to the table to get their food and retreated to their golf carts to sit and watch the festivities. Others stood in small groups to socialize. About half the attendees wore some form of Halloween garb. A few came in full-face Halloween masks; but most wore a more “au current” type of mask. Hosting the event was a very nice gesture by Jeff and Eileen, and those that attended appreciated the social opportunity.
On Nov. 17, the MountainView/Preserve Women’s Golf Association (WPGA) teamed up with the University of Arizona Cancer Center to sponsor the “Take a Swing at Cancer” golf tournament, to honor caregivers. All donations and participation fees—a grand total of $16,300—have been donated to the Cancer Center, to fund cancer research. Therefore, the golfing winners received “bragging rights” rather than normal prizes. Unit resident Betty Cole, who is the WPGA Liaison to the University of Arizona Cancer Center, played in the tournament. Unit resident Karen Erickson also played in the event, as did former resident, Anne Meyer. Unit residents Rick Cole and Don Erickson served as caddies, though not in their respective wives’ foursomes. Some Unit 27 residents, although not playing in the event, made cash donations.
Betty Cole also noted that Nov. 19 is World Pancreatic Cancer Day, and that pancreatic cancer is the third leading cause of cancer deaths, behind lung and colon cancers. That was a statistic that this writer did not know; and it is sobering, indeed. Perhaps one day, we will all come together to eradicate these dreadful diseases.
Unit 27 can bask in the glow of resident Jerry Wilkerson’s recent literary honor. He won the 2020 State of Arizona Press Club Second Place Award for Community Column Writers, voted by his fellow journalists in the Copper State. The column, “Looking Forward to Yesterday,” is published monthly in the Arizona Daily Star/Saddlebag Notes newspaper. Congratulations, Jerry! Your fellow residents are proud of you.
Remember when you were a new resident? After the boxes were emptied and all the stuff you just had to bring with you were somehow put away, you probably shifted your focus to the new world around you. That’s exactly the experience of new residents, Kathy Sanchez and her mom, Ann O’Neill. After moving into Unit 27 this summer, they have been exploring Tucson and have reported enjoying trips to the Mini Time Museum, with its vast collection of miniatures, and to the Botanical Gardens. Ann especially enjoyed the butterfly garden at the Botanical Gardens. During these excursions, Kathy’s husband Steve keeps the home fires burning, however, Kathy and Ann are looking for their next adventure. What fun! We hope to hear more.