Our vendors are one of our greatest strengths because they have the pulse and are interacting and moving and flowing every day”

PORA Director of Communications Cynthia Young

Knowledge is power and the residents of Sun City West have been taking advantage of the different sources of information available to the community during the coronavirus pandemic.

Property Owners and Residents Association, 13815 Camino del Sol Blvd., officials continue advocacy for the community, and heading into the fall PORA leaders have plans to continue to offer support.

Virtual communication is one way people are adapting to changes of the COVID-19 pandemic, and PORA administrators are giving residents another way to connect.

“We thought it would be beneficial to have a check-in session with a 20-minute Zoom broadcast, where we can provide a quick update and also bring a vendor in to make people aware the business is up and running,” said PORA Director of Communications Cynthia Young.

PORA General Manager Tracy McGuire said the first Tuesday Talk with PORA will begin 10 a.m. Aug. 11 and take place every Tuesday. To obtain the Zoom link, email cynthia.young@porascw.org.

“The first call will be with vendor To My Surprise Airport Shuttle Service and will give information on what is going on at the airport now and what people might need to travel,” Ms. McGuire said. “We are finding a lot of people are wanting to travel, but it is difficult to find out what is going on in other areas.”

Ms. Young said To My Surprise Airport Shuttle Service is on board with community connection and wants to keep residents informed.

“Our vendors are one of our greatest strengths because they have the pulse and are interacting and moving and flowing every day,” she explained.

Additionally, Ms. McGuire said PORA plans to have a nutritionist available who can give people recipes to make easily at home as well as proper nutrition guidelines.

While the Visitors Center, within the PORA building, has been closed since the spring to foot traffic, the resource still is available. Residents can call the center, and brochures, maps, business cards and other information can be collected and delivered via the membership office or curbside pick up. Ms. Young said people continue to visit and phone the organization looking for vendor referrals and general information. The notary service, which is free to PORA members for up to five signatures, continues to be a well-used service.

“There has been an up-tic in visitors to the new website, which launched just before the shutdown in March,” Ms. Young explained. “We are about 1,500 views per week. And we now have 500 Facebook followers and about 100 followers on Instagram.”

Summer hours for the membership office are 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Monday-Friday, with the last walk-in accepted at 12:30 p.m. Additionally, per the organization’s Facebook page, the Arizona Attorney General’s satellite office representative will return to PORA beginning in August the first and third Friday of each month. Those interested must call for an appointment.

Reporter Jennifer Jimenez can be reached at jjimenez@newszap.com or follow her on Twitter @SCW_Independent.