David Mork, Project Director
 
Since its inception in 1986, the Sun Lakes Rotary Club has lost members through death and moving away. As a result, much of the knowledge of their involvement in the club has been lost. So an idea was presented and approved to ask a standard set of questions of valued members to provide a visual history of the Club -- to help new members to understand how our Club was built and why it continues to be a strong Rotary Club today... 
The video camera was ready, the first subject was ready, and all that was needed was a time and place to begin. Thus, the Heritage Project was launched and the first interview was recorded in late 2012. The average age of all Sun Lakes Rotarians at December 31, 2012 was 76 years of age. The average time of those as a member of the Club was 10 years. It was easy to select the first person to be interviewed. Wayne Johnson was still active and was a Charter member of the Club (on April 22, 1986). As of June, 2017, he has been a member for 31 years.
 
Since the inception of the Project, there have been eight deaths and 21 have resigned from the club for personal reasons. Yet the Club remains strong with over 85 members. Of the 20+ who have been interviewed, not all will appear on the YouTube Channel due to the privacy that they have requested. Of the 49 members who met the interview criteria, less than half remain to be interviewed. Sadly for those who have moved or passed away, their involvement and accomplishments are lost forever.
 
The Heritage Project is a video recording of the member who has met the following criteria: Having more than seven years as a member of the Sun Lakes Rotary Club and attained the age of 70. The interviewee is provided the questions ahead of time. He/she is asked permission to show the video on the Rotary Club’s YouTube Channel, and if permission is granted, the result is posted within a short time after the completion. If not, the individual is provided a DVD of the interview. Several have agreed to have the interview released upon their death, and only after that date. Either way, a DVD is provided for their own use. The recording device is then activated and the questions and responses are recorded, live, and the device is not turned off, unless requested by the subject, until the interview is completed. This provides raw images and answers, without edits, in the individual’s own voice and inflections, and their responses and mannerisms are recorded for perpetuity.
 
The questions which have not been amended or revised since inception to maintain the sameness of the results are below:
 
  1. Were you a Charter member? What was the reason you and others started the club? Discuss the challenges and the path that was followed to begin the club.
  2. If you were not a Charter member, discuss how you became a Sun Lakes Rotarian, and how long you have been in Sun Lakes Rotary as of the date of this discussion.
  3. The club provides great opportunities for Service. Discuss how you are able to meet the challenges of life, and still be involved in Sun Lakes Rotary Projects.
  4. What activities have you been involved in over the years? Why did you choose these?
  5. If you were an Officer, what offices have you served in and how long?
  6. What was your greatest accomplishment during the tenure as an officer?
  7. If you were a Director, what was/were your greatest accomplishment(s) during your term of office?
  8. During your lifetime as a Sun Lakes Rotarian, describe the club in your own words.
  9. Describe how the Sun Lakes Rotary Club has changed your life.
  10. Describe the feelings you have when you enter the Sun Lakes Rotary Club meeting Room.
  11. What continues to attract you to the Club?
  12. What can you tell prospective members and those who will see this, in the future, about maintaining your Club membership?
  13. What you would like your legacy to be to those who come into Sun Lakes Rotary ten years from now?
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