(updated 3-22-12)   
OAK RUN HOMEOWNERS ASSOCIATION  ¤  Archive
  

A Letter From Oak Run by Dale Wurzburger


The following song was written (& sung) by Oak Run resident Dale Wurzburger
at the December 2007 ORHA General Meeting. It is a take-off on the song
"A Letter From Camp" (Hello Muddah, Hello Faddah!) written by Allan Sherman.

A LETTER FROM OAK RUN

Hello Daughter, Hello Son,
Here we are in beautiful Oak Run.
Years of working is in the past,
adjusting to retirement so very fast.

Our home is roomy and very bright;
we count our blessings every night.
The house is neat; so is the yard;
great neighborhoods flank the boulevard.

Activities abound if you so choose;
play some games or take a snooze.
There are clubs, heaven knows,
much local talent and Ambassador shows.

Swimming pools and hot tubs,
Palm Grove, Island and Orchid Clubs.
Golfers are happy with grass and knolls,
beautiful courses, twenty seven holes.

We wear shorts, not Versace.
Play some tennis and some bocce.
Have sore knees and a bad back,
but still play horseshoes and Pad-Rac.

Go to Doctors, but we have mettle,
also thrive on the Early-Bird Special.
There is shuffleboard, dance or song,
checkers, table tennis or Mah Jong.

Water exercise, yoga and Tai Chi,
or lounge about with cable TV.
We play Bingo, shoot some pool,
take 55 alive, the drivers' school

Use the Travel Club for our vacation,
trips both local and across the nation.
There is lightning and heavy rains,
sinkholes, lovebugs and hurricanes.

Volunteers make this place glow;
crime is almost as rare as snow.
Board of Directors and Neighborhood Reps
guide our destiny; we hope for the best.

Mr. Ghumman's dream is achieved,
many of us have always believed.
Problems arise and may evolve,
but working together they can be solved.

So dear children in Northern climes,
please be assured we have good times.
For through laughter and some tears,
our lives are blessed in these glorious years.

A choice to be happy is the way,
for each of us to love our stay.
For in this place we don't have to prove,
from Oak Run to Heaven is a lateral move.
 

A Tribute To "The Starters",  Harold and Shirley Brown

Oak Run Homeowners Association recognizes Harold & Shirley Brown.

"The Starters"
Harold was the first ORHA President to serve a complete term.

The following are some more firsts accomplished by Harold and Shirley working as a team:
  • 4th of July Celebration with parade:
     *golf, tennis, shuffleboard tournaments with trophies
     *dinner with trophy presentation
     *ice cream social
     *nurses stationed along parade route in case of overheated marchers
     *dance
  • Sit Down dinner with a local Church's "Yuletide Bowl" entertainment
  • Fashion Show
  • Ceramics with paid resident to take care of kiln responsibilities
  • Line dancing with paid outside employee
  • Square Dancing
  • Ballroom lessons with outside paid employee Trish Sands, still here
  • AARP - of which we are charter members
  • Name Tags for residents of Oak Run
  • Blood Pressure Program
  • Coffee DoNut
  • Neighborhood Watch Program
  • Emergency Hot Line throughout all of Oak Run
  • Tree Trim Affair
  • Purchased 1st Christmas Tree
  • Fisherman's Club
  • Chorus which developed into Troubadours
  • Contact CFCC/Community Education for art instructors to come to Oak Run
  • Vespers - Sunday services
  • Flea Market Auction
  • Reserved first State Club on Calendar - Wisconsin Club
  • Social Club dissolved, Harold took over and named club Ambassadors
  • Instrumental in convincing DECCA to accept Organ from Roy & Marie Worral
  • In January 1988. rather than have individual Oak Run residents travel to the Homestead Exemption office to apply for their exemption, arranged for the Homestead Exemption representatives to come to Oak Run -- which has become an annual event.
  • Contact with Dee Brown to possibly let us vote with OTOW -- would be different precinct; she would have to set up with Tallahassee
  • Newspaper pick up at owner's home via Savalox truck
  • Welcome Committee with Ed Wilkie in charge of four different groups
  • Set up rules for what could appear on Channel l2
  • Illuminaries at Christmas Eve
    •
In 1987 there were approximately 300+ homesites in Oak Run. Shirley designed a community-wide survey, which was carried
out with the help of many volunteers, which asked what activities were of most interest to the residents. Oak Run is now
in full swing with the games, trips and activities which were indicated by those who participated in the survey.

In 1987 Harold started the Travel Club with Shirley doing the day trips and Harold the extended. During the years 1987 through
2003, 1,054 trips were offered to residents, with 56,611 residents participating and profits of $122,029 given to ORHA.

In 1991 a number of travel agencies who had failed to register or post $100,000 bond, were shut down in the state of Florida because they
"left town" taking with them the monies given to them for future trips by their trusting customers. Harold spoke to a number of people in
the Commissioner of Agriculture & Consumer Services office about our travel club and, as a result, on July 2, 1991, a letter was received
from Florida State making the Oak Run Travel Club exempt from posting bond and registering with the State of Florida.

In addition to generating much enthusiasm in Oak Run, the Travel Club has, over the years, contributed to both the economic
health of the Oak Run Homeowners Association as well as playing a part in influencing people to become Oak Run residents.

Harold and Shirley retired from their Travel Club duties on January 1, 2004.
The following were ongoing activities in the Palm Club House (which preceded the Orchid Club!)
when the Browns became Oak Run residents, but they did help all of these in some fashion:
.
  • Two different chairmen of the Pancake Breakfast resigned, and two ladies were appointed to take over the job.
    •
  • Harold, as ORHA President, convinced the Board to donate enough money to help the Library start its decimal system
    •
  • Bingo was going well -- but without any accountability of funds in and out. Harold appointed Toni Pace as Supervisor of Bingo, who introduced a good system of bookkeeping.
  • Appointed Marjorie Crawford as Chairman of the Sunshine Committee where she served 10 years before moving out of Oak Run.
    •

    Shirley:
    • was the first Calendar Scheduler
    • was the first Treasurer (no one else wanted the job) and kept accurate books with receipts and payments. Audited every year.
    • was successful, after approximately 10 months of telephone calls, in convincing the appropriate people in the Internal Revenue District office, to grant the Oak Run Homeowners Association a Federal Income Tax Exemption. On April 19, 1989 we received a letter stating the IRS had determined that ORHA was exempt from Federal Income tax under Section 501 (a.)
    • in 1993, convinced Mr. Ghumman, with the help of Sandra Austin (the DECCA rep at the time), to return the words "Welcome Home" to the sign in front of the developnent where they had appeared in previous years and continue to this day.

    Harold and Shirley, with the assistance of many other volunteers, have helped make Oak Run unique. One wonders whether
    all of the above things could have been accomplished without their expertise and love for our community. It is doubtful
    paid social directors could have outperfomed these two energetic, productive volunteers -- our own "Starters".

    Thank you, Harold and Shirley, for many jobs well done!



    "Volunteers" A Poem by Richard Zinck

    READ AT THE ORHA GENERAL MEETING, OCTOBER 8, 2008

    VOLUNTEERS

      Many will be shocked to find,
    When the day of judgment nears
     That there's a special place in Heaven
    Set aside for volunteers.
    Furnished with big recliners,
    Satin couches and foot stools,
    Where there are no Committee Chairmen,
    No yard sales or rest areas to serve,
    No library duty or bulletin assembly,
    There will be nothing to print and staple,
    Not one thing to fold and mail,
    Telephone lists will be outlawed,
    But a finger snap will bring
    Cool drinks and gourmet dinners
    and rare treats fit for a king.
    You ask, "Who'll serve these privileged few
    and work for all they're worth?"
    Why, all those who reaped the benefits,
    and not once volunteered on Earth.