If there has ever been a need to be adaptable, it is now.
When schools began closing down in mid-March, everyone - including myself - hoped that this pandemic would quickly pass and we’d be back to normal soon. As the weeks turned into months, there was hope that everything would correct itself over the summer. But as we head into fall, “normal” seems far off on the horizon and we are forced once again to learn how to adapt.
I don’t envy any school administrator who is dealing with this situation as the schools open this week and next. There is no good answer, no perfect answer.
As the saying goes, you can’t please everyone and those words have never been more true than right now as the circumstances change daily, even hourly.
At a minimum, we need to be gracious to those around us and to those making the hard decisions. None of us have all the information nor all the answers. So instead, we need to be flexible and ready to adapt to however we can make this work, whether it is returning to school, holding sporting events or even practicing a music lesson.
Adaptability and flexibility was never more evident that two weeks ago.
McCook High School seniors were fortunate to have an actual graduation ceremony two weeks ago, followed by prom the next evening. Both of those events very well could easily not have happened.
In the weeks and even the days leading up to the events, I was never 100 percent sure they would take place. But fortunately, the graduates were able to walk across the stage at the MCC events center. And then the following night, many of them returned to the event center in their finest duds for a couple hours of dancing and final event with their friends.
Both of those events were postponed from this past spring, but with careful planning and a lot of changes, they both were able to take place. At the end of the day, they happened because people adapted.
The graduation ceremony is usually packed with family and friends and even just members of the community who want to celebrate 12 years of hard work. Instead, graduates were limited to just eight tickets. Any ceremony with anyone in attendance was better than nothing.
As for prom, my husband and I have been prom sponsors for the past decade, spending a week with dozens of high school juniors and fellow teachers decorating for one night of dancing. This year, that week was condensed down to less than three hours and hundreds of decorations were traded for some tule and Christmas lights. With kids still on the dance floor at midnight, I’d call it a success.
As my mom often said, this too shall pass. She had a great way of putting things into perspective, particularly something that seemed difficult or perplexing at the moment. Ask yourself: Will this matter a year from now? Will this matter a week from now? Heck, will it even matter five minutes from now if you simply take a deep breath and put everything into perspective?
Yes, there are things changing in our lives that will have a long term impact from our kids’ education to the viability of our businesses. But in the end, the answer may lie in being able to adapt because change doesn’t have to be bad.
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On a side note, today is the last day in the office for McCook Community Foundation Funds’ summer hometown intern, Lexi Gross. She has been a joy to work with this summer and I’ve learned from her as much as I hope she has learned from me, the foundation and the community.
Lexi begins her senior year at Fort Hayes State University in Kansas next week, continuing to use audio and visual mediums to capture special events.
Over the last three months, she has helped tell McCook’s story through videos, articles and social media posts as part of MCFF’s “Make It Happen Here” series. If you haven’t seen these great videos, please visit the MCFF website, mccookfoundation.org or find them on Facebook.
But along with capturing the story McCook, the purpose of the internship was to show that our young people can make it happen here. They can have those careers here that they think can only happen in a large city. They can do those activities here that they think can only happen elsewhere. They can create that business here that they have a hard time even imagining.
Lexi was probably tired of hearing it but I hope she, along with all of our young people, knows that we want them to return to their hometown and build their lives here.
Yes, we want our young people to go out there and experience all the great things our country and the world has to offer, but remember that we always want you to return home.
Linda Graff named McCook Volunteer of the Month for December 2025
By focusing on what is important, we can make an even better impact in our communities.
After a 10-year hiatus, the McCook Holiday Home Tours return focusing on downtown upstairs apartments.
While many people think volunteering is for older residents, serving your community has no age restrictions. And young people can regularly be found lending a hand or offering their services in their hometown. The November 2025 McCook Volunteer of the Month recognizes one of many young people are working to make their community an even better place to call home: Grady Riemenschneider. Currently a senior at McCook High School, Grady volunteers with a wide variety of organizations and groups. As a four-year member of the McCook Community Foundation Fund’s Youth Change Reaction, Grady serves as the ambassador for the youth group’s “Cars Under Stars,” the outdoor movie theater at the Red Willow County Fairgrounds. At nearly every showing, he can be found operating the projector and setting up the parking lot, as well as passing along his knowledge to the next ambassador. In McCook’s FFA program, Grady has held officer roles the past four years and is currently the chapter vice president, organized the chapter banquet in 2025 and coached for the conduct of chapter meetings. Along with serving as the president of the Driftwood Feeders 4-H Club, he assists with setup, tear down and fundraising for the dog show and helps fellow members train their dogs. Grady steps in to help and lead at local events, including Prairie Plains CASA’s Kick in’ It Up for CASA and the Cajun Broil; the Edward Jones Alzheimer’s Walk; operating sound boards for various groups; and Feed the Farmer. And he has served as a youth leader at McCook Christian Church for elementary youth since approximately 2018 as well as stepping up to ensure the ag program ran smoothly during a teacher’s maternity leave Upon request from his mother about some of Grady’s activities, Sharleen noted that he is the “Chief Household Operations Officer: first responder for Mom’s to-do list, go-to chauffeur and caretaker for his favorite sidekick (a.k.a. his nephew), and the family’s unofficial event planner who somehow keeps everyone together without a clipboard.” The McCook Philanthropy Council recognizes a volunteer every month who is doing good work in McCook and Red Willow County. If there is a volunteer in the community who should be recognized, please contact the McCook Chamber of Commerce at 308-345-3200 or visit McCook Volunteers on the McCook Community Foundation Fund’s website, mccookfoundation.org to complete a nomination form. The only requirement is that the nominee must be a resident of McCook or Red Willow County but please have information about the nominee along with where and how they volunteer in the community. The volunteer honoree is selected monthly by the McCook Philanthropy Council.
With the holiday's nearing, MCFF member and Mayor Linda Taylor reflects on the many things to be thankful in McCook.
The names of those people who have made a generational impact on McCook and Southwest Nebraska is a long list. Many of them are working day-in, day-out right now to make their mark on the community. And then there are those people who no longer call McCook home but still make an impact long after they are gone. Allen Strunk is one of those people. Allen passed away on Nov. 1 at his home in Las Vegas, Nevada but he never lost the love of his hometown. Born and raised in McCook, Allen was a member of an already well-known family, Harry and Arlene Strunk. The Strunks started and published the McCook Daily Gazette, with the motto, “Service is the rent we pay for the space we occupy in this world.” A saying that was so important that Harry had it etched at the top of his downtown newspaper office on Norris Avenue. That sense of service was passed along to Allen, who continued to serve his community as he took over leadership of the Gazette. I didn’t know Allen personally until he came back for visits years later. Even though my first job upon arriving in McCook was at the McCook Daily Gazette and Allen had turned over the publishing reins to Gene Morris many years prior, the Strunk legacy loomed large. He was instrumental in the building of the then-new YMCA, moving the facility from downtown to its current location next to the McCook High School. He was a key player in the new hospital, again moving from one location to a new expanded space. And McCook Community College benefitted his involvement in an expansion. Those projects continue to impact McCook today. And the support didn’t stop just because Allen retired from the Gazette and left McCook. There are programs the Strunks are involved in that benefit McCook and Southwest Nebraska. The Strunks continue to support Santa Claus Lane, which is overseen by the McCook Chamber of Commerce. And which after a few years of decline is seeing a resurgence of enthusiasm and nostalgia for the decorative holiday pieces lining Norris Avenue. Allen funds the annual McCook Area Outstanding Teacher award, which provides a financial prize to several teachers every year. And Allen recognized the work of the McCook Community Foundation Fund, providing a donation several years ago so that he could see its impact while he was still alive. This has led MCFF to consider how they will recognize and remember Allen for years to come. Because of his belief in service to his community, this could mean more recognition for the countless volunteers who keep our community thriving. It could be a day of community service, to see how many people can come together to make something happen. It could be a celebration for all the great things happening in our community. During Allen’s memorial service this past week in McCook, his step-daughter-in-law read the poem, “The Dash" by Linda Ellis, who published it in 1996. It reflects on the meaning of the dash between the birth and death dates on a tombstone. The dash is a reminder of everything that happens between the moment a person is born and the moment a person dies. The dash emphasizes the importance of how one lives their life during that time. The dash prompts a person to think about living, rather than worrying about dying. Ultimately, the dash is where all the good - and the bad - happens. And Allen Strunk made the most of his “dash,” both in his community and within his family. We can’t all run a newspaper. We likely aren’t going to etch our favorite saying into a building. But we all need to consider how we are paying the “rent for the space we occupy in this world.” And we can all make a difference in our hometowns, whether we currently live in them or even if we haven’t stepped foot on the main street in years.
Everyone feels a need to be needed and it is shown through the Big Give and Meal Kit Giveaways
SWNE Big Give reaches new heights thanks to enthusiasm of organizations, individuals and businesses
Food pantries are seeing an increased need, which means the community must step up with donations of food and time to help those who struggle to put food on the table.
