Every day, you wake up and have the opportunity to decide what kind of person you want to be. Am I going to get up early to exercise rather than roll over and hit snooze again? Am I going to volunteer for that organization in town which has been looking for help? Am I simply going to be more kind to others?
While most of our decisions are automatic, each and everyone of us has the opportunity to make decisions which can make you the best version of yourself - a person others want to emulate.
Just like an individual can change him or herself through intentional decisions, a community has that same opportunity.
Every day, community leaders, organizations and individuals make decisions which determine what our community will be. Every day, we make decisions which shape our story. Every day, we make decisions which can make us be the community others talk about and want to be.
This doesn’t happen by chance and usually it doesn’t happen overnight, but all those decisions add up to tell the story about our community. To be the community others want to be, we need to be willing to make those decisions and some of them won’t be easy.
For example, we need to be willing to invest in ourselves through both private and public funding.
Today is a great example of where each and every one of us can invest in ourselves. Big Give McCook gives everyone the chance to make an impact by making a donation to the 29 non-profit organizations, which help our community both exist and thrive.
By working together to combine our financial resources, we can help these groups which are making McCook and Southwest Nebraska a place others will want to be like. They are building projects that will make families want to move and live here; they are serving those citizens who may be struggling and need the occasional helping hand; they are meeting the needs of our community and then taking those ideas one step further to make our community even better.
While these organizations are essential to our community, the role of government and our tax dollars also play a huge role in our community’s story.
Making the decision to raise or lower taxes is never easy but it has a tremendous impact. Some officials are proud that we have the lowest taxes in the state, but that decision means we also don’t have the funds to make impactful improvements in our community, affecting our story. Consequently, do people see our “story” and decide not to move here? Do they see a community that doesn’t want to invest in itself? Do they see a community which takes the easy road even if the hard road will be beneficial for generations to come?
It is the time to ask ourselves the hard questions, tackle the hard issues and decide what we want to be known for.
Do we want to be that community which invested in itself in a once-in-a-generation project?
Do we want to be the community which has policies in place which encourage people to open a business or renovate an aging building?
Do we want to be that community which is willing to make and learn from its mistakes? Willing to admit that we don’t know everything but will ask others for help? Willing to lift up those offering to get involved and invest their time, skills and resources in their community?
We must be willing to invest in ourselves and in our community if we want to make McCook and Southwest Nebraska the community others talk about and want to be.
Sara Rippen named February 2026 McCook Volunteer of the Month
Practicing Good Stewardship Takes Effort But Reaps Many Rewards
Bison Days brings high schoolers and community members to learn about job possibilities but also interests and hobbies in their hometown.
With little to snow on the ground in McCook, holiday lights help beat the drab and dreary season.
To kick off the new year, Jo Beebe has been selected as the January 2026 McCook Volunteer of the month. While many people might know Jo for her years at the Sports Shoppe, she can be found giving hours of her time to the community, especially at St. Patrick Church. Whether during the weekly Mass or for a funeral or wedding, Jo shares her beautiful voice from the choir loft, as well as leading the choir members. Jo, along with her husband Harold, also has served as the St. Pat’s GALA host couple in the past and continues to help with set-up and cleanup of the annual event. Jo is also active with the Fall Festival, the Rosary Rally and the Wild Game Feed in Curtis every year. She attends every the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults class and helps students prepare for confirmation. And since retiring from the Sports Shoppe, she is active in the Altar Society, and volunteers at the Bargain Bazaar thrift store. According to her nomination, “The way Jo gives of her time and talents to our parish and community is a reflection of her faith,” and the community and the church are better because of her generosity. The McCook Philanthropy Council selects the monthly recipient for the McCook Volunteer of the Month award as part of the McCook Community Foundation Fund’s McCook Volunteer program. If there is a volunteer in the community who should be recognized, please contact the McCook Chamber of Commerce at 308.340.3200 or visit McCook Volunteers on the MCFF 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. Please have information about the nominee along with where and how they volunteer in the community.
Master Storyteller Will be Missed but Memories Remain
Maintaining the status quo or not doing anything may be cheaper initially but long-term, the costs are more.
Make 2026 memorable by getting involved and making an impact in your community.
As the year comes to a close, members of the MCFF Advisory Committee share "why" they do their community work.
