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.
Most likely, we aren't going to be good at something at the start. But that shouldn't stop us from trying.
August 2025 Volunteer of the Month Bruce McDowell can be found walking around McCook for his health, to be helpful or maybe even attend a meeting.
It takes work and effort to be social but its vital to our community.
McCook's young people are shaping their hometown through a various projects.
MCFF Summer Hometown Intern Natalie Roberts shares how her perspective on McCook changed over the past few months.
With the McCook Aquatic Center closing soon for the season, another tradition - Mr. Bill and his 25-cent snow-cones - will likely be coming to an end soon too.
McCook among five Nebraska communities in Revitalize and Thrive Program
Getting Outside of National Night Out Nearly everyone can tell you their last interaction with the police or the fire department. And unfortunately because of the nature of the organizations, it is usually not at a positive moment. My last contact with the McCook Police Department was just a few weeks ago, when I was pulled over on B Street in McCook…on my scooter. I pulled into the wrong lane when making a turn, which is illegal. But in my defense, it was an act of self-defense to just get through the intersection of East B and Sixth streets alive. Since the drivers haven’t seen a stop-light since Holdrege, cars and semis regularly run the traffic light, which makes me a wee bit vulnerable as I pass through the lanes. I got off with a warning but the true punishment were the texts throughout the day from everyone who saw me with my scooter and the police officer. Since most exchanges with police and fire are not on good terms, National Night Out was created to have an evening of positive interactions, to remind the public that the police and fire departments are just normal people, doing their jobs, looking out for their friends and neighbors, trying to create a safe community for everyone. National Night Out is designed to simply join your friends and neighbors for an evening of fellowship and fun. It is an opportunity to meet local law enforcement, creating safer and more caring neighborhoods. McCook is joining thousands of other communities across the country in hosting National Night Out, which typically takes place on the first Tuesday of August every year. Planned for Tuesday, Aug. 5 from 5:30-7 p.m. in and around Norris Park in McCook, the night includes a bike parade, a walk, awards for bike decorating, desserts and more. In other words, it is simply a block party to hang out. Numerous organizations have come together to make the evening possible. CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) and the McCook Rotary Club are hosting a bike parade that starts at 6 p.m. Linda Maiden with State Farm, a bicycle helmet advocate, will also be in Norris Park. The streets around Norris Park will be shut down to provide a safe area to ride, as well as more space to cruise around the block. Participants are encouraged to decorate their bike, scooter, roller skates or anything on wheels. This could mean streamers, pompom balls, markers or even the old classic - playing cards in the spokes of your wheels. Some supplies will be available at the park for use if you show up and realize you are the most underdressed person at the party. If your bike has an inch of dust on it, this is a great time to get it out, wipe it off and get it rolling. And if your bike needs minimal fixes like a flat tire or a brake adjustment, bike tools will be on hand along with myself and my hubbie, who know just enough about bike repair to be dangerous but did manage a 300-plus mile bike ride last week so we must be doing something right. But let’s say you don’t have a bike or biking isn’t your cup of tea? Then you are still encouraged to join the “Walk in the Park,” hosted by Community Hospital. Designed to encourage a healthy lifestyle, walkers will stroll around the park and the neighborhood at whatever pace you feel like with strollers and dogs on leashes welcomed. And perhaps most importantly, there will be a chance to meet members of the McCook Police and Fire Department, getting to see police cars and fire engines close-up in a non-emergency manner, always the best way to see them. And if the weather cooperates, there may be a fire hose, water and spraying involved. If you have been at the Culbertson Fourth of July parade, you know it is up to you to stay out of the line of fire if you want to remain dry. We all have excuses for why we don’t want to go out at night, especially after a long day at work. But National Night Out in McCook on Aug. 5 is a great reason to get out your bicycle and lace up your walking shoes. Hang out with your friends, get to know your neighbors and meet your first responders. That is what makes our communities just a little bit better.
Judy McCune named July 2025 McCook volunteer of the month
Joyce Anderson named June 2025 McCook Volunteer of the Month
