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.
Jeremy Shaw named April 2025 McCook Volunteer of the Month
While the Bison Alumni Newsletter will still be available digitally, a new printed service is available.
During a recent performance at the Fox Theater by the Lied's Arts Across Nebraska, there was one group who was not thanked: those who showed up for the event, which is a big deal.
Mark Friehe named March McCook Volunteer of the Month.
Although the Bodensteiners no longer live in Southwest Nebraska, they are still connected and wanted to see if prosper and thrive.
From long-term projects to weekly events, you cannot say "there is nothing to do" or "nothing is happening."
With the goal of reaching 200 subscriptions, the Bison Alumni Newsletter is launching a subscription service.
Long-time volunteer Don Harpst was recognized as the first McCook Volunteer of the Month in March 2025.
McCook's youth survey shows that young people now value safety in their community, something McCook provides.
Building Connections in McCook Matters June in McCook will be abuzz with fun events including a Youth Summit, hosted by McCook Community Foundation Fund. Our young people in Youth Change Reaction will host the first Nebraska Community Foundation gathering for youth, which will bring youth from across Nebraska to McCook. While still in the planning stages, our students identified that McCook is great because of connections . Our young people easily recognize how critical this factor is to people attraction, to people retention, and to improve their futures. What I miss most about my high school classroom is connections with students and colleagues. In education, I taught first, second, and sometimes third generations in families. My husband, Greg, and I are not McCook natives, but I eventually knew who was related to whom and usually where the parent(s) were employed. Going to the grocery store meant greetings from students and sometimes their family members. I officially retired from my high school classroom nine years ago in May. When you retire, the most-asked question becomes “What do you do with your time?” I try to maintain those connections and make new ones by belonging. For the past seven years, Sharon Bohling and I have volunteered to help plan and organize Bison Days for our high school students, which took place February 10 and 11. It would not happen without the financial support of McCook Community Foundation Fund, plus the McCook High School, local businesses, and the talented people of Southwest Nebraska who say “yes” when one of us reaches out to ask for the donation of time and talent. I would venture that they allow us to be on the Bison Days’ committee because we both have connections within our community—it’s certainly not our computer savvy. Connections can also solve a problem. Recently, I signed up to help a local family in crisis. My morning plan revolved around delivering my donation at a designated drop-off place. That didn’t work out. Fortunately, I still work with youth in various capacities, so I know that Keri Wilkinson works for Camy Bradley. Keri was an organizer for the family fundraiser, so I walked in Camy’s office hoping to find Keri. She was not there, so Camy and I visited briefly. She knew someone (who I did not know) who could possibly give me further direction. Only in a town with connections are you able to interrupt someone’s business, have her reach out for you using her connections , and offer to keep the donations for me until Keri’s return. Another great example of connecting can be found over coffee. Dee Friehe and I are longtime teacher friends. During a chance meeting at the grocery store a few weeks ago, she shared how she was there following a funeral service and was gathering supplies to deliver supper to the grieving family that night. She also updated me on her group of adults who meet for coffee on Thursdays at Ember’s, which varies from 8-28 depending on the day. She recognized the need for adults moving to McCook or folks just wanting to get out to make connections . Dee’s husband, Mark, also hosts his own group of men who are new(er) to McCook. She regaled me with stories of their Christmas party and other special gatherings. Wanting to call McCook your home is solidified by building connections . Ronda Graff has written about McCook Connects which matches a McCook person with someone new to the community of similar interests. I earned my McCook Connects’ T-shirt welcoming a young family with children. We have since spent many hot summer days sitting on bleachers together cheering on our 4-H horse kids while they show their horses. Warning: I connected them with a “free” new-to-them horse. Be careful connecting with me or you’ll probably own a horse. You do not have to be retired to connect in this community. Volunteering is a surefire way to meet people. McCook has many civic groups looking for new faces. Attend a church here; we have many welcoming congregations. Go to ball games or school concerts, attend concerts in the park, learn a new skill through the college, show up at a Third Thursday event or invite the neighbors for a BBQ. Take your youngsters to story hour or Move and Groove at the library. Go watch an event at the Kiplinger Arena. You can even take it a step further: Make a friend or call a friend and invite him/her to go with you. It is human connection that keeps us healthy and happy. If McCook Community Foundation Fund can help you connect in some meaningful way, please reach out for advice or support. *** While Pam Wolford may be retired, she is just as busy serving on the McCook Community Foundation Fund committee and started a new Learn and Return Scholarship with MCFF, while stepping up to grandparent whenever the call comes in.
