Alongside my driveway stands my favorite tree, a giant, gnarly cottonwood. As you approach our house, the lone cottonwood towers over all the other trees and serves a s guidepost to our location. We’ve planted many trees since we moved into our house nearly 20 years ago, but this tree continues to dominate the landscape.
I often look at the giant cottonwood and wonder if it was planted intentionally or it was a seedling from another tree. I wonder about all the families who have sat in its shade or cursed the cotton floating through the air each spring. I wonder who takes the time to enjoy the rustle of the cottonwood leaves, a sound I can name in less than three notes. (Yes, I’m dating myself but who didn’t love Name That Tune?)
And while the tree has several dead branches, I cannot bring myself to cut it down.
Instead, I have learned over the years not to park my vehicle near the tree if there is any forecast of severe weather. If I pass a car dealership on the way home and see that all the vehicles have been moved inside for the night, I know to avoid the cottonwood.
As the winds reached hurricane strength earlier this week, I wondered if the tree could withstand the onslaught. But the next morning, just a few leaves and twigs were scattered around our yard. Most likely, that tree is going to outlast me.
Not the same could be said about many of the trees around our community. As I biked into McCook, tree branches littered the shoulder of the highway. leaves filled the gutters and entire trees were uprooted. Many hours and days were going to be spent cleaning up the damage done to the trees in our community and appraising the property damage.
Yet, no one proposes getting rid of all our trees because they are a little bit of work or that they could cause damage to our property. Instead, the branches are removed, the leaves are swept up and most likely, new trees will be replanted in their place.
Trees play an important role in our society. They provide beauty and shelter and resources.
But they also fulfill another important role: they provide hope.
Simply put, they inspire people. Hence, the reason there are so many quotes about trees.
“The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.”
“He who plants a tree, plants hope.”
“He who plants trees loves other besides himself.”
But perhaps my favorite is “The true meaning of life is to plant a tree under whose shade you do not expect to sit.”
Earlier this summer, I tried to explain to our intern, Lexi, what the McCook Community Foundation Fund does. I returned again and again to this quote because we should be thinking not only about what needs to be done today, but what we can do to make an impact down the road, to improve something that we may never know about, or to change someone’s life for the better whom we may not even know nor never meet.
Whether it is literally replacing the trees lost earlier this week because of the storms or whether you are “planting trees” through various projects around the community, we need to remember that we are doing this for our community, for our future, for our kids and ultimately, for their kids.
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.
