What a difference 20 years makes.

For years, Floyd Hershberger had watched other communities grow and thrive because of a local charitable foundation and knew McCook would benefit from having something similar in place. So in 2001, the McCook Community Foundation was created - with a zero balance. 

Now two decades later, the McCook Community Foundation Fund has passed a milestone of more than $6 million in assets. 

How did this happen?

As MCFF was being formed, the community had a progressive group of leaders who thought differently. They saw a need and searched for an idea to fill it. They knew collaboration was key and came together to make it work. They believed in the generosity of others and believed in abundance rather than scarcity. 

Ultimately, they felt a responsibility to make their community better - not only for themselves, but for others.

And obviously others have felt the same way. This growth has happened because people believe in McCook and see the value in investing in McCook and that happens in a variety of different ways. 

It is the Big Give McCook, where hundreds of donations are made in one day to organizations which are invaluable to day-to-day living in McCook. It is a planned gift, where McCook is thought of as an additional child in an estate when a person passes away. It is an unexpected donation from an alumni, who may not live in McCook but values the childhood they received and want to make sure today’s children have it just as good. It is someone who may not even be alive to benefit from their generosity but realizes the impact they can have for generations to come. 

Although MCFF has reached a milestone, this doesn’t mean MCFF has millions of dollars to give away. It means that millions have been invested and for the most part, the dollars will remain invested forever. 

But the returns on those investments are what will make McCook an even better place to call home for generations and those investments are returned in a variety of ways. 

Every year, MCFF oversees two scholarships - the Haag Scholarship and Fassler-Nuemann Scholarship - because supporting our young people is a priority for MCFF. The scholarships just happened to have March 31 deadlines.

Several organizations in our community receive annual dividend checks because donors have selected them as needed and necessary for a better community.

But the biggest impact likely comes in the form of grants which are distributed twice a year and have grown tremendously over the past 20 years. 

In 2003, MCFF made its first grant - $750 to McCook Public Schools toward playground equipment at the then-new elementary school. Whereas this year, MCFF has the potential to distribute more than $100,000 toward programs, ideas and projects which benefit everyone, from those growing up to those growing old. And the spring grant application deadline just happens to be next week, April 1. 

Now this is where we really need people to think different.

Think long-term

Yes, the day to day issues need to be dealt with, but we need to be thinking how our decisions today will affect our children and their children. How can we make an impact for years to come? How do we secure the future of our community without thinking ahead and coming up with a plan?

Think big

Small projects are necessary but we need to dream and think big sometimes. If someone hadn’t dreamed big, would Heritage Hills exist? Would the Kiplinger complex have happened? Would MCFF have been created?

Think working together.

We need to break down our silos and figure out how to work together. How does one project affect another? Would one idea benefit more than one organization? Would a collaboration mean more funding and more resources?

Thinking how I can give back

We live in a pretty great part of the world, in a great part of the country, in a great part of the state. We are blessed with a wide-open sky and wide-open land. We have beautiful scenery and abundant resources. 

There are many reasons to be grateful and just as many ways to give back. Maybe it is getting involved in a service organization. Maybe it is running for a political office. Maybe it is making a financial donation to benefit others. 

Each and every one of us can make a difference. Each and every one of us has a voice that needs to be heard. Each and every one of us can make McCook an even better place to call home. 

Twenty years later, Floyd would be proud to know we are thinking just a little bit differently.