In 2001, I had been writing a weekly column in the Gazette for several years, highlighting activities in our community, recounting the highjinks of my family and commenting on things that peaked my interest.
But that column stopped the week Graff kid No. 4 came along, joining three others under the age of six and doubling the chaos. But more significantly, the morning I brought him home from the hospital was one of those days that not only do I remember vividly but is a day that everyone remembers as well: Sept. 11, 2001.
We have entered yet another era that everyone will be talking about for years - if not generations - to come as we deal with the coronavirus Pandemic.
As the local coordinator for the McCook Community Foundation Fund, I have the privilege of working with a numerous organizations, businesses and individuals to make McCook, Southwest Nebraska and Northwest Kansas an even better place to call home.
And thanks to the Gazette, I am resuming my column as part of the foundation fund outreach, hoping to share what is going on in our communities, connect people with resources, to ease fear and answer questions and because I can’t stay serious too long…maybe how to type with a dog under each elbow as I am now.
One of the resources which has been created as a response to the pandemic is a new COVID-19 Response Account through MCFF. The new account allows people to make tax-deductible donations if they have the financial ability to do so. But it is also available for local non-profit organizations and governmental agencies to get funding for programs to help during this crisis.
The fund advisory committee realizes that we all depend on each other and this is an opportunity to help those who are in need. Several programs have been developed to address the crisis, but the fund advisory committee would love to hear additional ideas.
I would also love to hear about ideas that many have already implemented. How have your kids reacted to seeing all the bears in the windows? Do you have enough chalk for the sidewalk drawings with encouraging messages? How are you dealing with those extra pounds thanks to all this homecooking?
Other ideas I have heard range from a “victory garden” where seeds are provided so people can plant their own gardens, creating care bags for everyone in an apartment complex, even online happy hours where everyone sits in front of their screen with a drink in hand.
While we would love to just hit pause and then return to things as they were, this crisis is going to last longer than anyone can imagine so it is an opportunity to re-think how we do things as we move forward.
We are all trying to figure out our role and how we can help in the pandemic. I’ve been involved in a variety of conference calls over the past few weeks including one with David Brooks, the New York Times columnist who visited McCook last March.
Brooks has written several columns on the pandemic already but reminded the dozens on the conference call that we don’t have to be passive recipients, but rather active participants. “This is an opportunity to come out of the crisis better than we were before,” Brooks said.
He also encouraged “caremongering.” Rather than “scaremongering,” people are encouraged to be stewards of their community and promote “caremongering” by connecting and caring for others.
There are so many questions. How do we keep our main streets full when this is over? How can those people and businesses which are able help those which are struggling? How do we keep our community together when we can’t be together?
Ultimately, this crisis has the ability to tear us apart but alternatively, we could use this to pull us together.
My biggest takeaway from the call with David Brooks was the following and a great way to end this column:
Everyone needs to keep taking their Vitamin C: Connecting, Conversing, Caring and being Curious.
— Ronda Graff is grateful to be a mother of 7, is grateful they have room to run outside, and is grateful for a sound-proof door on her home office
McCook's last hometown bakery closed this past week, leaving a void not just for donuts but for connections.
Many organizations and businesses in McCook offer the opportunity to recycle, reuse and repair items that may just end up in the trash.
Organizer for Buffalo Commons Storytelling Festival and former librarian named Oct 2025 volunteer of the month.
McCook's Third Thursdays were created to get businesses and organizations involved and designed to create life-long memories for the community.
Long-time community advocate Barb Ostrum received the Sept 2025 McCook Volunteer of the Month award.
We need to celebrate our young people while they are here and encourage them to return.
While some like myself appreciate a rainy day, others dread them for a variety of reasons. We need to be empathetic as interact with others.
MCFF Fall Grant Deadline is Oct. 1. Complete list of former recipients on MCFF website
With so much going, it is time for a “This, That and the Other Thing” column, where we will cover several topics, not very deeply but hopefully with a sense of humor as we clean up and prepare for a busy week in McCook. *** McCook again made state and national news this week for ice. This time, it was in the form of hail that pounded the community for hours upon hours. Conversations this week begin with “where were you….?” or “how many windows did you lose?” And while they may be legitimate and are offering their services, it is like vultures with all the roofing repair and dent removal businesses which have descended upon McCook following the storm. As city officials noted, do your due diligence with any company doing repairs for you and follow the old adage, which is old and still around because it’s true: If something seems to be too good to be true, it probably is. And one last note on the storm, we need to be careful what we ask for. As storm after storm approaches McCook and then splits in two to go around the town, we finally got one to roll right over us. The storm liked McCook so much it slowed down and just there. I was in Lincoln during the storm and trying to determine when I would drive home. I thought the weather app had frozen or the radar was broken because every time I looked, the storm was still sitting over McCook, doing its damage. I guess we can be thankful the next time a storm seemingly just goes around us. *** We are in the thick of McCook’s Heritage Days celebration. Congratulations to all the Heritage Days Royalty, which was announced at the MNB Bank Mixer this week. A special shout-out to Bill Donze, better known as Mr. Bill and his wife, Kathy, who were honored as royalty for their impact in McCook. As many know, Mr. Bill is fighting cancer and the prognosis isn’t good. The chances of him selling snow-cones and candy out of his van next summer near the McCook Aquatic Center are not good. One judge of his impact was the response to my column about Mr. Bill a few months ago. The post was shared thousands of times, viewed nearly 70,000 times with just as many comments by people sharing their fond memories of Mr. Bill. So when you see Mr. Bill riding down Norris in the convertible this weekend in the Heritage Days parade, send extra prayers and well-wishes to the man who has brought so much joy to so many kids - and adults too - over the years. *** Continuing on the Heritage Days theme, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that the McCook Rotary Club is tossing all egos and formality out the window this weekend. As the president of the McCook Rotary Club, I invite everyone to at least watch, if not participate, in the Rotary’s first inflatable costume relay race on Saturday as part of the festivities in Norris Park. These are those giant, blow-up costumes you usually see around Halloween. The first costumes were usually T-Rexes but now there is everything imaginable available as a design. With the idea for the race originally conceived by Melanie Goodenberger, she has purchased everything from corn on the cob to a cowboy riding a chicken. This is a fund-raiser for the Rotary Club with a cost of just $20 for a team of four to participate in the relay race. But it is also a chance to giggle, perhaps make a fool of yourself and just have fun. Come to the park Saturday afternoon for the Wiener Dog races and stay for the Rotary Relay races. While the dogs will already be close to the ground, the relay race participants will likely just end up on the ground. *** With so much going on in McCook this week, I debated whether there should be another activity the next week but the response has already been great for the Lied’s Arts Across Nebraska’s next production in McCook. Hosted by the McCook Creative District, the Omaha Street Percussion ensemble will perform at the Fox Theater on Wednesday, Sept. 24. There is a matinee showing at 10:30 a.m. but I will be up-front…we are testing the capacity of the Fox with every seat already claimed with students. If that is the only show you can make, please come and we’ll find you a seat but it may be those up in the rafters. Otherwise, please plan to attend the 7 p.m. show on Sept. 24. And even better, there is no cost thanks to the Kimmel Foundation and the Friends of the Lied. This is a busy week and a busy weekend but this is a great opportunity to sit back and enjoy a fun, entertaining evening of live music.
Most likely, we aren't going to be good at something at the start. But that shouldn't stop us from trying.
