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
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
