Leadership is a simple word. A 10-letter word containing three syllables. A word we commonly use for those who go above and beyond to bring goodness to people.
Our world has had many great leaders, but even great leaders didn’t get to the pinnacle by themselves. Take Michel Jordan, Tom Osborne, or Warren Buffet. They all had mentors in their life to help them grow into a person who brought extraordinary outcomes in their professional lives.
The word leadership and Nebraska communities seemingly go hand and hand. Nebraskans are known for our strong drive, cohesiveness, and philanthropic mindset to help others. As we discuss leadership of the next generation, we commonly hear, “Our youth are the future.” The obvious response is, “Yes.”
But dive deeper into the phrase, “Our youth are the future,” and what are we actively doing to prepare them? Are they in a unique position of being mentored as well as mentoring others? Are we teaching them proper life skills, intrapersonal skills, money management, professional development and morals? Are there leaders in their life facilitating development for our local community to lead us into 2030, 2040, 2050 and beyond?
If we are honest with ourselves, we are failing our youth to reach their full potential in many ways. Oftentimes we fail them not because the youth aren’t talented or capable of learning. Rather, it is due to us not having the trust that our young people are capable. We scrutinize so closely; we don’t let them make mistakes; or we, as adults, claim to always know what is best. Based solely on the year we were born, we are quick to utilize an age barrier and say, “There is no way they could know more or know better than me.”
But to build a healthy community, we have to start at the foundation. When we say, “Our youth is the future,” we must acknowledge that our young people are the foundation of the future. So, how can we help foster a strong foundation of the future?
I challenge each of us to consider ways to lift up our youth. It truly is up to each and every one of us. Not coincidentally, this is the slogan of McCook Community Foundation Fund’s youth group, Youth Change Reaction (YCR). YCR believes that it is up to each and every one of us to make our community a better place to call McCook home.
It is up to us as leaders to build our youth through:
Connecting youth to adult leaders
Whether at the city council, on a board such as the YMCA or various leadership groups, we must allow them to have a seat at the table. We can learn from them just as much as they learn from us.
Grant opportunities for professional development
We need to create internship experiences that offer education and build skills, not just extract grunt labor.
Teach life lessons
We all need to learn that failing is OK sometimes. Failure promotes a development of understanding and we can learn more from our mistakes than our achievements.
Networking in a small community
We need to share the opportunities in our community with our youth, we need to utilize and showcase their talents and we need to get them involved at every level. How? Take them to lunch to share information, but more importantly - to listen.
Build relationships
It all comes down to relationships. We need to mentor our youth and we need to let our youth mentor us.
Leadership is a simple word, but nurturing and creating strong leaders is much more complex. If we want a growing and thriving community in 2050 and beyond, we must develop our young people into our leaders of the future. We need to bring them to the table to learn - now. We need them to provide their insight - now. We need them to be part of making McCook an even better place to call home - now.
Gavin Harsh is the vice president of the McCook Community Foundation Fund. With his birthday Wednesday, he is both among the “young people” he refers to but also a tremendous leader in the community.
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.
