If Your Dreams Don’t Make You Nervous, Are They Big Enough?
For many, we are welcoming 2021 with open arms. As the calendar turns, the new year is an opportunity to complete old projects and lay out new goals. How we define our goals for the new year often comes in three different approaches, all which must be utilized to reach those dreams.
First, there are the easy goals which take limited work to complete. Although there is little impact or growth gained, we design a goal like this so we can feel good about accomplishing steps along the way.
Next are setting challenging goals which are not designed to last very long but can mark progress and provide incentives to keep moving forward. Unless this step is part of a bigger dream, we could be in the same shoes this year as last year.
Finally, there must be goals which excite you, but knowingly understand it will take dedication to achieve. These are the goals which scare people because they are so big. The fear of failure often overtakes our ambitions and we end up not even trying. But in the end, doing nothing often costs us more.
As many would attest, setting a goal is the easy part. Putting the goal into action and then putting in the work to complete it is the hard part. Think of some of the most successful people in our world today such as Apple creator Steve Jobs, Tesla and Space Ex CEO Elon Musk, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.
Beyond a doubt, if we could have asked them in the planning phases whether they were scared of launching something so big, their responses would be: “Yes!” Even these famous cultural icons were venturing into unknown territory and were likely scared of what could happen.
Being on edge is good. Let the edge motivate you to give it all you have. After all, the first person holding you back is YOU.
I reflect back on conversations with Mark Graff, Dale Dueland, Doug Skiles, Don Harpst, and other McCook Community Foundation Fund board members. One notable challenge that stuck with me is the Sherwood Challenge in 2012 where MCFF had to raise $500,000 for a matching $250,000. At the time, it seemed like a campaign that would be way over their head.
But, through their determination and the community’s generosity, MCFF grew the endowment by $750,000 or a 100% increase in our unrestricted endowment - and a benefit to the entire community for generations to come.
And over the years, there have been many other examples in our community of people willing to take a change, willing to take a risk, willing to push the envelope. From the founders of McCook in the 1880s to our youth stepping up to spearhead a skate park. From founding the YMCA in 1918 and then having the tenacity to move and build another entirely new building 1981. Consider all the countless businesses and organizations which have started or been formed in our community over the years. People used to dream big and then worked to make those dreams happen.
Looking forward, MCFF is working to “Make McCook a Better Place To Call Home,” which is a bold vision. To do this, we have laid out goals to build relationships and community partnerships to better enhance our community leaders and organizations. We also have identified areas we feel as vital for our community development and growth. Combining these is what we believe is the recipe for success to make our community one of the very best in the Midwest.
As we enter 2021, ask yourself or your organization: Is this goal something that can be too easily achieved? Is there more in the tank that we can and need to do for this community to thrive? What does one set bigger look like? What does two steps bigger look like? How does something bigger impact my community and others?
Welcoming a new year is great as it comes with a fresh start. I pray that you can utilize that fresh start and find a goal big enough that makes you nervous to stimulate true change for the future.
Gavin enjoyed his time on MCFF’s Youth Change Reaction group at McCook High School so much he was gone only a few years before returning and is now vice chairman of MCFF.
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.
