Our children are our future. Yes, it is an old cliche but it is also true.
If we want to make our communities better in the future, we need to make investments. More specifically, we need to make investments in our children.
There are a variety of ways to make investments in our children. It is investing time, perhaps by coaching your child’s soccer team and building their confidence and social skills. It is investing talent, maybe by sharing your joy of playing the guitar by teaching a young person.
And it is investing treasure, by putting financial resources toward our young people and their ideas. This is where the McCook Community Foundation Fund (MCFF) is making an investment, by putting funds toward two programs this summer which support youth entrepreneurship.
Fund from a Youth Engagement Grant from MCFF and the Nebraska Community Foundation are supporting the Hormel Youth Entrepreneurship Camp and Lemonade Days.
Designed for fourth graders through seniors in high school, these two programs are designed to teach young people what it is like to own and operate a business. They will learn that it is possible to take their idea and make it a reality. And most importantly, they will learn that their community wants to invest in them, wants them to succeed and wants them to be here.
The Hormel Youth Entrepreneurship Camp is a simplified version of the Hormel Business Competition held every two years in Southwest Nebraska. The youth competition - yes, it is a camp where they will learn a lot, but it’s also a competition where the winners will win cold, hard cash - is open to anyone entering 8th through 12th grade this fall. They must also live in the seven counties served by Mid-Plains Community College (Red Willow, Hayes, Furnas, Frontier, Chase, Hitchcock and Dundy counties), a sponsor along with MCFF and Red Willow 4-H Extension.
Otherwise, there are no restrictions and even better, no costs to the student. They don’t even need to have a plan…just an idea, a dream, a concept for a business they would like to see in Southwest Nebraska.
It includes a week-long camp June 21-25 where they will get to visit local businesses, learn what how to start a business and take their ideas from concept to concrete plan. In July, they will have access to an online marketing class and in August, they’ll develop an actual business plan.
The competition culminates in September with a formal presentation to judges, with the top three winning cash prizes including $5,000 to the top business plan. Open to just 20 students, every will benefit by learning how to own and operate a business. And maybe more importantly, whether they truly want to be a business owner.
The entrepreneur camp actually wraps up in November when the winners will present their business idea during the Nebraska Community Foundation’s annual training and banquet, held in McCook this year.
But not to leave out our younger entrepreneurs, Lemonade Days is open to those in fourth through sixth grades. Sponsored by the McCook Economic Development Corp., the McCook Chamber of Commerce and MCC, Lemonade Days will have our young people operating their own lemonade stands along Norris Avenue on Saturday, July 10 during McCook’s Crazy Days.
The concept behind Lemonade Days is to introduce these young people to the steps of running a business. It includes everything from “renting” a location to obtaining a “loan” to purchase supplies. There will be marketing and promotion and of course, repaying that loan at the end of their lone sales day.
For more information about Lemonade Days, call the McCook EDC at 308-345-1200 or visit www.lemonadeday.org/mccook. Registration is due by June 10.
Registration for the Youth Entrepreneurship Camp is due by June 14, with brochures around McCook or online at www.bceregister.mpcc.edu.
Both of these programs are great opportunities to show our young people that they can make their business happen here and that they can make a difference.
But more importantly, these investments show that their ideas matter and that they are valued. The investment shows that we are willing to listen to them and that we are willing to put our time and resources into their ideas. The investment shows that we are willing to take a chance on their hopes and dreams to make McCook an even better place to call home.
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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
