“There’s nothing to do here.” “I can’t have a career here.” “There’s no entertainment.”
On the flip side….”Good schools.” “Low crime rate” “Great outdoor recreation.”
These are just a few of the views from McCook youth as part of a recent survey.
This past spring, the McCook Community Foundation Fund conducted a youth survey through the McCook High School. All 400-plus high school students were given the opportunity to voice their opinion on a variety of topics related to their community.
This is the fourth survey of local youth since 2006 with relatively the same questions each time. The answers may vary a bit but for the most part, the results have remained consistent.
The youth want to stay or return to their hometown because they have a strong connection to the community but a majority say they have’t been asked how to make their community better. They want to be involved but again, the majority say they haven’t ever been asked by an adult or community leader to volunteer. They like the size of McCook, with more than half the students saying it is their ideal size compared to smaller and larger cities.
And in what I consider one of the most important questions, “Has an adult asked you to stay or return in McCook?” More than 65 percent said they had never received that simple invitation.
I admit that I didn’t consider that question important until my oldest daughter was graduating and I wonder if that was too late to instill in her that we wanted her to return home.
But along with simply asking our youth to return home, we need to be actively encouraging them to follow their dreams whether it is a career or entertainment. We need to create opportunities from unique office space to family-friendly activities. We need to help them realize that they can make their ideas, their dreams and their hopes come to fruition.
In other words, they can make it happen here.
This summer, the McCook Community Foundation Fund has hired a hometown intern to help tell McCook’s story. McCook High School grad Lexi Gross is spending the final summer before her senior year at Fort Hayes State University in McCook creating a video series called, “Make It Happen Here.”
We are focusing on those who “make it happen here,” whether it is starting a new business, creating unique entertainment opportunities or those who specifically choose to return to their hometown after time away from the community.
Lexi has been interviewing local business owners who took a chance to start a business which is unique to McCook such as Bill and Jade Lesko at Cita Deli and Tyler McCarty, who has built a shrimp farm 1,000s of miles from the ocean. She plans to create video of the water activities at our area lakes and use footage of area concerts to highlight musical opportunities. And she continues to interview those who have made a conscious decision to return to their hometown after graduating college or after living in another town.
All of these videos will be available on the MCFF website, on Facebook and YouTube, wherever we think and hope we can reach our youth to let them know that they can make it happen here.
Andy Long, executive director of the McCook Economic Development Corp., is really good at asking pertinent questions and one of my favorites is “What three words would you use to describe your hometown?” The question makes you stop and think about what is important about your community, what is going right and what needs improvement.
I have answered the question several times and the words I pick can fluctuate based on how my day is going or how someone responded to one of my many “golden” ideas, but generally I use positive words to describe the state of our community.
When you have a moment, take a minute to ponder the words you would use to describe our community. Are they positive? Do they suggest room for improvement? And most importantly, are you doing what you can to make it happen here.
Sara Rippen named February 2026 McCook Volunteer of the Month
Practicing Good Stewardship Takes Effort But Reaps Many Rewards
Bison Days brings high schoolers and community members to learn about job possibilities but also interests and hobbies in their hometown.
With little to snow on the ground in McCook, holiday lights help beat the drab and dreary season.
To kick off the new year, Jo Beebe has been selected as the January 2026 McCook Volunteer of the month. While many people might know Jo for her years at the Sports Shoppe, she can be found giving hours of her time to the community, especially at St. Patrick Church. Whether during the weekly Mass or for a funeral or wedding, Jo shares her beautiful voice from the choir loft, as well as leading the choir members. Jo, along with her husband Harold, also has served as the St. Pat’s GALA host couple in the past and continues to help with set-up and cleanup of the annual event. Jo is also active with the Fall Festival, the Rosary Rally and the Wild Game Feed in Curtis every year. She attends every the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults class and helps students prepare for confirmation. And since retiring from the Sports Shoppe, she is active in the Altar Society, and volunteers at the Bargain Bazaar thrift store. According to her nomination, “The way Jo gives of her time and talents to our parish and community is a reflection of her faith,” and the community and the church are better because of her generosity. The McCook Philanthropy Council selects the monthly recipient for the McCook Volunteer of the Month award as part of the McCook Community Foundation Fund’s McCook Volunteer program. If there is a volunteer in the community who should be recognized, please contact the McCook Chamber of Commerce at 308.340.3200 or visit McCook Volunteers on the MCFF 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. Please have information about the nominee along with where and how they volunteer in the community.
Master Storyteller Will be Missed but Memories Remain
Maintaining the status quo or not doing anything may be cheaper initially but long-term, the costs are more.
Make 2026 memorable by getting involved and making an impact in your community.
As the year comes to a close, members of the MCFF Advisory Committee share "why" they do their community work.
