“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.
Jeremy Shaw named April 2025 McCook Volunteer of the Month
While the Bison Alumni Newsletter will still be available digitally, a new printed service is available.
During a recent performance at the Fox Theater by the Lied's Arts Across Nebraska, there was one group who was not thanked: those who showed up for the event, which is a big deal.
Mark Friehe named March McCook Volunteer of the Month.
Although the Bodensteiners no longer live in Southwest Nebraska, they are still connected and wanted to see if prosper and thrive.
From long-term projects to weekly events, you cannot say "there is nothing to do" or "nothing is happening."
With the goal of reaching 200 subscriptions, the Bison Alumni Newsletter is launching a subscription service.
Long-time volunteer Don Harpst was recognized as the first McCook Volunteer of the Month in March 2025.
McCook's youth survey shows that young people now value safety in their community, something McCook provides.
Building Connections in McCook Matters June in McCook will be abuzz with fun events including a Youth Summit, hosted by McCook Community Foundation Fund. Our young people in Youth Change Reaction will host the first Nebraska Community Foundation gathering for youth, which will bring youth from across Nebraska to McCook. While still in the planning stages, our students identified that McCook is great because of connections . Our young people easily recognize how critical this factor is to people attraction, to people retention, and to improve their futures. What I miss most about my high school classroom is connections with students and colleagues. In education, I taught first, second, and sometimes third generations in families. My husband, Greg, and I are not McCook natives, but I eventually knew who was related to whom and usually where the parent(s) were employed. Going to the grocery store meant greetings from students and sometimes their family members. I officially retired from my high school classroom nine years ago in May. When you retire, the most-asked question becomes “What do you do with your time?” I try to maintain those connections and make new ones by belonging. For the past seven years, Sharon Bohling and I have volunteered to help plan and organize Bison Days for our high school students, which took place February 10 and 11. It would not happen without the financial support of McCook Community Foundation Fund, plus the McCook High School, local businesses, and the talented people of Southwest Nebraska who say “yes” when one of us reaches out to ask for the donation of time and talent. I would venture that they allow us to be on the Bison Days’ committee because we both have connections within our community—it’s certainly not our computer savvy. Connections can also solve a problem. Recently, I signed up to help a local family in crisis. My morning plan revolved around delivering my donation at a designated drop-off place. That didn’t work out. Fortunately, I still work with youth in various capacities, so I know that Keri Wilkinson works for Camy Bradley. Keri was an organizer for the family fundraiser, so I walked in Camy’s office hoping to find Keri. She was not there, so Camy and I visited briefly. She knew someone (who I did not know) who could possibly give me further direction. Only in a town with connections are you able to interrupt someone’s business, have her reach out for you using her connections , and offer to keep the donations for me until Keri’s return. Another great example of connecting can be found over coffee. Dee Friehe and I are longtime teacher friends. During a chance meeting at the grocery store a few weeks ago, she shared how she was there following a funeral service and was gathering supplies to deliver supper to the grieving family that night. She also updated me on her group of adults who meet for coffee on Thursdays at Ember’s, which varies from 8-28 depending on the day. She recognized the need for adults moving to McCook or folks just wanting to get out to make connections . Dee’s husband, Mark, also hosts his own group of men who are new(er) to McCook. She regaled me with stories of their Christmas party and other special gatherings. Wanting to call McCook your home is solidified by building connections . Ronda Graff has written about McCook Connects which matches a McCook person with someone new to the community of similar interests. I earned my McCook Connects’ T-shirt welcoming a young family with children. We have since spent many hot summer days sitting on bleachers together cheering on our 4-H horse kids while they show their horses. Warning: I connected them with a “free” new-to-them horse. Be careful connecting with me or you’ll probably own a horse. You do not have to be retired to connect in this community. Volunteering is a surefire way to meet people. McCook has many civic groups looking for new faces. Attend a church here; we have many welcoming congregations. Go to ball games or school concerts, attend concerts in the park, learn a new skill through the college, show up at a Third Thursday event or invite the neighbors for a BBQ. Take your youngsters to story hour or Move and Groove at the library. Go watch an event at the Kiplinger Arena. You can even take it a step further: Make a friend or call a friend and invite him/her to go with you. It is human connection that keeps us healthy and happy. If McCook Community Foundation Fund can help you connect in some meaningful way, please reach out for advice or support. *** While Pam Wolford may be retired, she is just as busy serving on the McCook Community Foundation Fund committee and started a new Learn and Return Scholarship with MCFF, while stepping up to grandparent whenever the call comes in.
