McCOOK, Neb. - Sometimes it takes stepping back and seeing your community as an outsider to really appreciate all that you have. That was one of the major themes that Matt Sehnert and Ronda Graff came away with after their recent attendance at the inaugural #WeaveThePeople conference in Washington, D.C.
Sehnert and Graff, along with Andy Long and Dale Dueland of McCook, were invited to the Aspen Institute gathering where more than 250 community “weavers” from across the country congregated to share their efforts at combating social isolation, repairing fragmentation, and uniting their communities. The conference was led by New York Times columnist and author David Brooks who traveled to McCook in March to learn more about the strengths of rural communities. Nebraska Community Foundation facilitated the rural Nebraska tour.
Brooks was impressed with what he saw and commented about his Nebraska visit, “Everybody says rural America is collapsing. But I keep going to places with more moral coherence and social commitment than we have in booming urban areas. These visits prompt the same question: How can we spread the civic mind-set they have in abundance?”
That visit led to the invitation to Washington, D.C., where Sehnert and Graff were asked to speak on the main stage along with authors, journalists and researchers, including Jonathan Haidt, Martha Welch, David Bornstein and Katie Couric. Initially, they questioned what they could offer, as “there were a lot of people there with a lot of credentials.” Ultimately they came to realize that rural areas (the Nebraska and Appalachia attendees were the only non-urban representatives) could be an example for strengthening communities throughout the nation.
“We hope and believe that what we’re doing here is working. We’re actually a good example for the rest of the United States,” Graff said. “We don’t have it so bad here. We actually have what seems like a very friendly, stable community. We don’t have the problems that a lot of the communities and the people that we met in DC; they’re facing a lot of tougher problems than we are.”
“We’re actually blessed with what we have – people and organizations and resources – that we can count on and use to our advantage.”
Sehnert found that much of the good work and processes that were presented came from people who faced some serious challenges in their lives. “A lot of people that spoke were doing what they do because of some tragedy that happened in their lives. Everything from suicide to murder to racial issues, rape – it ran the gamut. I think that the people from rural Nebraska and Appalachia were not in that mode so much. Obviously we have some of those challenges, but not near at the scale that they do. We are more challenged by poverty. We live here, so we don’t even know that we’re poor. But the wages that we all earn are not comparable.”
Sehnert also said that most of the attendees were part of a non-profit organization. It is part of their job to build communities and solve social problems. Sehnert said that the Aspen staff recognized that in McCook and Nebraska, people were creating community because it was their passion, not their jobs.
“There are some big issues out there that need to be addressed,” said Graff. “For us, we’re going to change and affect what’s within arms reach. Start small and do what we can locally and hopefully there’s a ripple effect.” Graff said that small “shifts” can help set an example for others. “It’s not a dramatic change, it’s just a subtle shift, and hopefully that’s enough for what we’d like to see happen.”
Their vision is to see more people get involved in community activities and pursuing their passions. “It takes effort on everybody’s part,” said Sehnert, explaining that a small group can put in a lot of effort to organize an event, “but what the rest of the people need to do is put enough effort in to load their kids in the car and show up.” Taking the first step and starting out as a participant, may eventually lead to greater involvement and connections. “Either find something in the community that gets you excited, but if you can’t, then create it.” They said that small efforts in “putting yourself out there” can lead to huge benefits, both personally and for the community.
They explained that McCook has the tools to help people pursue their passions. Those tools include community foundation grants, partnerships with the city, college, economic development corporation and the chamber. “The metro areas have a lot of different resources at their fingertips that we don’t have, but what we do have are the contacts and the relationships,” said Graff. Personal contacts and face-to-face conversations are keys to expanding involvement and support for community and neighborhood projects.
They also spoke about the difference between acceptance and inclusion. “That is something that I would like to personally work on,” said Sehnert, “because I feel like I’m a pretty accepting person, but am I inclusive enough? Whether that means racial or gender or religion. . . Inclusion is something I’m going to work on.”
“You only know what you know, and when we saw the challenges that other people are having in our nation, we realized how many benefits we have here in Southwest Nebraska,” said Sehnert.
Graff echoed, “When we went to D.C., we wanted to highlight that McCook and Southwest Nebraska does have a lot going for it. We do have a lot here that we can celebrate.”
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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.
