By RONDA GRAFF

MCFF 

Since February 2025, a McCook resident has been honored each month as the McCook Volunteer of the Month. Chosen by the McCook Philanthropy Council, the volunteer receives a certificate, Chamber Bucks and perhaps the best - or the worst part - for each recipient is recognition and notoriety in the McCook Gazette and through social media. 

A volunteer will continue to be honored each month, but the program will expand over the next year with the new Strunk Service Celebration, which will take place each April during Volunteer Recognition Month. 

Planned for April 15, 2027, the celebration will include recognition of the 12 honorees named from May 2026 through April 2027. Additionally, the McCook Community Foundation Fund (MCFF) will donate $1,000 to the non-profit organizations the 12 honorees represent. 

And what may be the most important part, all volunteers throughout the community are welcome to an evening of fun and appreciation for all they do in McCook and Red Willow County. 

More details about the celebration will be released over the next year leading up to the event, but in the meantime, nominations for McCook Volunteer of the Month are welcomed and encouraged. 

An online nomination form is available on the McCook Community Foundation Fund website, mccookfoundation.org, along with more information about the criteria for nomination plus stories about the previous recipients. Names of volunteer candidates can also be provided to the McCook Chamber of Commerce. 

The McCook Volunteer of the Month program is funded by MCFF’s McCook Volunteers subaccount. 

The Strunk Service Celebration is made possible thanks to the generosity of Allen Strunk, former publisher of the McCook Gazette. The Strunk family encouraged giving back to your community, following the slogan: Service is the rent we pay for the space we occupy in this world. The recognition of the volunteers during the Strunk Service Celebration will help continue that motto for years to come.