Every day, we make choices.
We make the choice about what we will wear, what food we put into our bodies, what time we will get out of bed. For a couple of my kids, that is closer to lunch than to breakfast these days.
Many of these decisions are made without much thought, but right now we have the chance to be very intentional about those choices.
This is a once-in-a-lifetime to be very intentional and make lasting changes to our families, to our community, to our country and ultimately to our world.
As this crisis moves from weeks into months, there are a variety of ways to change your own personal world and create a “new normal.” You can be intentional about where you devote your energy. You can be intentional about who you spend your time with. And you can be intentional about where you spend your money.
The McCook Community Foundation Fund is hoping to provide incentive when it comes to where to spend your money with COVID Cash Certificates.
MCFF provided a $10,000 grant for McCook Christian Church to coordinate the McCook Stimulus Spending Program, which rolls out Monday.
It’s pretty simple. Volunteers from McCook Christian Church will man a table in an office located in the Keystone Business Center on Norris Ave. During the week from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. and 4-7 p.m., anyone 18 and older can show up with cash or a credit card and purchase COVID Cash Certificates, a minimum of $100 and a maximum of $500. For every $100 you purchase, you receive an extra $20 in certificates. So you could leave with up to $600 in certificates which can then be spent at more than 100 businesses in the community. Hopefully, they are spent immediately, but they just be spent by Sept. 1, 2020.
It is a win-win. Consumers receive bonus funds from their hard-earned dollars while businesses receive a much-needed infusion of cash when those certificates are spent at their location.
This is especially important in the upcoming weeks as the federal stimulus checks start to arrive directly into checking accounts and into mailboxes.
The easy button would be to go online and shop, but then all those dollars are flowing out of our local economy. But at the end of the day, none of those dollars from those purchases will benefit your community aside from a few minutes the delivery driver spend dropping a package off at the front door.
When you spend locally, you are essentially making an investment in that business. You are making a conscious decision to re-invest in your community. And that investment will pay dividends down the road through employees who receive a paycheck and then go spend it at another store in town; through a restaurant serving dinner so you don’t have to the dishes; or through a hardware staying open so you buy a thingy-bob to finish the bathroom remolding project.
The McCook Stimulus Spending Program isn’t the only way to show your support for local businesses.
Continue to order out from local restaurants on Take-Out Tuesday. Buy gift cards through the McCook Chamber of Commerce’s Shop McCook Program at shopmccook.org.
And “Keep McCook Rolling Cruise Nights,” spearheaded by Wagner Auto Group, are planned for every Friday during April and May, offering ample opportunities to support businesses. I know my family ended up at three different restaurants and one store on McCook’s first cruise night two weeks ago, so we are doing our part to keep the economy going. Red Willow County Tourism is even planning Cruise Night Clues, so follow those on Facebook.
One of the most re-shared memes on social media is the fact that year-in, year-out, businesses are asked for donations toward sports programs, fund-raisers, field-trips…the list is endless. Now it’s our turn to show our support by intentionally patronizing these same businesses. Because if we don’t, they may not be here when this is over.
These entrepreneurs have taken a chance - and probably most of their life savings - to start these businesses. Now this is our opportunity to be very intentional toward our community.
Linda Graff named McCook Volunteer of the Month for December 2025
By focusing on what is important, we can make an even better impact in our communities.
After a 10-year hiatus, the McCook Holiday Home Tours return focusing on downtown upstairs apartments.
While many people think volunteering is for older residents, serving your community has no age restrictions. And young people can regularly be found lending a hand or offering their services in their hometown. The November 2025 McCook Volunteer of the Month recognizes one of many young people are working to make their community an even better place to call home: Grady Riemenschneider. Currently a senior at McCook High School, Grady volunteers with a wide variety of organizations and groups. As a four-year member of the McCook Community Foundation Fund’s Youth Change Reaction, Grady serves as the ambassador for the youth group’s “Cars Under Stars,” the outdoor movie theater at the Red Willow County Fairgrounds. At nearly every showing, he can be found operating the projector and setting up the parking lot, as well as passing along his knowledge to the next ambassador. In McCook’s FFA program, Grady has held officer roles the past four years and is currently the chapter vice president, organized the chapter banquet in 2025 and coached for the conduct of chapter meetings. Along with serving as the president of the Driftwood Feeders 4-H Club, he assists with setup, tear down and fundraising for the dog show and helps fellow members train their dogs. Grady steps in to help and lead at local events, including Prairie Plains CASA’s Kick in’ It Up for CASA and the Cajun Broil; the Edward Jones Alzheimer’s Walk; operating sound boards for various groups; and Feed the Farmer. And he has served as a youth leader at McCook Christian Church for elementary youth since approximately 2018 as well as stepping up to ensure the ag program ran smoothly during a teacher’s maternity leave Upon request from his mother about some of Grady’s activities, Sharleen noted that he is the “Chief Household Operations Officer: first responder for Mom’s to-do list, go-to chauffeur and caretaker for his favorite sidekick (a.k.a. his nephew), and the family’s unofficial event planner who somehow keeps everyone together without a clipboard.” The McCook Philanthropy Council recognizes a volunteer every month who is doing good work in McCook and Red Willow County. If there is a volunteer in the community who should be recognized, please contact the McCook Chamber of Commerce at 308-345-3200 or visit McCook Volunteers on the McCook Community Foundation Fund’s 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 but please have information about the nominee along with where and how they volunteer in the community. The volunteer honoree is selected monthly by the McCook Philanthropy Council.
With the holiday's nearing, MCFF member and Mayor Linda Taylor reflects on the many things to be thankful in McCook.
The names of those people who have made a generational impact on McCook and Southwest Nebraska is a long list. Many of them are working day-in, day-out right now to make their mark on the community. And then there are those people who no longer call McCook home but still make an impact long after they are gone. Allen Strunk is one of those people. Allen passed away on Nov. 1 at his home in Las Vegas, Nevada but he never lost the love of his hometown. Born and raised in McCook, Allen was a member of an already well-known family, Harry and Arlene Strunk. The Strunks started and published the McCook Daily Gazette, with the motto, “Service is the rent we pay for the space we occupy in this world.” A saying that was so important that Harry had it etched at the top of his downtown newspaper office on Norris Avenue. That sense of service was passed along to Allen, who continued to serve his community as he took over leadership of the Gazette. I didn’t know Allen personally until he came back for visits years later. Even though my first job upon arriving in McCook was at the McCook Daily Gazette and Allen had turned over the publishing reins to Gene Morris many years prior, the Strunk legacy loomed large. He was instrumental in the building of the then-new YMCA, moving the facility from downtown to its current location next to the McCook High School. He was a key player in the new hospital, again moving from one location to a new expanded space. And McCook Community College benefitted his involvement in an expansion. Those projects continue to impact McCook today. And the support didn’t stop just because Allen retired from the Gazette and left McCook. There are programs the Strunks are involved in that benefit McCook and Southwest Nebraska. The Strunks continue to support Santa Claus Lane, which is overseen by the McCook Chamber of Commerce. And which after a few years of decline is seeing a resurgence of enthusiasm and nostalgia for the decorative holiday pieces lining Norris Avenue. Allen funds the annual McCook Area Outstanding Teacher award, which provides a financial prize to several teachers every year. And Allen recognized the work of the McCook Community Foundation Fund, providing a donation several years ago so that he could see its impact while he was still alive. This has led MCFF to consider how they will recognize and remember Allen for years to come. Because of his belief in service to his community, this could mean more recognition for the countless volunteers who keep our community thriving. It could be a day of community service, to see how many people can come together to make something happen. It could be a celebration for all the great things happening in our community. During Allen’s memorial service this past week in McCook, his step-daughter-in-law read the poem, “The Dash" by Linda Ellis, who published it in 1996. It reflects on the meaning of the dash between the birth and death dates on a tombstone. The dash is a reminder of everything that happens between the moment a person is born and the moment a person dies. The dash emphasizes the importance of how one lives their life during that time. The dash prompts a person to think about living, rather than worrying about dying. Ultimately, the dash is where all the good - and the bad - happens. And Allen Strunk made the most of his “dash,” both in his community and within his family. We can’t all run a newspaper. We likely aren’t going to etch our favorite saying into a building. But we all need to consider how we are paying the “rent for the space we occupy in this world.” And we can all make a difference in our hometowns, whether we currently live in them or even if we haven’t stepped foot on the main street in years.
Everyone feels a need to be needed and it is shown through the Big Give and Meal Kit Giveaways
SWNE Big Give reaches new heights thanks to enthusiasm of organizations, individuals and businesses
Food pantries are seeing an increased need, which means the community must step up with donations of food and time to help those who struggle to put food on the table.
