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.
McCook's last hometown bakery closed this past week, leaving a void not just for donuts but for connections.
Many organizations and businesses in McCook offer the opportunity to recycle, reuse and repair items that may just end up in the trash.
Organizer for Buffalo Commons Storytelling Festival and former librarian named Oct 2025 volunteer of the month.
McCook's Third Thursdays were created to get businesses and organizations involved and designed to create life-long memories for the community.
Long-time community advocate Barb Ostrum received the Sept 2025 McCook Volunteer of the Month award.
We need to celebrate our young people while they are here and encourage them to return.
While some like myself appreciate a rainy day, others dread them for a variety of reasons. We need to be empathetic as interact with others.
MCFF Fall Grant Deadline is Oct. 1. Complete list of former recipients on MCFF website
With so much going, it is time for a “This, That and the Other Thing” column, where we will cover several topics, not very deeply but hopefully with a sense of humor as we clean up and prepare for a busy week in McCook. *** McCook again made state and national news this week for ice. This time, it was in the form of hail that pounded the community for hours upon hours. Conversations this week begin with “where were you….?” or “how many windows did you lose?” And while they may be legitimate and are offering their services, it is like vultures with all the roofing repair and dent removal businesses which have descended upon McCook following the storm. As city officials noted, do your due diligence with any company doing repairs for you and follow the old adage, which is old and still around because it’s true: If something seems to be too good to be true, it probably is. And one last note on the storm, we need to be careful what we ask for. As storm after storm approaches McCook and then splits in two to go around the town, we finally got one to roll right over us. The storm liked McCook so much it slowed down and just there. I was in Lincoln during the storm and trying to determine when I would drive home. I thought the weather app had frozen or the radar was broken because every time I looked, the storm was still sitting over McCook, doing its damage. I guess we can be thankful the next time a storm seemingly just goes around us. *** We are in the thick of McCook’s Heritage Days celebration. Congratulations to all the Heritage Days Royalty, which was announced at the MNB Bank Mixer this week. A special shout-out to Bill Donze, better known as Mr. Bill and his wife, Kathy, who were honored as royalty for their impact in McCook. As many know, Mr. Bill is fighting cancer and the prognosis isn’t good. The chances of him selling snow-cones and candy out of his van next summer near the McCook Aquatic Center are not good. One judge of his impact was the response to my column about Mr. Bill a few months ago. The post was shared thousands of times, viewed nearly 70,000 times with just as many comments by people sharing their fond memories of Mr. Bill. So when you see Mr. Bill riding down Norris in the convertible this weekend in the Heritage Days parade, send extra prayers and well-wishes to the man who has brought so much joy to so many kids - and adults too - over the years. *** Continuing on the Heritage Days theme, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that the McCook Rotary Club is tossing all egos and formality out the window this weekend. As the president of the McCook Rotary Club, I invite everyone to at least watch, if not participate, in the Rotary’s first inflatable costume relay race on Saturday as part of the festivities in Norris Park. These are those giant, blow-up costumes you usually see around Halloween. The first costumes were usually T-Rexes but now there is everything imaginable available as a design. With the idea for the race originally conceived by Melanie Goodenberger, she has purchased everything from corn on the cob to a cowboy riding a chicken. This is a fund-raiser for the Rotary Club with a cost of just $20 for a team of four to participate in the relay race. But it is also a chance to giggle, perhaps make a fool of yourself and just have fun. Come to the park Saturday afternoon for the Wiener Dog races and stay for the Rotary Relay races. While the dogs will already be close to the ground, the relay race participants will likely just end up on the ground. *** With so much going on in McCook this week, I debated whether there should be another activity the next week but the response has already been great for the Lied’s Arts Across Nebraska’s next production in McCook. Hosted by the McCook Creative District, the Omaha Street Percussion ensemble will perform at the Fox Theater on Wednesday, Sept. 24. There is a matinee showing at 10:30 a.m. but I will be up-front…we are testing the capacity of the Fox with every seat already claimed with students. If that is the only show you can make, please come and we’ll find you a seat but it may be those up in the rafters. Otherwise, please plan to attend the 7 p.m. show on Sept. 24. And even better, there is no cost thanks to the Kimmel Foundation and the Friends of the Lied. This is a busy week and a busy weekend but this is a great opportunity to sit back and enjoy a fun, entertaining evening of live music.
Most likely, we aren't going to be good at something at the start. But that shouldn't stop us from trying.
