A few years ago, McCook Community Foundation Fund began honoring former members for

their years of service on the fund advisory committee.

During the annual celebration, the former member receives an ornament etched with their name

and the years they served on the committee. It isn’t by accident that the ornament is in the

shape of a tree ring, like a slice of a tree branch. (By the way, New Life Christian Store does a

great job etching them for the recipients.)

The tree is an image used over and over within the foundation because it represents so many

ideas that we use to guide our decision making and influence our philosophy.

“The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.” - Chinese

proverb

Now more than 20 years old, MCFF’s founders “planted the tree” by establishing the foundation

for the community in 2000, knowing it would benefit McCook and surrounding area for

generations.

And it has come to fruition. MCFF distributed its first grant in 2003, $1,000 for playground

equipment at the new McCook elementary school. This year, MCFF will be able to grant more

than $240,000 to non-profits and charitable projects throughout the community.

For the former MCFF members, this is astonishing.

During the presentation of an ornament to Kay Flaska in January, she noted that they were just

trying to get people to understand what an endowment is during her time on the committee from

2005-2010. While many more people grasp the concept, it doesn’t hurt to have a reminder that

a donation to an endowment builds the principal and only the interest is spent, which means the

donation goes on forever.

Thanks to those “planting trees” over the past 20 years, MCFF has has the flexibility to grant to

a variety of groups and projects and a granting capacity to make a true impact in the community.

“He that plants trees, loves other than himself.” - Thomas Fuller

Tom Buresh is a great example of giving of themselves for the betterment of others.

Former member Tom Buresh received his ornament, noting his time on the committee from

2010-2014, at his home during a recent visit by current MCFF members.

Over the years, Tom has been involved in countless projects to move McCook forward and was

instrumental in the fund-raising and construction of the YMCA in the early 1980s.

During the visit, he shared stories about his involvement in the community, reminisced about

swim lessons at the old Y and celebrated the evolution of the foundation, including crossing the

$1 million mark in 2014 thanks to the Sherwood Foundation Challenge Grant, a pivotal moment

in MCFF’s history.

And that history continues to grow and evolve. Cindy Huff and Dale Dueland shared stories

about the history MCFF is building now, including a multi-year donation for the YMCA’s current

capital campaign, which wouldn’t have been possible if not for the work of others before them.

“The planting of a tree shows faith in the future.” — Lucy from the March 3, 1963, Peanuts

comic strip

MCFF is not unique in that we build upon the shoulders of those who come before us. We can

look at community members who took it upon themselves to build a new hotel downtown a

century ago. Elected officials who make the hard decisions on a regular basis but which have an

impact for generations. And organizations which provide services day-in, day-out throughout the

year but which count on funding as well as volunteers to ensure that they will be around years

from now.

But the work does not stop and MCFF is ensuring that there will be people wiling to “plant trees”

in the future. MCFF is proud to welcome its newest committee members, Mark Currier and

Amanda Engell, two up-and-coming young people in our community. They have big shoes to fill,

following Kay and Tom and the other former members of the MCFF committee over the past two

decades.

But with these newest additions, we are planting the trees today that will benefit McCook and

the surrounding areas for the next 20 years and more.