Last year, the McCook Community Foundation Fund Advisory Committee reviewed and revised its vision statement. It’s pretty simple and straightforward: Making McCook an even better place to call home.
In other words, McCook has a lot of great things going for it, a lot of tremendous assets already in place, a lot of great people working to make our community thrive and grow.
But we can’t rest on our laurels, we can’t continue to do the status quo because that is actually going down hill, we can’t continue to just do things “because that’s how we’ve always done it.”
Instead, we need to step it up a notch. We need to make what we already have even more appealing. We need to invest in our community and make what we already have even better. We need to appreciate what those who came before us have done and build upon their accomplishments.
For example, this past weekend I helped coordinate the fourth annual Michelle’s Memorial Triathlon. (Chris Schaben did the majority of the work and deserves huge kudos for all the hours he puts into the event.)
Triathlons, which involves swimming, biking and running, is a fairly niche activity, drawing people who don’t mind some mild chafing since you hop out of the swimming pool onto a bicycle, soaking wet. In other words, the event draws people not only from McCook and Southwest Nebraska, but from across Nebraska as well as Kansas and Colorado.
There is nothing like an out-of-towner to remind you of the good things in your community, things which we take for granted, things which we overlook, things we may notice until someone else brings it to our attention.
The triathlon is held at Kelley Park in McCook, utilizing the McCook City Swimming Pool, the road next to the hospital (just coincidental) and McCook’s walking trail. After the race, several of the participants came up to me to thank us for hosting and commend all the assets we had used.
Although the McCook city pool can be downright cold and climbing out without a ladder takes hurriclean strength especially after a 500-meter swim, we are able to accommodate a lot of swimmers and water walkers all at once. And we have a great city pool staff including the lifeguards who got up so bright and early, especially TJ Renner, Emily Tjindal and Kora Keslin.
While we appreciate the pool we have and are looking forward to hosting hundreds of swimmers in a few weeks, that should not stop us from building an even better pool to serve our community’s needs. A new aquatic facility would make McCook an even better place to call home.
As for the bike portion, there is nothing we can do to assuage their minor gripes: the wind and hills, except embrace the fact that McCook actually isn’t flat.
The runners and walkers then took off on the walking trail, which winds through Kelley Park and down to East 11th Street. The trails we have are great. Trees provide shade on portions. There are benches along the way to rest. Exercise equipment alongside the trail adds to the allure.
But it is a relatively short trail system. Just as you are getting your heart rate up, you’ve reached the end. And the trail does not get you safely across town on foot or bike.
An expanded walking trail would make McCook an even better place to call home.
Do these improvements bring more jobs to our community? Does it improve the housing situation in our community? Not directly, but they do improve the quality of life and may be the deciding factor of whether a young family decides to make McCook their home.
As Abraham Maslow (better known for Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs) said, “You will either step forward into progress or you will step backward into safety.”
If we want people to choose to stay, live or return to our community, then we need to make these improvements; we need to make these investments; we all need to take the steps to make our community an even better place to call home.
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.
