Ah, the beauty and promise of being young with your life of adventure before you.
That’s probably not the first sentiment that comes to mind for our young people, especially those in their senior year of high school. Thoughts about where to go to college or trade school, what career to choose, and what life will look like may cause more anxiety and uncertainty than excitement and anticipation.
One of the special benefits of being part of the McCook Community Foundation Fund is working with many of our young people. In Youth Change Reaction (YCR), which is a high school-aged group affiliated with MCFF, I have had the pleasure of meeting and working with some outstanding young people -- all trying to make our community better. These are busy young people with school, sports, church, jobs, and other activities, but they are willing to give time and energy to help with the drive-in movie theater, the Third Thursday events downtown, the 6th Grade Heritage Tours, and being role models to elementary students.
New members are added each year through an application process. I want to congratulate the five new members selected this year: Jenna Degnan, Hadley Michaelis, Payvn Terry, Alice Weimer and Blake Willis. Welcome and thank you for accepting this leadership role. I hope that while you are learning more about your community you also are developing some close friendships and making great memories.
There is another group of young people I want to commend.
With three grandchildren living with Kent and me this summer, we purchased a family pass to the new McCook Aquatic Center. Going to the pool once or twice a week provided the chance to meet several young people working at the pool, as it takes a lot of lifeguards and check-in staff to fully operate the pool each day.
No matter how busy it was or how hot it might be, these young people were always friendly and efficient in doing their jobs. I know some of them, and they are also very busy with summer sports, 4-H/FFA and fairs, and other jobs and family commitments.
I was there one afternoon when a young girl had an accident in the pool which required medical assistance. The lifeguards responded quickly and calmly, got her out of the water and sun and into the bathhouse, contacted her mom, and waited with her to reassure her and keep her calm. You could see they had been well trained both in what to do and how to do it for the good of the child. It made me proud of McCook’s young people and made me think that our community’s future was in good hands.
These are just two examples that don’t touch on the many young people working in our restaurants and retail stores, some having their own summer businesses, or those at home taking care of younger siblings while their parents are working. Kudos to the parents who are raising these young people.
I think it is all of our responsibility to show appreciation for these young people. Encourage them to continue their education for a career or trade, maybe live elsewhere for a few years, meet new people, discover new ways of living – and then invite them to come back home to McCook and bring their new ideas back to their hometown.
After high school, I went to business school for a year and then off to live in Denver for 10 years, where I worked downtown at a brokerage firm. I had a great time taking advantage of so much that Denver and Colorado offered, but when it came time to think of the future and a family, it was an easy choice to come back home. Now I try to take advantage of all of the opportunities offered in McCook and Nebraska!
Let’s be sure our young people today know we appreciate them and want them to come home. Invite them to be part of the community now and - whether they return right away or not - encourage them to consider how they can help make McCook an even better place to call home from wherever they are in the meantime.
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Peggy Been is the secretary for the McCook Community Foundation Fund, volunteers throughout the community including St. Pat’s lunch room and devotes countless hours to her grandchildren.
