It goes both ways.
On one side of the coin, citizens need to take the responsibility to get involved. They need to attend public meetings, even if it is three hours of budgets and spreadsheets. They need to belong to service organizations, which bring together a diverse group of people to better their community. They need to appreciate what is already in place, while working together to make it even better.
On the flip side, our leaders, both in the government and in community organizations, need to include others when making decisions or considering projects or determining what will happen 5, 10, 20 years from now.
That feeling of inclusion is important if a community is going to grow and thrive.
If we want our young people to feel like they are really part of the community, they need to be heard and their opinions respected. If we want new-comers to get involved, they need to be asked and feel valued. If we want our community to work together, we need to make sure everyone feels included and feels needed.
Ultimately, people want to have a say in what their community should look like and what their community needs. And that involves work.
The easy button for any government agency or community organization is to go it alone, to do it themselves, without asking for input or help or outside opinions. To some, an ideal world is where everyone pays their taxes and doesn’t ask for anything or who pays their dues but doesn’t get involved or even show up.
But that doesn’t lead to long-term growth or a deep attachment to a community or organization. People who have been asked to contribute and had a role in a decision being made are the ones who are going to work to make their community better.
In my ideal world, our parks are so full of giggling children and laughing parents that we have to replace the equipment every few years or even consider the development of more green space. Our downtown streets are so full of people out and about - walking, shopping and visiting - that the road is occasionally shut down to traffic. Our service organizations have so many active members that they have to take turns volunteering for community projects.
And we have city council meetings with people standing along the back wall waiting to be heard about the budget. We have school board meetings packed with residents there to celebrate the students’ accomplishments and ask questions about the curriculum.
According to a recent study from the Knight Foundation, people will fit in better if a city has incorporated community feedback. People want to feel included, like their voice has been heard and that their opinion matters.
Governments are used to a top-down approach without an emphasis on engagement. But the best project will involve a variety of people and a host of organizations with wide-ranging opinions and ideas who have come together to meet the needs or the community.
This has a ripple effect on the rest of the community from workforce development and youth engagement to development and resilience. If citizens feel like they have value within a community, they are more likely to be involved. They are more likely to donate their time and money. And they are more likely to give their support to a project or idea.
Research has shown that community-driven programs, along with welcoming spaces, foster higher levels of attachment and trust. It is not solely up to the government to create everything we want and need in a community, but those projects which are coordinated by the government agencies need to listen to their residents, they need to ask their opinions, they need to include them in the discussions as well as the decision.
Communities which take the step to include as many residents as possible will be stronger, will be more vibrant, and will continue to create a better quality of life for everyone. By making people feel included and needed, we will make McCook an even better place to call home.
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.
