With Christmas right around the corner, my friend Scrooge has been asked to share his thoughts about how the community has been transformed over the years, similar to Scrooge’s transformation in “A Christmas Carol.”
For starters, I can’t say “Bah Humbug” about our community, who have truly stepped up to support one another.
While there have been many hurdles, this has been an astounding year and you donors have helped McCook Community Foundation Fund (MCFF) grow to more than $4 million in donations and gifts.
Over the years, MCFF has evolved as much - if not more - as Scrooge. After all, Scrooge transforms from an elderly miser to a kinder, gentler man. And MCFF has transformed from zero dollars in 2000; by 2005, MCFF was at $78,614; and in 2010, it crossed the million dollar mark.
Whether in a “Christmas Carol” or in your own community, individuals are ultimately the ones who can make the difference. We each make decisions which can have an impact for generations to come.
Just look at the impact Floyd Hershberger has had on our community. In 1999, Floyd started with an idea that McCook would benefit from affiliation with the Nebraska Community Foundation (NCF). Coincidentally, NCF was the result of an idea by our very own Gov. Ben Nelson in the early 1990s.
Today, there are 235 affiliated funds serving 258 Nebraska communities. In the year 2000, the assets of the affiliated funds totaled $8 million compared to $188 million this year.
Just as in “A Christmas Carol” story, the memories of generations past, present and future influence our generosity. Personally, my memories were influenced by my parents who believed one needed to be involved with community projects. It was a revelation to me that giving back makes life so very special for our community.
For MCFF, it was a slow process in fund raising during the first few years. But fund advisory committee (FAC) members grew in strength and knowledge and the community responded generously as more and more found many possibilities to give back to our community. Scrooge at the end of “A Christmas Carol” would be proud of the generosity the community has shown.
While MCFF has steadily grown over the past two decades, the volunteer FAC continues to seek challenges to make this McCook’s decade. Our “dream switch” has been turned up and ideas are welcome that benefit and will help grow our community.
And the numbers are growing. A million dollars from two donors just this year will definitely make a difference. To-date, MCFF has granted more than $500,000 throughout the community. And that number will be growing as MCFF will be able to grant more than $100,000 a year to organizations with those ideas and programs to benefit the community.
If we want to make this McCook’s decade, what dreams would you like to see in place by 2030? Because of local leadership and generous donors, we will continue with our support to make dreams happen.
One way those dreams have happened over the past 20 years is through a growth in gifts in people’s wills. This will continue as the community sees results from the gifts that give back forever. Giving back is a private and personal decision and it comes from respecting what the community accomplishes and encourages. The gift is a thank you that appreciates what has inspired the donor.
Just like Scrooge, each and every person needs to make the decision about what they want their future and their community to look like.
Donors have the opportunity to give to the unrestricted endowment funds or to funds established for various charitable organizations such as your church, Community Hospital, YMCA, McCook Community College and various scholarship funds, just to name a few.
A number of us have had the assistance from the Nebraska Community Foundation to help with our charitable estate planning. I especially appreciate their help as they worked with my attorney. Denise Garey is the area NCF representative and shares her office with MCFF at the Keystone Business Center. NCF’s Director of Advancement and Gift Planning Jim Gustafson brings an additional level of expertise when a person needs help with their planning. Currently, MCFF has 17 gifts in their wills dedicated to McCook, assuring that more dreams will become reality.
As the year comes to a close, Scrooge would like to recognize several local leaders. Thank you to Ronda Graff for being an outstanding foundation coordinator. Thank you to Cindy Huff for her leadership as chairperson of the MCFF advisory committee and serving on the NCF board of directors. Thank you to Dale Dueland for serving in his new leadership position as chairman of the NCF board. And thank you to all the other FAC members for their blessings of energy and inspiration, Peggy Been, Bill Graves, Mark Graff, Andy Long, Dennis Berry, Gavin Hash, Linda Frank, Matt Sehnert, Pam Wolford and Tricia Wagner.
And a big thank you to the news media for helping us share the message.
In conclusion, I don’t believe I am Scrooge, but his transformation during “A Christmas Carol” has certainly been a reminder of things that should be practiced: that charity comes from the heart and it’s never too late - or too early - to do the right thing.
Merry Christmas!
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.
