Andy and Geri Andersen had a passion for young people. So they turned that passion into a reality by creating an endowment with a focus on young people, with payouts to be distributed annually by a group of young people.
Their financial gift to the McCook Community Foundation Fund is intended to support causes and dreams that will benefit youth, which gives youth the opportunity to disperse annual grant funds and which encourages young people to come home to raise their own families. The Anderson’s financial support is how MCFF’s youth organization, Youth Change Reaction (YCR), came to be and which has led to the support of other youth programs in the community.
While I joined the MCFF Advisory Committee in 2018, I actually became involved in 2009 through my co-sponsorship of YCR, just one program for youth I am proud to be involved in and support.
As an educator for 35 years, my passion has always been the preparation of students for life after high school. My McCook High School students completed projects and job shadowing to expose them to the variety of careers and opportunities in Southwest Nebraska.
The latest effort to expose students to the potential in our community is a project called “Bison Days.” I am proud to serve on the Bison Days committee as well.
MCFF has financially supported “Bison Days” for the past two years and has set aside funds for this coming spring if the current pandemic allows us to proceed. This two-day program is for the entire McCook High School student body, teachers, and community members.
Through this program, students have the opportunity to take part in up to four courses that are not typically offered at McCook High School. This project is similar to college interim programs except in length and scope. The two days of classes allow students to find potential hobbies, explore career interests, and develop skills which don’t always have a place or a time in the regular classroom.
The goal of the project is to help students explore opportunities in the community and also to nurture relationships between students, community volunteers, and the McCook High School staff who are teaching the classes.
The program consists of partnering with 20-30 community members and businesses to help provide the instruction for the 90+ classes that are offered. The committee feels it is important to utilize local businesses and resources to provide students with more opportunities for real world connections within the community of McCook as well as showing students the future employment opportunities available here.
Some examples of classes run by community members and teachers are sewing, cooking, self-defense, home repair, donut making, archery, jelly making, quilting, Fantasy Sports, architectural drafting, and auto detailing. Last year’s popular classes included cooking classes, boater’s safety, ice fishing, prom hair styles, facial care and make up, jousting, and floral arranging.
The idea for Bison Days came from a similar project held at Cozad High School called “Maker Days.” The committee from Cozad joined us last year and toured our sites and offerings. As their tour guide, I enjoyed their positive comments about our community and the overall event. Videos documenting the past two years of Bison Days can be viewed on the McCook High School website.
Developing a sense of community has been a strong goal of McCook High School over the last few years and MCFF is proud to continue the legacy of Andy and Geri Anderson through financial support for these tremendous youth programs.
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.
