Taking a moment to be thankful

As November comes to a close, I can’t help but reflect on everything that has transpired in our community in just a few short weeks. Looking back, we have so much to be thankful for. Looking forward, we have so much to be grateful for.

For starters, we kicked the month off with the 6th annual Big Give McCook, reaching record numbers yet again. Big Give came together because dozens of volunteers worked all year long to make it happen. Big Give came together because the Big Give nonprofit organizations are the backbone of our communities and we need them to thrive and grow. Big Give came together because the community made donations in both large and small amounts, proving that together we are stronger.

Just a week later, more than 70 community members spent four hours learning how to make their boards run smoother, to work better, to be more efficient as part of a Board Master training. Giving up half their day, these board members realized the importance of having strong - and educated - organizations if we want to have a thriving community.

A couple take-aways from the training. At least a half dozen area towns were represented at the Board Master training, meaning that many Southwest Nebraska towns are working to make their communities even better. Their participation also shows that rising tides lift all ships. If one of us is better, then all of us are better. If area towns are doing better, then McCook does better.

And as everyone in the training room introduced themselves, they also shared just a few of the organizations they belonged to. I lost count on the number of organizations which were represented, but as we all know in small towns, people wear multiple hats. I am looking forward to seeing progress on the boards of all the organizations mentioned in the training. Great things are going to happen because these people took the time to improve themselves, so they could improve the organizations they are trying to help.

And finally, hundreds of community members from across the state and Midwest descended upon McCook for Nebraska Community Foundation’s annual training and celebration last week.

This was truly a group effort to pull off this type of event, which showcased not only McCook but all of Southwest Nebraska. And this was not by chance.

The NCF training rotates locations around Nebraska, last taking place in York in 2019. While York has a great facility at the Holtus conference center, we didn’t know we were in York.

We didn’t want the same thing to happen when it was in McCook. Because for some people, this may be their only visit to McCook in years…or ever…and we wanted them to know they were in McCook. We wanted them to remember their time here. We wanted them to get to know the great people of McCook and Southwest Nebraska.

And the community stepped up in so many ways.

We asked to bring Christmas a little early by “Lighting Up McCook.” The businesses went above and beyond in decorating store-front windows and stringing lights around their windows. We didn’t skip Thanksgiving; we just brought a little more light to the holiday.

We asked several downtown locations to host training sessions, which entailed moving tables and chairs, closing to the public for a few hours and setting up sound systems. They all easily agreed and then bent over backwards to be helpful and accommodating.

The celebration wrapped up with Night on the Bricks, showcasing downtown McCook as well as all of Southwest Nebraska.

Not only was it a fun event, but Night on the Bricks also showed that we can take a chance on a new event and try something different. More than eight different locations were utilized which was logistically difficult but everyone did their part to make it happen.

Night on the Bricks showed that we can pull many different businesses, entities and communities together to make something happen which benefits us all. In addition to many McCook businesses and organizations, we had businesses from Imperial, Stratton, Bertrand and Eustis involved in the event. Again, rising tides lift all ships.

Night on the Bricks showed that we have a great community, which wants to come together to make great things happen. And for that, I am truly grateful.

On behalf of the entire McCook Community Foundation Fund Advisory Committee, we hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving. We appreciate all the people who make McCook - and Southwest Nebraska - an even better place to call home.