Banquet proves volunteers still key

Businesses do what they do for profit -- unless they make money, they cease to exist.

But businesses survive because they provide service -- "Service is the rent we pay for the space we occupy in this world," as Gazette founder Harry Strunk put it.

And individuals, whether acting on behalf of their business or acting on their own, are the ones who provide that service.

We weren't surprised, then, that the McCook Area Chamber of Commerce, the central business organization in our area, found so many people to recognize for their volunteer service at the chamber's annual banquet.

They ranged from Brad and Wendy Gillen, who headed up McCook Christian Church's "Faith in Action" monthly activity to perform acts of kindness around the community, to Dr. John Batty's "Community Builder Award" for his many years of service as a Rotarian, physician and countless other activities; and Duane Tappe's enthusiasm as a mentor, organizer and "Volunteer of the Year," and Don and Norma Klein's "Ag Builder Award" for service to the county fair, 4-H, as business people, agriculturalists and involvement with their church, YMCA and local politics, to the many services provided by the McCook Cordials represented by Cordial of the Year Brenda McGuire.

Saturday night's chamber banquet proves Harry Strunk's motto was just as true today as when he founded this newspaper 100 years ago.