Large McCook contingent helps Nebraska Community Foundation celebrate 25 years

McCook was well represented at the 25th anniversary celebration of the Nebraska Community Foundation, last week in York.

Kira Geiger/Nebraska Community Foundation

LINCOLN, Neb. – More than 30 current and former McCook residents helped the Nebraska Community Foundation celebrate 25 years of building stronger communities and a Greater Nebraska with the biggest event in its history.

The 2019 Annual Celebration Nov. 14 included an all-day volunteer training and evening banquet, drew over 360 trainees representing more than 100 Nebraska communities, and 640 guests registered for the evening meal.

The all-day event took place at York’s Holthus Convention Center and featured 15 training sessions led by volunteer community leaders, aimed at building the capacity, competence and confidence to inspire, lead and support progress in their places. Topics ranged from fundraising, to embracing diversity, engaging youth and more.

The noon plenary featured rural sociologist Ben Winchester who discussed findings from his decades of research on small communities and the realities surrounding demographic changes over time. Contrary to popular belief, Winchester provided evidence that in the U.S., rural populations have actually increased by 11 percent since 1970.

Evening speakers included Bryan Slone, president of the Nebraska Chamber of Commerce & Industry; Lorena Beckius of Keith County; Kiel VanderVeen of Nebraska City; Cindy Huff of McCook; Yesenia Peck of Omaha; and Jeff Yost and KC Belitz, chief executive officer and chief operating officer of Nebraska Community Foundation, respectively. All spoke about the bright future ahead for hometowns across Greater Nebraska.

The arts were integrated into many aspects of the NCF Annual Celebration, including multiple training sessions centered on the arts as a community and economic development tool. Two live performances from “The Dream Switch,” were presented by an all-Nebraska ensemble of musicians. This original song cycle about finding your way back home was written by the award-winning, Nebraska-based musical theatre team Becky Boesen and David von Kampen, and performed by vocalist Andrea von Kampen. Artist Greg Gersch also created two large scale murals using feedback from community volunteers about their accomplishments and dreams for the future.

Premier Sponsors were Bridges Trust, Cornerstone Bank, and Pinnacle Bank. Major Sponsors included Bellevue University, CenterPoint Financial Group-Kiel VanderVeen, Consolidated Companies, First National Bank of Omaha, Security Bank of Laurel, and Jay and Susie Wolf of Albion. Dozens of organizations, families, and individuals hailing from communities all across the state served as event, mission, and board sponsors, totaling a record breaking 84 event sponsors.

To read stories about the extraordinary things communities across the NCF network are achieving, visit:

www.nebcommfound.org or see Nebraska Community Foundation’s 2019 Annual Report.

— About Nebraska Community Foundation