Community Chest of McCook fulfills local needs

There is always a need, whether it is providing a nutritious meal or after-school childcare. But as the holidays approach, those needs seem to grow. With that in mind, Community Chest of McCook is in full swing with its annual fund-raising appeal and a goal of raising at least $80,000 by the end of the year.

So what exactly is Community Chest and what does it do? Community Chest services 13 agencies in Southwest Nebraska, which in turn provides support to people of all ages and walks of life. As always, all money donated to Community Chest stays in Southwest Nebraska to benefit the area.

For many in McCook and Southwest Nebraska, the name "Community Chest" may not initially sound familiar. Instead, people think of United Way when they hear about community fund-raising organizations. Actually, the original concept of pooling efforts in fundraising to support local organizations began as charity organizations in latter part of the 1800s. The first Community Chest was founded in 1913 in Ohio. The original Community Chest of McCook was formed in 1962 and joined United Way in 1992.

In 2013, the local committee decided to split from the national United Way organization and return to a completely locally-based Community Chest, under the Nebraska Community Foundation.

Interim president Lisa Felker noted that the current committee is made up of people who care passionately about Southwest Nebraska and understand the needs that exist. "Our job is to monitor how the donated funds are spent so that it is used wisely," Felker said. "We take that role very seriously."

She said that most of the agencies run on a shoe-string budget. At a minimum, the agencies figure the funds from the Community Chest into their budgets and many are dependent on the funds to make their programs a success. "These agencies make do with what they have and operate their offices pretty lean," Felker said.

Members from the Community Chest committee meet with the agencies on an annual basis to determine how they are using their funds as well as to determine how much will be allocated for the upcoming year.

And those agencies benefit a wide variety of individuals and families. Donations are used to help children with educational activities through Head Start, Live Y'ers, YMCA programs and the TeamMates mentoring program. Community Chest supports programs for the developmentally- and physically-challenged through the Swatter 4-H Club, as well as for youths who simply need direction in life.

In addition, CASA, the Homeless Prevention program, Domestic Abuse/Sexual Assault services and the Salvation Army all help families suffering through hard times. "Many of these families do not qualify for welfare or other assistance and have no place to turn in an emergency," Felker said. Rounding out the services offered through the agencies are Adult Basic Education, Commodity Supplemental Food, Family Resource Center and the Lutheran Family Diversion Program.

It should be noted that the Community Chest committee does not just wait around for donations to come in, but also raised money through a special program, the "Prom Store," which provides prom dresses for young girls who do not have the money to buy that special dress, Felker said.

"We are planning on hosting the third annual prom dress promotion in 2016, but we are very much in need of donated prom dresses to make the program a success," Felker said. Dresses can be donated at any time at McCook National Bank.

During the first two years of the program, more than 50 dresses a year were sold, at a charge of just $25 a dress. Money raised through the "Prom Store" also goes into the Community Chest general fund.

Donations to Community Chest can be made in a variety of ways, from direct contributions of cash or commodities to drafts from a bank account to payroll deductions. For more information about making a donation, contact any of the committee members including Lisa Felker at McCook National Bank, (308) 345-4240.