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WOMEN OF ACHIEVEMENT
THE NORTH PLATTE TELEGRAPH
SUNDAY, APRIL 23, 2023
2023 Women of Achievement nominees in Volunteer Barb Baldridge
Megan McGown
Nominator: Brandon Kelliher Megan McGown has spent countless hours working to improve the community of North Platte. Most notably and most recently she helped to organize, plan and facilitate the campaign to improve the North Platte Recreation Center, wrote North Platte Mayor Brandon Kelliher, who is also her colleague at Great Plains Health. Megan led the Mayor’s Committee on Wellness that focused on the rec center rebuild project. Megan’s efforts, along with many community members, ended in voters approving a small sales tax increase to pay for a complete Nominator: Sam Thomas Brenda Robinson has lived and volunteered in North Platte her entire adult life. She was nominated by her friend Sam Thomas, who wrote: “She is one of those people who is extremely active in our community. She is dependable, honest and someone who works largely behind the scenes. We need to recognize people like her who are so valuable to our community.” Her volunteer activities over more than 40 years include: Jayceettes/ Jaycee Women (member, officer and president); Valley Christian Church (treasurer); Cub Scout, Boy Scout and Girl Scout activities and boards; working with first- and second-graders on reading skills; North Platte Public
remodel of the North Platte Rec Center, improvements to Cody Park pool and a rebuild of the skate park. At Great Plains Health, Megan functions as both the chief development officer and the head of the Great Plains Foundation. She leads Great Plains Health’s efforts to improve the community and region by directing foundation funds that improve the lives of all area residents. In her previous role with the North Platte Area Chamber and Development Corp., Megan was responsible for moving forward the downtown improvements project in North Platte. Library Citizen Advisory Board; Mid- Nebraska Community Foundation (board member, officer, president, Scholarship Committee chair); North Platte Public Schools Foundation (alumni database coordinator); North Platte Concert Association (board member, youth ticket sponsorships); election poll worker; and 1 Book 4 North Platte (book selection committee member). A graduation of North Platte High School and Mid-Plains Community College, Brenda worked as a computer programmer for Western Computer Services and office manager at Keenan’s Beverages, Coca-Cola Bottling and Distributing. She was a stay-at-home mom for her four children until they graduated from high school.
Nominator: Jane Wilkinson Barb Baldridge has been instrumental in bringing the sport of pickleball to North Platte and the surrounding area. Nominator Jane Wilkinson said: Barb learned about pickleball in June of 2018 and “fell in love at first serve!” She started working with a group of pickleball players to improve courts in North Platte. Since that time, she has introduced the sport to North Platte, helped get four outdoor courts built at Memorial Park, organized and held numerous tournaments, and taught clinics and classes at Mid-Plains Community College and throughout the region. She has worked tirelessly to get the City of North Platte, North Platte Pickleball, the North Platte Tennis Association and the tennis community to work together to rebuild Cody Park Tennis Courts. This will be a multisport facility planned to contain 10 dedicated pickleball courts and eight tennis courts when completed. Reaching beyond our community, Barb is also a USA Pickleball Ambassador for the Great Plains Region. Barb has created a community that started with 12 people and has developed into North Platte Pickleball with over 120 members and a board to help manage the growth.
Several North Platte Pickleball members have faced cancer diagnoses, so Barb created a fundraiser event called “Queen of the Court” with a check being given to the Callahan Cancer Center to help with expenses of cancer patients. Barb has also volunteered countless hours at her church, as a 4-H leader and with the American Legion Hall. Barb helped organize a community effort to restore the then-condemned Paul R. Martin Post 279 American Legion Hall in Hershey. Through fundraisers and volunteer labor, the building was completely restored, appraised at $350,000 and operating as a community center and preschool in 7 months. The building is also a museum for area veterans with memorabilia from World War I through the present day. She created Patriot Packages to send to local military stationed overseas and organized this effort. Barb was also instrumental in raising funds for the first driving range at Oregon Trails Golf Course. She held golf clinics and created a capital campaign so Sutherland Public Schools, Paxton and Hershey High School golfers would have a place to practice. She was also an assistant golf coach both at Sutherland and North Platte Public Schools.
Brenda Robinson
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