FAIRBURY, Neb. -- Richard Nation, who worked for Blue Valley Community Action in Fairbury, was inducted into the inaugural NCAF Hall of Fame Thursday. 

Nation worked for Blue Valley for 42 years and was part of many community projects including building homes, helping people get into places with reasonable rent, and teaching and feeding people.

For Nation, it was a way to give to those in need around the community. 

“It’s just been a variety of different programs," Nation said. "Mostly, we’re here to help those a little less fortunate than ourselves."

He didn’t start as a director but as a planner, and helped increase the budget and add more counties to Blue Valley’s outreach. 

Nation said he was surprised when he was told of his inducting into the hall of fame and says hard work got him to where he is and hard work can get anybody to where they want to be. 

“It’s a pretty big honor to me," Nation said. "I was sort of choked up, to tell you the truth, when they first told me because, well first of all, they have never done it before and all of the years I’ve been here, they have never had a hall of fame. Putting me in the first class was a bit of a shocker."

The Blue Valley Fairbury office held a get together to celebrate the inducting over Zoom with breakfast and much support for Nation.

The Zoom had many recognized community action leaders from around the country who were inducted as well.