Oshkosh woman: Volunteering ‘really moves your spirit’
For Oshkosh resident Maxine Klumb, volunteering is what keeps her going day after day.
The 74-year-old retired emergency-room nurse started volunteering with the American Red Cross about a decade ago after the death of her husband and now serves as the agency’s casework supervisor for northeast Wisconsin and captain of the Fox Valley Disaster Action Team. When she’s not doing that, she serves as a member of the Regional Disaster Planning Leadership Team and responds to various disasters across the country.
Klumb is one of two people statewide to garner the first-ever title of American Red Cross Wisconsin Region Volunteer of the Month for her efforts.
“It’s exciting,” said Klumb, who was at first a bit reluctant to talk about her recognition with an Oshkosh Northwestern Media reporter but agreed to do so in hopes that it might inspire others to volunteer. “If you’re a volunteer, you just volunteer. When they need you, you do it.”
“It just gives you a good feeling, keeps you going and makes you thankful for what you have,” she said.
From fires in Oshkosh and the Fox Valley to Hurricane Sandy on the East Coast, Klumb is “always willing to help wherever she can,” said Nick Cluppert, disaster cycle services program manager, who nominated Klumb for the award. One of her recent trips was to Washington state to help respond to flooding. On her way back, Maxine had just landed at the airport when getting a call about a 50-unit apartment fire in Menasha. She immediately responded to the scene.
“If that isn’t dedication and going above and beyond, I don’t know what is,” Cluppert said. “Maxine is dedicated and knowledgeable about what she does. She is reliable and is always someone you can count on.”
The most rewarding part of her work, Klumb said, is being able to help people on what sometimes are the worst days of their lives.
“They’re usually so happy to see you, and you’re just elated that you can do something for them,” she said, noting she also has witnessed what she called miracles, from a 4-year-old girl in Arkansas talking about being picked up by a tornado to emergency workers extricating a 16-year-old from her bed after a century-old oak tree fell through the ceiling of her family’s mobile home.
“It’s just those things that are really moving and make you think,” she said. “It really moves your spirit. ... That just gives you goosebumps.”
Such moments are just a few of the reasons Klumb encourages others to volunteer, citing what she called a great need for volunteers in Oshkosh and the Fox Valley region. Many people don’t realize that volunteering can be as simple as making follow-up phone calls right from their own home.
“It’s very, very easy to volunteer, and we need them,” she said. “We meet with them, and there’s a few little classes you can do online. ... It’s as easy as that.”
Nathaniel Shuda: (920) 426-6632 or nshuda@thenorthwestern.com; on Twitter @onwnshuda.
How to help
To find out more about becoming an American Red Cross volunteer in the Oshkosh area, call (920) 231-3590, email volunteerwisconsin@redcross.org or visit www.redcross.org/volunteer.