Mike and Joan Hartmann of Rhinelander have been more married more than 50 years.
“The big thing is to find the right person. Quite literally, Joan and I started dating in January, got married in September,” said Mike. “We just found each other, and that was our connection, and that's why we're still together.”
They say they each have their own hobbies, but one of their shared interests is helping others.
About six years ago following their retirement, the Hartmann’s decided to volunteer with American Red Cross.
Since then, they’ve helped people in the region after house fires and have been sent to other parts of the U.S. to help people following natural disasters.
Not long after their 50th anniversary they were both deployed to Florida to help with recovery following the destruction left by Hurricane Milton in October.
“They're in a situation that is detrimental to them, and they're scared, and we feel that we have the capabilities to calm them a little bit and make them feel comfortable,” said Joan.
One of their efforts locally has been to install smoke detectors in homes. They put flyers in their Meals on Wheels deliveries and go out to talk to people about the program when they can.
“Just trying to get people aware that we would supply and install smoke detectors for them,” said Mike. “We're still having a hard time getting a bigger list of people that I know they need them.”
It’s a free service offered through the American Red Cross. You can sign up on the Red Cross website.
American Red Cross of Wisconsin North Central Chapter Executive Director Katheryn Halvorsen would love to see more folks like the Hartmann’s sign up to volunteer.
While she says there are a lot of volunteer opportunities within the American Red Cross, what they really need are people for the Disaster Action Team.
“Volunteering is really at the heart of the Red Cross. We would not be successful without our volunteers,” said Halvorsen. “We just appreciate everything they do to make their communities a better place to live and to help on people's journeys after oftentimes some of the worst days of their lives.”
The Disaster Action Team volunteers, like the Hartmann’s, are the ones that show up after a disaster. While sometimes that can mean being sent to California after a wildfire or Florida after a hurricane, it’s often responding closer to home.
In the North Central region, that can be house fires, floods, or bad storms.
“Looking back at the calendar 2024 year, we had 73 events which could be made up of fire, floods, etc, within our chapter area. There's always a need,” said Halvorsen. “Just in January alone, we had eight fires spanning from Marathon, Portage, Lincoln and even in Houghton. There's always a need when disaster strikes. We really do want to have enough volunteers on hand to be able to respond.”
The Hartmann’s say signing up to volunteer could be one of the best decisions a person makes.
It has been for them, just knowing the impact their making in their community.
“I just think it also brings an awareness to people in the community, not people that need us, but to know that we are there,” said Joan. “Red Cross isn't just for big disasters. It is for local events that happen too. I think it'd be great to have more volunteers, especially in our rural communities.”
You can visit the Red Cross Website for more information on volunteering.
