Goldie Brangman-Dumpson, Hawaii State Chapter, Honolulu

"Helping people help others—that's what I like to do." Goldie Brangman-Dumpson, Hawaii State Chapter, Honolulu

I grew up in New Jersey and can remember bringing pennies to grade school for the Red Cross. As I got a little older, I became a Red Cross Candy Striper and volunteered in "care homes," as they were called then. I remember when we had torrential rains and the Red Cross came in rowboats to help us.

Like many people during World War II, I volunteered for the Red Cross. My job was "shaking a can" to raise money for the Red Cross war effort. At about the same time I was looking for a career. Being a black woman, I had few choices—teacher, housekeeper, or nurse. I chose nursing and, in 1949, became the founder and director of the School of Anesthesia for Nurses at the Harlem Hospital Medical Center.

Forty years later I moved to Hawaii (at the young age of 71) and was searching for something to do. I wasn't really looking to volunteer for the Red Cross, but I was asked if I would help in the chapter's health and safety training program. What started out as a few-times-a-year assignment eventually became a full-time volunteer position.

A few years ago, I was asked to take a report to Kauai after the island had a flooding incident. I ended up being the shelter manager and sleeping on a table. On the second day, a bedraggled goose wandered in. We nicknamed him Henri and he became our unofficial mascot. He became our sentry and "honked" whenever strangers came to the shelter. Fortunately, we found his home and returned him to his owner.

I'll do whatever needs to be done. I even learned how to use the computer, something I never expected to do. But my favorite Red Cross job is training. I love teaching the Nurse Aide, CPR, and First Aid courses.

Helping people help others. That's what the Red Cross does, and that's what I like to do.

 Read more "Why I Help" stories
 Read about the 2008 American Red Cross ad campaign, "Change a Life"