North Dakota Retiree Says Thanks by Serving Up Smiles to Veterans

Meet Daily Point of Light Award honoree Harlan Johnson. Read his story, and nominate an outstanding volunteer or family as a Daily Point of Light. 

When his wife was transported to a hospital via helicopter during her battle with cancer, Harlan Johnson learned how much support he had within his community. Now, the North Dakota retiree is spending his days helping others in return. 

It’s a 60-mile drive from his home in Mayville to Fargo, but Harlan takes his role as a volunteer seriously. As a member of the Red Coat Ambassador Program at the Fargo VA Medical Center, Harlan dons a bright red coat to provide a friendly face to every veteran that walks through the facility’s doors. That journey can be particularly challenging during North Dakota’s howling winters, but Harlan does have company on the one-hour drive: He is joined by his wife Marlene, who volunteers by his side at the front door of the hospital. Together, they make the visit to the facility a little less intimidating for those who have selflessly served their country. 

In addition to his work at the Fargo VA, which has totaled over 600 hours over the last five years, Harlan volunteers with Meals on Wheels, and is an active member of the American Legion. Inspired by his father, who once commented that it would be great to have flags lining the road on the way to the cemetery in honor of veterans, Harlan co-created the Avenue of Flags. The annual program features over 200 American flags dotting the roadway on holidays like the Fourth of July and Veterans Day. But no matter what organization Harlan is dedicating his time to, he’s doing it with gratitude for the tremendous support his community showed him during his time of struggle.    

What inspires you to volunteer? 

My wife got leukemia and was life-flighted to Rochester. The whole world was spinning out of control for me, and we had a community here that wrapped themselves around us. So, when everything got better with my wife, we decided that we needed to help our community and other people after all they’ve done for us. That’s how I got started in volunteering, and I thought one of the better ways of doing it is with veterans.  

Tell us about your volunteer role with the Fargo VA Healthcare System. 

My wife and I are at the front door of the VA Center. When people walk in there, they’re looking for their place of appointment. We’re there to meet them or assist them in getting to their place. It’s quite a complex and confusing building, and a lot of these veterans come in there, and they just don’t know where to go. We greet them, give them a good morning and assist in getting them to their place. 

The volunteer work you do takes you on the road a lot. With North Dakota winters, is that intimidating? 

It’s about 60 miles to the Fargo VA Medical Center, and in the winters here in North Dakota, we get a lot of snow because it’s so open down here. When the wind decides to start howling, everything is going to move, and the road can be very, very challenging. We do the best we can to get there and get home again. 

What’s been the most rewarding part of your work? 

Most people are so gracious to have somebody help them out, especially when they’re in that position where they need a little bit of help. I can’t exactly put into words how it is or what I’m looking to get out of it, because I’m not looking for anything myself. I’m just trying to help other people out. I think what we need to do is be there to help other people out.  

What have you learned through your experiences as a volunteer? 

When my wife got cancer, the community here wrapped themselves around us, because that’s what small communities do. If somebody’s having a difficult time, people all band together and help them out.  I remember asking my minister how we’re going to pay these people back. He told me we’ll never be able to. He said what we need to do is pay it forward and be there for the other people.  

Why is it important for others to get involved with causes they care about? 

You need to be part of your community. We’re all here on this earth to try and make things better for everybody. There’s a lot of negative stuff going around, tearing people down and berating people, and I don’t believe that’s why we’re here on this earth. We’re supposed to help one another. It’s very important that we help our fellow man. We hear so much of the negativity, but there’s an awful lot of positivity here too.  

Any advice for people who want to start volunteering? 

It can start in the littlest places, you know? I have friends of mine getting close to retirement, and they say they don’t know what they’re going to do when they retire. They say, I don’t have any hobbies or anything. And I said, when you retire, you can be as active in your community as you want to be. If you really want to do volunteer work, you just have to ask, find something that you’re interested in and then pursue it. 

What do you want people to learn from your story? 

I just want to set an example that maybe one day they will look at it, and say you know, I want to do some of that too. I want to feel good about something. You’ve got to help out the world and your community. 

Do you want to make a difference in your community like Harlan? Find local volunteer opportunities.