National Volunteer Week: Project HOPE Honors Unsung Heroes of Quest to Promote Global Health

Millwood, VA, April 20, 2018 -- Volunteers are often the unsung heroes of the quest to promote global health and respond to disasters, but without their contributions, millions of people in some of the world’s most challenged regions would be worse off.  In recognition of this crucial role, Project HOPE will today honor Jahn Moeller, a registered nurse from Queensland, Australia, as Volunteer of the Year and Merck & Co., Inc., as Corporate Partner Volunteer of the Year, celebrating a six-decades long partnership that has built health capacity worldwide. 

Volunteer Nurse Jahn Moeller in Haiti Project HOPE Volunteer of the Year Nurse Jahn Moeller trains health workers in Haiti

Volunteers will be recognized for their contributions to global health at Project HOPE’s annual volunteer awards ceremony at its headquarters in Virginia. Mr. Moeller contributed 1,104 volunteer hours in 2017 at the Hôpital Albert Schweitzer in Haiti.  He trained health care professionals in the operating room, developed a trauma response cart to assist with triage, created a nursing education and training program for new RNs and local staff, and assisted with the hospital blood drive.

“As a health care professional, I know there is a real need in underserved communities. But volunteering doesn’t just help the people I’m there to serve. Being in Haiti, I learned to be more patient, flexible, and understanding, which allows me to be a better nurse,” said Mr. Moeller.

“Jahn made an incredible impact during his time in Haiti as he has done on previous missions with us. Not only did he work to train health care professionals in the operating room, he also looked for other ways he could engage, including in Project HOPE’s response to Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico.” said Andrea Dunne-Sosa, Director, Americas Region and Global Volunteer Programs at Project HOPE.

The NGO is also honoring the outstanding contributions of nurse Anne Borden, corporate volunteer Cathy Dunwody, physician Dr. Danielle Basurco, and engineers Emily Corwin and Jeremy Martinez for their work following Hurricane Maria. They are among 2,500 Project HOPE volunteers who provided care and training around the globe last year.  

Merck and Co., Inc., was named Corporate Partner Volunteer of the Year for its support of Project HOPE in the Dominican Republic. Merck (known as MSD outside of the U.S.) provided Global Health fellows, who contributed 1,584 hours for producing a Marketing & Business Development analysis, some of which has been implemented to expand the reach of Project HOPE’s IDEEL Diabetes Educators E-Learning Program. 

National Volunteer Week occurs in April each year as an opportunity to inspire, recognize, and encourage community and volunteer service and was established by the Points of Light Foundation in 1990. HOPE’s Volunteer of the Year nominee is selected through a committee comprised of Project HOPE staff members and alumni. HOPE’s supporters participate through an online voting campaign to help select the award recipient. 

Watch our Volunteer of the Year videos to learn more about HOPE’s Volunteer of the Year Jahn Moeller and Merck and Co., Inc., volunteers.

For more information about volunteering for Project HOPE, please visit our website at www.projecthope.org.

About Project HOPE

Founded in 1958, Project HOPE (Health Opportunities for People Everywhere) is dedicated to providing lasting solution to health problems with the mission of helping people to help themselves. Identifiable to many by the SS HOPE, the world’s first peacetime hospital ship, Project HOPE now provides medical training and health education, and conducts humanitarian assistance programs in more than 25 countries. Visit our website projecthope.org and follow us on Twitter @projecthopeorg.

Attachments

• Jahn Moeller in Haiti
• Jahn Moeller Haiti Hospital

Geraldine Carroll
Project HOPE
540-257-3746
[email protected]