National Volunteer Week: Project HOPE Names Nurse Jahn Moeller Volunteer of the Year

Merck Recognized as Corporate Volunteer of the Year

MILLWOOD, VA (April 17, 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 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.

Project HOPE’s annual volunteer ceremony will be held on April 20, 2018, at the organization’s 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 Richard T. Clark Fellows as part of the Merck Fellowship for Global Health. The Fellows contributed 1,584 hours 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, featuring Jahn Moeller.

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

About Project HOPE

Founded in 1958, Project HOPE is a leader in global health development and emergency relief programs. An international nonprofit organization, we save lives and improve health, especially among women and children. We accomplish our mission by improving the knowledge, abilities and tools of the health workforce to deliver high quality health services to communities in need. With programs in over 30 countries, we work at the epicenter of today’s greatest health challenges, including infectious and chronic diseases, disasters and health crises, maternal, neonatal and child health and the policies that impact how health care is delivered. Learn more at www.projecthope.org and follow us on Twitter @projecthopeorg