A new team of Project HOPE medical volunteers joined Continuing Promise 2010 aboard the USS Iwo Jima and ashore to help people in Costa Rica and Guatemala. Two more rotations of HOPE volunteers will serve Continuing Promise 2010 alongside their Navy counterparts as the ship continues its eight country humanitarian assistance and health education mission through Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Nicaragua, Panama and Suriname.Meet the Project HOPE Volunteers
Kathleen Britton a Certified Nurse Midwife from Poulsbo, Washington has more than 27 years experience in nursing, midwifery, women's health care and teaching. She is a three-time HOPE volunteer and will be serving as a nurse midwife and HOPE’s Operation’s Officer in Costa Rica and Guatemala.
Cassandra Hamilton, a nurse from Mercy Hospital in Coon Rapids, Minnesota is a first-time Project HOPE volunteer. She is using her family care, pediatrics, post-partum, gynecology and medial surgery nursing skills aboard the USS Iwo Jima and ashore in Costa Rica and Guatemala.
Dr. Arthur Hayward from Portland, Oregon is a first-time Project HOPE volunteer. He is serving as an internal medicine physician aboard the USS Iwo Jima and ashore in Costa Rica and Guatemala.
Tracey Kunkel, an operating room nurse from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania is also retired from the U.S. Navy after 21 years. A second-time volunteer, Tracey served as HOPE’s Operations Officer during Continuing Promise 2009. She is serving as HOPE Medical Director aboard the USS Iwo Jima and ashore in Costa Rica and Guatemala.
Dr. Erika Latchis from Washington, D.C. , brings more than 20 years experience as an OBGYN to her volunteer position onboard the USS Iwo Jima. She has also spent nearly 10 years working with Project HOPE in places such as Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Georgia, Poland and Malawi.
Kevin Makowski is a corporate communications professional from Irvine, California with more than 20 years of experience in photography, video production and digital graphics for medical centers, children's hospitals and medical research organizations. A first-time HOPE volunteer, Kevin is serving as HOPE’s Public Affairs Officer in Costa Rica and Guatemala.
Dr. Jean Muench from Marietta, Florida brings 18 years of pediatric experience to her second volunteer mission with HOPE. She is serving as a pediatrician aboard the USS Iwo Jima and ashore in Costa Rica and Guatemala.
Heather Sullivan a pediatric nurse from Woods Cross, Utah is using her experience working with children recovering from orthopedic and plastic surgery on her first volunteer mission with Project HOPE in Costa Rica and Guatemala.
Mary Winston from Natural Bridge, Virginia brings more than 20 years experience as an Adult Nurse Practitioner to her first mission as a Project HOPE volunteer. Mary is using her knowledge of preventive care and chronic disease management while working with patients aboard the USS Iwo Jima and ashore in Costa Rica and Guatemala.
In Costa Rica as in most cultures the young and old are cherished. They come to the medical sites in droves holding each other’s hand, each thinking they are guiding the other, each full of pride that they are there together for each other. The young faces are bright and full of hopes and dreams the old faces are experienced and full of good wishes for those young hopes and dreams. 
Photos and story by Kevin Makowski, Project HOPE Public Affairs Officer
Today he is Major Jose Guillen, Regional Commander of Police and Paramedic’s here in Limon. He told me he was able to enroll in the program through the University of Costa Rica and spent a year training as a paramedic and later traveled to Colombia and Venezuela to train paramedics there in search and rescue procedures they had developed in Costa Rica for natural disasters.
On our first day of giving care in Costa Rica, the Project HOPE volunteers and myself eagerly make the 10-minute walk from the pier to the medical site. As we round the corner to the site, there are throngs of people, celebrity-like throngs.
It’s hot and humid; it’s Costa Rica in late summer. By 10am my t-shirt is drenched, I’ve drank 2 liters of water and need more.
The shaved ice and coco frio venders are on site and doing a pretty good business.
There were 10 of us, and our luggage in a van with seating for 7, it was - cozy. After getting out of the city and starting to climb the hill the rain started and we are in a rain forest so the rain – it doesn’t stop. Neither does the driver, in fact the harder it rains the faster he drives, then the road disappears due to the fog – aka clouds, rain forest – remember – insert primal screams here. Water is streaming in thru the space between the sliding door and the roof where at one time there may have been weather stripping, there isn’t any now. On the upside – the faster we go the amount of water coming in diminishes. All this time there equally insane drivers heading the opposite direction and people passing us on both sides. The rain stops, the road is dry the sky is clear and the air is full of something? What is that – pineapple – you can’t see them but you can smell them.
After a night imitating Grandpa Munster sleeping in his coffin a clear sunny morning greeted us in Puerto Limon. While on a walking tour of the flight deck, secretly pretending to land a helicopter in my head (you would too if you were there) – we run across Coronel Negas the Commandant of Continuing Promise 2010. He welcomes us aboard the Iwo Jima and gives up a quick update on the previous leg of the mission. The rest of the day is spent getting lost in the passageways of the ship. In the evening there is a BBQ on the pier, a good way to end the day. Tomorrow the work starts and the Project HOPE volunteers are eager to get to work.
Kathleen Britton a Certified Nurse Midwife from Poulsbo, Washington has more than 27 years experience in nursing, midwifery, women's health care and teaching. She is a three-time HOPE volunteer and will be serving as a nurse midwife and HOPE’s Operation’s Officer in Costa Rica and Guatemala.
Dr. Arthur Hayward from Portland, Oregon is a first-time Project HOPE volunteer. He is serving as an internal medicine physician aboard the USS Iwo Jima and ashore in Costa Rica and Guatemala.
Tracey Kunkel, an operating room nurse from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania is also retired from the U.S. Navy after 21 years. A second-time volunteer, Tracey served as HOPE’s Operations Officer during Continuing Promise 2009. She is serving as HOPE Medical Director aboard the USS Iwo Jima and ashore in Costa Rica and Guatemala.
Dr. Erika Latchis from Washington, D.C. , brings more than 20 years experience as an OBGYN to her volunteer position onboard the USS Iwo Jima. She has also spent nearly 10 years working with Project HOPE in places such as Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Georgia, Poland and Malawi.
Kevin Makowski is a corporate communications professional from Irvine, California with more than 20 years of experience in photography, video production and digital graphics for medical centers, children's hospitals and medical research organizations. A first-time HOPE volunteer, Kevin is serving as HOPE’s Public Affairs Officer in Costa Rica and Guatemala.
Dr. Jean Muench from Marietta, Florida brings 18 years of pediatric experience to her second volunteer mission with HOPE. She is serving as a pediatrician aboard the USS Iwo Jima and ashore in Costa Rica and Guatemala.
Heather Sullivan a pediatric nurse from Woods Cross, Utah is using her experience working with children recovering from orthopedic and plastic surgery on her first volunteer mission with Project HOPE in Costa Rica and Guatemala.
Mary Winston from Natural Bridge, Virginia brings more than 20 years experience as an Adult Nurse Practitioner to her first mission as a Project HOPE volunteer. Mary is using her knowledge of preventive care and chronic disease management while working with patients aboard the USS Iwo Jima and ashore in Costa Rica and Guatemala.
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