In the News: Finishing Project Handclasp

Southern Partnership Station Makes Final Project Handclasp Delivery
Story Number: NNS090312-36
Release Date: 3/12/2009 11:13:00 PM

By Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Daniel Ball, Southern Partnership Station Public Affairs

BRIDGETOWN, BARBADOS (NNS) -- High speed vessel Swift (HSV 2) completed its final Southern Partnership Station (SPS) Project Handclasp delivery here today with a shipment of walkers and bed sheets to a home for elderly retired nurses and boxes of medical supplies to a local military clinic.

Project Handclasp is a Navy program that uses space available on Navy ships to transport privately donated humanitarian good to foreign ports.

Today's delivery of supplies capped off an SPS community relations project during which team members spent two days refurbishing the Born Haven nursing home. In two days, they were able to paint and clean the interior of the house and provide some safety improvements such as rope fancywork on stairwell handrails.

"They made the place look great," said Sherry Ann Babb, a caretaker at the home. "Everything looks so much brighter and welcoming. The residents love it."

SPS team members have delivered Project Handclasp items in nearly every port. In Panama, Sailors delivered 22 pallets of medical supplies and handed out stuffed animals to orphans and patients in local children's hospitals. Team members delivered thousands of textbooks and five dialysis machines in Jamaica and distributed medical supplies in Colombia. Sailors also brought 100 water filtration systems to the Dominican Republic.

During the SPS mission, team members delivered more than 27,000 lbs. of Project Handclasp items valued at more than $300,000.

"The Project Handclasp events provide a lasting impact to the communities of the partner nation sailors and marines we have visited," said Cmdr. Chris Barnes, SPS mission commander. "Though Southern Partnership Station is primarily a training mission, these community involvement opportunities enable a greater return on investment for the time spent conducting them. We are making lasting friendships with the civilian leaders of these communities as well as the soldiers and sailors we teach."

Southern Partnership Station is an annual deployment of various specialty platforms to the U.S. Southern Command area of focus in the Caribbean and Latin America. The mission goal is primarily information sharing with navies, coast guards and civilian services throughout the region. SPS is comprised of Navy training and support teams, Marine Corps training teams, foreign naval officers and civilian contract mariners on a Military Sealift Command platform.

For more information on SPS, go to www.navy.mil/local/cusns.