The USA Freedom Corps is President Bush’s initiative to engage all Americans in service to their neighbors and their nation by volunteering two years or 4,000 hours over the course of their lifetime. Since January 2002, President Bush has met with hundreds of individuals around the country, like McDonough, who are answering the call to volunteer service.

For the past nine years, McDonough has donated her services as a certified massage therapist to HIV/AIDS patients, their families, and caretakers at Siloam. Once a week she gives therapeutic massages to HIV/AIDS infected and affected individuals, helping to ease pain and reduce tension. McDonough enrolled in a massage therapy certification program with the goal of using this skill as a ministry to the HIV/AIDS community. Since 1995 Siloam has been offering programs to men, women, and children who have been infected or affected by HIV/AIDS. Prior to her work at Siloam, McDonough was a volunteer at Gift of Mary, a hospice for women with AIDS and their children, in Chester, Pennsylvania.

President Bush created the USA Freedom Corpsoffice at the White House to foster a culture of service, citizenship and responsibility. Through the USA Freedom Corps, President Bush wants to help every American answer the Call to Service by strengthening and expanding service opportunities to protect our homeland, support our communities and extend American compassion around the world. Interested volunteers can find information on the USA Freedom Corps at www.usafreedomcorps.gov or by calling 1-877-USA-CORPS.

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