Rhonda McDonald Named DCSO Volunteer of the Year!

Volunteer of the Year: Rhonda McDonald

According to administrator Marsha Travis, few care for the ladies of the Correctional Development Center-Female more than volunteer chaplain Rhonda McDonald.  Since the opening of CDF in 2005, Ms. McDonald has been a committed volunteer chaplain making numerous trips weekly to provide both group and individual counseling.  She leads the Celebrate Recovery group on a weekly basis, providing education and support in not only religious issues, but dealing with the demon of addiction that has a grip on so much of our population.  Rhonda has been given additional clearance to visit each unit weekly, going door to door to offer the inmates a caring ear to discuss their problems and distribute religious materials.  She is always conscious of security needs as she quietly moves from unit to unit.  She is unwavering in her support of our population, and this support exceeds the walls of CDF.  For those offenders committed to making a change, Rhonda is a mentor and guide.  She will work with the staff to help inmates with transition into a half-way house.  Once the inmate is release, she will assist to ensure they have rides to meet necessary appointments and recovery groups.  She is a unique individual who can walk the fine line of providing support without enabling the recovering addict.

Additionally, Rhonda:

• Performs Baptism events.
• Assists Chaplain Wayne Fleming by visiting offenders in the hospital when he was not available.
• Coordinates volunteers for the weekly Christian Prisoner Fellowship classes  for males and females.
• Attended a domestic violence conference in Minnesota with Paul Mulloy as DCSO’s community representative.
• She and her church members have donated MTA bus passes for released offenders, soap for our indigent, and paper, ink pens and envelopes for our treatment programs

She has been involved in jail and prison ministry since 1995 when she started volunteering at Tennessee Prison for Women; and also volunteered at CCA before CDF opened.  She attends Goodlettsville Pentecostal Church with her husband Robert, has a daughter Stacey and son Warren.  She is also the proud grandmother of Landon and Marissa.