During the 2 1/2 years she spent with the Peace Corps, Lydia Humenycky of Hempfield lent a helping hand to impoverished people in the West African nation of Togo.

Today, her spirit of volunteerism will be honored by President Bush.

Mr. Bush, who is visiting Sewickley Heights today for a private fund-raising reception, often honors local volunteers when he travels across the country. When Air Force One touches down at the 911th Airlift Wing station at Pittsburgh International Airport, Miss Humenycky will be among those on hand to greet him.

During their brief meeting at the airport, Mr. Bush will present her with the President's Volunteer Service Award.

Miss Humenycky, 26, attended Hempfield High School and graduated from Westminster College in 2003 with a business degree. She was hired as an assistant account executive with MARC USA, a Pittsburgh advertising agency, and seemed to be on a career path with a creative and rewarding future.

But there was something lacking.

"I was happy with what I was doing, but I was looking for a way to build my qualifications," she said.

The idea of serving in the Peace Corps, the international volunteer agency founded in 1961, appealed to her.

"It was something that I wanted to do," said Miss Humenycky, who added that an aunt had been in the Peace Corps. "I was looking for a way to branch out and do a little service work."

Although Africa was not her first choice -- she was hoping for Eastern Europe or Latin America -- she fully embraced the opportunity to go to Togo in June 2005.

"When you go into something like that, you're not really sure what you're going to get out of it, because it's so different," she said. "You kind of hope for the best. But personally and professionally, it was a really good choice, and I'm very happy with everything that I've learned and everything that I've been able to share."

During her time there, Miss Humenycky worked as a small-business adviser in two communities. She met a group of nine independent coffee growers -- all but one of whom were illiterate -- who were struggling to establish a business.

She helped them with accounting, computer use, research, marketing and formulating product consistency -- skills she was familiar with but, now, was putting to use in a Third World economy.

"There was a need for organization and to plan more strategically," she said. "My job was to educate the members in basic business practices. Things took a long time because we had to go very slowly. But we moved along."

Since returning to her parents' home in Irwin two months ago, Miss Humenycky has started a new job as a marketing coordinator with RJ Lee Group, a scientific consulting company in Monroeville. But she hasn't lost track of the goals she had in Togo.

"I've made some really strong connections that I hope to keep sustainable," she said. "And, hopefully, I'll continue working with the coffee group to grow their business from here."