Hogs and Kisses is a micro-sanctuary that opened its barn doors in Charlottesville in 2021. This year, Madison House is partnering with the farm to give UVA students an opportunity to volunteer with the seven pigs, five rabbits, and two turkeys! Click to learn more about Hogs & Kisses and the volunteer experience.
Madison House’s Creating Assets, Savings, and Hope (CASH) program works to train and coordinate student-volunteers to provide free tax preparation for low- and moderate-income community members…This year marks 15 years since the launch of the C’ville Tax Aid Coalition — a partnership including Madison House and the University of Virginia Community Credit Union that is coordinated by the United Way of Greater Charlottesville. Since its inception in 2007, the Coalition has generated over $35 million in direct economic impact for the Charlottesville area community.
As a first year at the University of Virginia (UVA), Chelsea Li (CLAS ‘20) wanted to soak up all the opportunities that the University had to offer. She found herself exploring new clubs and classes and was especially eager to be in the community. “In high school,” she said, “I felt as if I was missing a lot of the learning that happens outside the classroom.” This desire to stretch her curiosity across disciplines and interests, along with an intrinsic desire to uplift those around her, was what first brought Chelsea to Madison House.
The House has long been a place where students can come to find or rediscover themselves and their place within the community. This held true for Paige, who shared that “it gives me peace of mind knowing that I am a good swimmer but that's not what defines me. There's so much more to life, like helping others. My time at Madison House has allowed me to see that.”
Kruse, from Ridgeland, Mississippi, is a fourth-year student in the McIntire School of Commerce. She initially got involved in the program because of her prior experience in advocacy work.
“Ultimately, the goal of the program is for students to learn about environmental science through a native lens,” Kruse said. “Maelee Hearington, another UVA student, and I wrote the curriculum to focus on science, social activism and social justice. We also provide additional resources like workbooks, markers, easels and notebooks.”
There is an impressive number of current and former Hoos who are Paris-bound for the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games! We are especially excited to cheer on Paige Madden, a former Madison House volunteer for Cavs in the Classroom, as she represents Team USA in swimming the 400-meter freestyle, 800-meter freestyle, and 4x200-meter freestyle relay. Paige won a silver medal in the 4x200-meter freestyle relay at the Tokyo games in 2020. Go Hoos!
Subhash’s tennis game is founded upon control and organization, as those around her tell it. When asked about her on-court presence, Coach Sara O’Leary describes her style of play as all-court and focused.
When she isn’t beating up on ACC competition, studying or trying new pastries, Subhash does her best to give back to the community, where she helps tutor younger students in math and reading comprehension through Madison House.
Without the commitment of having to practice nearly every day of the week for hours at a time, Mathis had more time to dedicate to other things. In fact, one of the first things Mathis did was sign up to volunteer through Madison House, where she became actively involved in activities like tutoring and helping out at the homeless shelter.
During this time, Mathis also became involved in the food justice movement in Charlottesville, and she even interned with two different organizations working on this issue. Mathis doesn’t believe she would’ve been able to do many of those things if she remained on the swimming team.
The Virginia Athletics department launched ACE as a way to connect student athletes with volunteering opportunities. Currently, the program has almost 70 athletes, and last fall, the program teamed up with Madison House. Under the leadership of Rachel Clark, Class of 2019 alumna and one of Madison House’s 2018-2019 community engagement interns, ACE has made it easier to send athlete volunteers into local elementary schools.
