Animals & Environment, Community Partners
Madison House
Madison House Volunteers Flock to Hogs and ...

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 Volunteers Flock to Hogs and Kisses Farm Sanctuary
COVID-19, Community Partners, History, Volunteer Stories, UVA Students
Madison House
Looking Ahead, and Celebrating Over 50 Years of ...

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.

Looking Ahead, and Celebrating Over 50 Years of Madison House Tax Preparation
Volunteer Stories, UVA Students
Madison House
Student Leadership: Chelsea Li

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.

Student Leadership: Chelsea Li
Alumni, Volunteer Stories, Student Athletes
Madison House
Olympic Silver Medalist Paige Madden’s Madison ...

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.”

Olympic Silver Medalist Paige Madden’s Madison House Experience
COVID-19, UVA Students
Madison House
Madison House Youth Mentoring Volunteer ...

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.”

Madison House Youth Mentoring Volunteer Inspires Native American Youth Through Science

UVA Students

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Latinx Migrant Aid is dedicated to serving Virginia’s Latinx migrant community

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Latinx Migrant Aid is dedicated to serving Virginia’s Latinx migrant community

Popular Madison House program helps both adult and child Latinx migrants gain academic, applicable skills

For University students, it can be easy to get lost in the UVa bubble. Latinx & Migrant Aid (LAMA), a Madison House program, encourages students to involve themselves within the larger Charlottesville community by engaging with the region’s migrant workers.

With six volunteering sites, eight program coordinators, four community partners and 74 student volunteers, LAMA is a Madison House program dedicated to helping Latinx migrant workers and their children in Charlottesville improve their English speaking and general academic skills.

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Volunteer Spotlight: Ashley Williams

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Volunteer Spotlight: Ashley Williams

Ashley Williams is a fourth-year in the College of Arts and Sciences majoring in Human Biology. Ashley volunteers with Madison House's Medical Services program where she has worked in the Outpatient Surgery Center and Emergency Department for 2 years. She is also a Peer Health Educator, works as a Planned Parenthood Generation Action Community Organizer and has also been a CASPCA Foster Parent during her time at UVA. Ashley's other involvements at UVA include her role as a research volunteer in the Department of Neurosurgery Undergraduate Research Volunteer, a Culture of Respect Educator, and as the Mixed Race Student Coalition Outreach Chair.

“Whatever you are passionate about, find a way to get involved and commit to it! I think a lot of undergraduate students (especially pre-meds) get caught up in resume building opportunities instead of giving back in a way that is truly personal and meaningful to them. While giving back in any way is great, it will most likely only be sustainable work if it is important to you. “

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Volunteer Spotlight: Mira Bagous

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Volunteer Spotlight: Mira Bagous

“When I first got to UVA, I knew I wanted to get out of the "bubble" of the University and engage with the surrounding Charlottesville community. While UVA has a lot to offer in terms of involvement and service, I wanted to make sure that I learned more about the city and was an active, involved resident of Charlottesville. I heard about CART (Charlottesville Area Riding Therapy) through Madison House my first year and decided to try it out! From there, I became interested in taking care of children with medical needs or disabilities.

For me, seeing some of the students over the past three years improve in some of their skills and behaviors has been really rewarding. I love seeing that students at CART are having a positive experience, often are able to improve their skills, and leave the barn feeling accomplished. Besides that, I've also met many amazing people and really enjoyed getting to know them!”

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‘Woman of La Mancha’ Finds Her Calling Through Indigenous Literature, Service

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‘Woman of La Mancha’ Finds Her Calling Through Indigenous Literature, Service

Dodds has been working with Madison House’s Latinx and Migrant Aid Program, LAMA, at its Cherry Avenue site. Each week, volunteers work on homework one-on-one with children, in a pair that is sustained throughout the semester to facilitate close bonds between tutor and student. […]
“That is the best and most accurate way to learn about the U.S.’s Latinx community,” she said. “It contextualizes our studies in a way that makes them even more real; having met immigrants who have gone through the struggles we are learning about in class with guest speakers and articles about immigration and xenophobia makes the issues so much more real to use and helps us humanize the statistics we read about in articles.”

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Madison House Volunteers Featured as 'Volunteer Of The Week' Twice In A Row

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Madison House Volunteers Featured as 'Volunteer Of The Week' Twice In A Row

Every week, University of Virginia’s Learning in Action, an initiative designed to connect students, faculty, and community partners to social entrepreneurship, community engagement, and co–curricular service opportunities, features a volunteer as their ‘Volunteer of the Week.’ Madison House has been at the forefront of service at the University of Virginia, and this can be reflected in Madison House’s consistent appearance within the Volunteer of the Week’s highlights. For two weeks in a row, Madison House volunteers have been featured by Learning in Action.

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University creates President’s Council on Community-U.Va. relations

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University creates President’s Council on Community-U.Va. relations

Bryant hopes to involve other students in the President’s Council, noting that many of the relationships that the University has developed with the community come from connections with students, such as mentoring through Madison House.

“Even if [students] aren't officially members of the working groups, making sure that [students] are able to come to the meetings and give input,” Bryant said. “And if we have surveys, I think student voice will be prioritized.”

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Student-athletes play it forward through Madison House's ACE Program

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Student-athletes play it forward through Madison House's ACE Program

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.

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Madison House celebrates 50 years of serving Charlottesville, empowering students

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Madison House celebrates 50 years of serving Charlottesville, empowering students

Roughly 3,000 students a year volunteer through Madison House. Nearly 40,000 have participated since the center opened in September 1969, according to Tim Freilich (Col ’93, Law ’99), executive director of Madison House and a volunteer there during his undergrad years. In 2018-19 alone, he estimates, students contributed more than 108,000 hours to local projects, from adopt-a-grandparent programs and teacher’s aide positions to patient-care roles at hospitals and free clinics.
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“You can’t learn this type of leadership through a textbook,” Freilich says. “The experience that our 300 student leaders get as they lead their peers is probably the most valuable thing that Madison House does.”

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Hurricane Camille and Madison House at UVA Are Forever Intertwined

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Hurricane Camille and Madison House at UVA Are Forever Intertwined

Madison House, the independent, nonprofit volunteer center for UVA students, [was] founded (in its current iteration) shortly before Camille. This year also marks its 50th anniversary.

“My own opinion is that student response to Camille had a great deal to do with subsequent support for Madison House,” Casteen wrote. “It had existed before Camille, and its people had always had their own active lives, but the work following Camille made everyone grow up very quickly.

“Campus Compact came along two decades later. Madison House and its volunteers invented their model on their own.” It’s a model that has worked well over the last half-century.

“Madison House has been what its creators and student volunteers hoped it would be – a catalyst for action by students to benefit surrounding communities and a constructive force in the lives of people living in communities around us,” Casteen wrote.

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RECORD NUMBER OF UVA SCHOLARS RECEIVE FULBRIGHTS

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RECORD NUMBER OF UVA SCHOLARS RECEIVE FULBRIGHTS

Eight Madison House Volunteers Receive Fulbright Scholarships:

Shree Baphna

“I think of it as a way for me to understand the power and value behind immersion,” Baphna said. “My future career in public health may involve attempting to understand the experience of other people so that I can figure out what is the best way to help them access the resources they need. For that, I need to have knowledge on how to best communicate with them. More so than that, I must learn how to understand the people I am working with so as to respect who they are and where they come from.”

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CLASS AWARDS PRESENTED AT VALEDICTORY EXERCISES FRIDAY

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CLASS AWARDS PRESENTED AT VALEDICTORY EXERCISES FRIDAY

Corinne Singh, an anthropology major, received the Community Service Award. Early in her undergraduate career, Singh learned that the Charlottesville Free Clinic lacked clinicians to draw blood samples. In response, Singh trained for and earned a phlebotomy certificate and began volunteering weekly at the clinic, serving a critical need. She also has inspired fellow students to become involved with Madison House’s Special Olympics program and with the emergency department at Sentara Martha Jefferson Hospital.

“The Charlottesville community is healthier and better off thanks to her service,” [trustee Mariana Brazao] stated.

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GOLDWATER FOUNDATION TAPS THREE UVA UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCHERS

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GOLDWATER FOUNDATION TAPS THREE UVA UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCHERS

She is a researcher working in labs in the biology, biomedical engineering and neurological surgery departments. Also a Madison House volunteer, she is a founder and head program director of the Creative Learning After School and Summer Program; a program director with Madison House Medical Services; a member of the Madison House HELP Line Outreach Team….

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How This First-Gen Student Made UVA Her Own and Plans to Bring Others After Her

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How This First-Gen Student Made UVA Her Own and Plans to Bring Others After Her

[During Alita’s] first semester, she ventured to Madison House, the independent, nonprofit volunteer center for UVA students.

“When I found Rise Together [through Madison House], I felt like their initiative, and just talking about my experiences and topics like bullying, was important to [the students],” she said. “I thought it was a really great initiative that I was glad to be a part of.”

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Lacrosse Injury Opened World Of Possibility For This Batten Student

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Lacrosse Injury Opened World Of Possibility For This Batten Student

Last spring, through Madison House, the independent, nonprofit volunteer center for UVA students, Duckett volunteered for a program called Creating Assets, Savings and Hope, or CASH, which helps people file their taxes.

“That was by far one of my favorite memories of UVA,” Duckett said. “It’s something I think a lot of us take for granted.

“There were clients we had who were refugees from Afghanistan and didn’t speak English. Being able to help someone and seeing people’s faces when they got a refund was amazing… For a lot of people, an extra $1,000 may go toward a new TV, but for our clients $1,000 was more of a lifeline.”

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Baseball Player Reached For A Challenge, And Then Met It

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Baseball Player Reached For A Challenge, And Then Met It

Harrington found many ways to contribute – to the University and the community beyond baseball. He got involved with an organization called Team IMPACT, which connects seriously ill children with collegiate athletic teams. He also volunteers at Madison House, and with several other student volunteer organizations.

“We have this great platform as student-athletes,” he said. “We have an opportunity and a responsibility to be good role models for kids and society generally. And it’s fun, being with a great group of guys doing something of benefit to others.”

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Ballet Dancer Soars As A Leader In Public Policy, Volunteer Work

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Ballet Dancer Soars As A Leader In Public Policy, Volunteer Work

Through Batten projects and her volunteer work with Madison House’s Cavs in the Classroom, and even in ballet, Sarah has learned a set of leadership skills that combine organization and attention to detail with a dancer’s confidence and grace.

“I knew I enjoyed school and I love learning,” Alexander said. Working with young pupils through Cavs in the Classroom – not to mention growing up in Louisiana, with a struggling public education system – has shown her firsthand the importance of education, she said.  “I believe the solutions to our problems lie with making sure we have an educated citizenry.”

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Mental health advocacy organizations team up to host Mental Health on the Lawn event

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Mental health advocacy organizations team up to host Mental Health on the Lawn event

The tabling event was the first of its kind and featured a series of stress-relieving activities.

Students stopped by South Lawn over the course of three hours Thursday afternoon to participate in a “Mental Health on the Lawn” event. Hosted by Madison House’s Help Line, If You’re Reading This and National Alliance on Mental Illness on Grounds — three student organizations dedicated to providing students with the resources and help they need for a wide variety of situations relating to mental health and mental illness — the event focused on promoting a healthy and transparent mental health culture on Grounds.

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Madison House Fifth Annual BIG Event

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Madison House Fifth Annual BIG Event

This past Saturday, April 13, hundreds of University students came out to participate in the Madison House BIG Event. Through service-oriented activities at various locations around Charlottesville, the BIG Event promotes campus and community unity as students come together for one day to express their gratitude for the support from the surrounding community.

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U.Va Community hosts remembrance event for University student Rehan Baddeliyanage

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U.Va Community hosts remembrance event for University student Rehan Baddeliyanage

The event was focused on celebrating Baddeliyanage’s memories and positive impacts on the community.

The University community hosted a “Celebration of Life” event Sunday morning in Old Cabell Hall for Rehan Baddeliyanage, the fourth-year Engineering student who unexpectedly passed away in an accident over spring break. The remembrance event was followed by a reception in the McIntire School of Commerce’s Art Gallery and Courtyard. Approximately 200 people were in attendance.

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MADISON HOUSE VOLUNTEERS GO BIG ON SATURDAY

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MADISON HOUSE VOLUNTEERS GO BIG ON SATURDAY

More than 200 volunteers spent the day working at one of 29 job sites as part of the fifth annual BIG Event, a one-day event sponsored by Madison House, the independent, nonprofit UVA student volunteer center.

Although University students regularly spend time on community service throughout the year, working through Madison House and other programs, the annual event brings out a concentrated group effort every spring. Started in 2015, it’s one day when students come together to express their gratitude for the surrounding community and its ongoing support.