Thanks to YOU, Madison House raised a total of $34,423 on #GivingTuesday to support volunteer service programs for University of Virginia students. Alumni, parents of volunteers, and friends of Madison House from near and far gave $24,423 and two donors gave a matching gift of $10,000 to continue the legacy of service among 'Hoos. We are so thankful for your support!
Support Madison House on #GivingTuesday
Today is #GivingTuesday, a global day dedicated to giving back. It's a day for showing your support for what you're passionate about: volunteering through Madison House and creating a legacy of service for the next generation of 'Hoos.
Today, your gift means more than ever because two generous donors have pledged to match every gift to Madison House dollar for dollar until 11:59pm, up to a total of $10,000! That means you can double the impact of your gift by supporting Madison House today.
For our alumni, parents, and friends of Madison House, we are counting on you to help us meet this exciting challenge. No gift is too small and every gift really does matter.
#GivingTuesday is just one day, but with your help, it can be a day that makes a powerful difference for Madison House volunteers and our community partners.
Please consider making a gift today via madisonhouse.org/give.
Madison House featured in C-VILLE Weekly
Did you see Madison House in the current issue of the C-VILLE Weekly? Madison House is one of seven groups included in the cover story "Volunteer core: 'Tis the season to give back."
According to the article, "when UVA students hear 'volunteer' they think of Madison House" -- and we couldn't agree more! Check out the full story (which includes interviews with student leaders) here.
Here is an excerpt:
"'It was a great experience just seeing that all of these students really care about giving back. It’s encouraging to me that people are still that kind and generous to participate in volunteer service,' Brian Lee, a Program Director and University of Virginia student, speaking about his experience coordinating Madison House volunteers this semester."
Read the full article HERE.
[Image credit: Amy Jackson for the C-VILLE Weekly]
Happy Thanksgiving from Madison House
This past Sunday, Madison House's Big Siblings program hosted a Thanksgiving-style meal. During the event, a Little named Nyah wrote down a list of what she was thankful for (pictured), and she even included Madison House!
We are thankful for the 3,100+ University of Virginia students who selflessly volunteer every week with our 168 community partner sites. Whether it's mentoring a child like Nyah in partnership with Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Central Blue Ridge, stocking the shelves of the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank, or building homes with Habitat for Humanity of Greater Charlottesville(to name just a few examples), their service makes a positive impact on the Charlottesville-Albemarle region.
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!
Holiday Sharing in The Cavalier Daily
The Cavalier Daily featured Madison House's Holiday Sharing program in a recent article:
Holiday Sharing, an ongoing project between Madison House and the Salvation Army, will be pairing community sponsors with families in need this holiday season to bring gifts and food to the Charlottesville community.
Throughout the fall semester, student volunteers from Madison House work to collect donations from individuals and groups on Grounds and in Charlottesville. The project culminates in a distribution day in December, when all the donations are given to sponsored families.
"[Holiday Sharing] has seen increased involvement over the past few years. In 2012, the program was sponsoring about 110 families but has now increased its reach to 160, said Eric MacBlane, a third-year Engineering student and a Program Director for the Holiday Sharing program."
Read the full article HERE.
Recap: Flag Football Tournament
The Virginia Men's Lacrosse Team hosted the 7th annual Will Barrow Memorial Flag Football Tournament to benefit Madison House's HELP Line program earlier this month.
WVIR NBC-29 filmed some of the action and interviewed Sruthi Poduval, a fourth year student and the Head Program Director for HELP Line. You can see more photos here.
“I just think it's really wonderful that the lacrosse team recognizes that HELP Line is such a valuable asset to the community. I think it's amazing that we're branching out like this and that we're getting more of the U.Va. community involved in Madison House," Sruthi told the reporter.
Thanks to WVIR NBC-29 for telling the community about the 7th annual Will Barrow Memorial Flag Football Tournament and Madison House's HELP Line program!
Books Beyond Bars Program Hosts Screening & Talk
Madison House's Beyond the Bars GED Tutoring program will host a screening of Bryan Stevenson’s popular TED Talk, “We Need to Talk About an Injustice” on Thursday, October 12th from 6:30pm to 7:30pm in the Newcomb Kaleidoscope Room.
The video will serve as a starting point for a discussion on race, incarceration, and inequality in America. Program Directors from Beyond the Bars encourage everyone, whether you have personal experience, professional expertise, or have never thought about the subject before, to come out for this event.
Want to know more about Bryan Stevenson's TED Talk? Here is a description:
"In an engaging and personal talk — with cameo appearances from his grandmother and Rosa Parks — human rights lawyer Bryan Stevenson shares some hard truths about America's justice system, starting with a massive imbalance along racial lines: a third of the country's black male population has been incarcerated at some point in their lives. These issues, which are wrapped up in America's unexamined history, are rarely talked about with this level of candor, insight and persuasiveness."
Beyond the Bars pairs volunteers with inmates in a GED tutoring relationship, in which they help some of society’s most marginalized by inmates pass the general education development test. Paired by the Albemarle-Charlottesville Regional Jail’s quickly growing education department, volunteers and inmates work one-on-one to tackle education areas specific to the students' needs (including math, English writing and grammar, history, and science). Because of lengthy application and training processes, Beyond the Bars is a year-long commitment, and requires volunteers to submit a separate application in addition to the Madison House application. Though Beyond the Bars faces many complex problems associated with working in a secure facility, the work done in this program is astoundingly rewarding.
To RSVP to this event on Facebook, please click here.
Fundraiser at Chipotle for Madison House
Make dinner a selfless act by joining us for a fundraiser to support Madison House!
Come in to the Chipotle at 953 Emmet St in Charlottesville on Monday, November 16th between 4:00pm and 8:00pm.
Tell the cashier you’re supporting the cause to make sure that 50% of the proceeds will be donated to Madison House.
Learning with Cavs in the Classroom
Thank you to the Charlottesville Newsplex for shining a spotlight on our Cavs in the Classroom program!
Click here to watch the adorable video featuring a second grade class at Greer Elementary and Lauren Kohler, a first year at U.Va. and Cavs in the Classroom volunteer.
182 U.Va. students volunteer in local elementary schools every week through our Cavs in the Classroom program.
Save the date for #GivingTuesday
Let the countdown to #GivingTuesday begin! Please mark Tuesday, December 1st on your calendar right now and get ready to join alumni, parents, and friends around the world in supporting Madison House.
What is #GivingTuesday, you ask? #GivingTuesday is a national day dedicated to giving back following Thanksgiving and those other days for getting deals.
Madison House will have a special challenge on #GivingTuesday: we need to raise $10,000 from supporters like YOU to secure a matching gift of $10,000 from a pair of donors who wish to remain anonymous. Thanks to the generosity of these anonymous donors, your donation to Madison House on #GivingTuesday will have twice the impact.
Last year, like every year, U.Va. student leaders proudly carried on the Madison House traditions of leadership, service, and community. During the 2014-2015 academic year, 3,179 University of Virginia students volunteered 111,135 service hours at 168 community partner sites throughout the Charlottesville-Albemarle region. This year, we are working hard to increase leadership opportunities and training as well as foster new partnerships in the community and at the University.
Save the date and help us continue to make the volunteer experience for thousands of 'Hoos even better on #GivingTuesday!
Bridging the Gap Helps Refugees in Charlottesville
The Cavalier Daily included Madison House's Bridging the Gap program in its recent article about refugees in Charlottesville.
The Charlottesville branch of the International Rescue Committee has welcomed almost 2,000 refugees since it opened in 1998. Between Oct. 1, 2014 and Sept. 30, 2015, the IRC resettled 241 refugees from 12 different countries in Charlottesville.
“[One challenge is] figuring out a way to incorporate refugees into the economy in ways that are beneficial to them and to the city,” said Bridging the Gap Program Director Katrina Boyd, a fourth-year College student. “That’s a really big challenge, finding places for everyone to fit and feel as though they have a place here and can have a purpose.”
Bridging the Gap is a youth mentoring program that focuses on refugee children in our community. About 60 University of Virginia students volunteer with Bridging the Gap every week. Youth participating in the program hail from many countries, including Burma, Congo, Iraq, Liberia, Nepal, Russia, Sierra leone, Somalia, Sudan, Tanzania, Thailand, and Tongo.
Click here to read the whole story!
Madison House Receives Grant From UVA Parents Fund
Madison House is very grateful to the UVA Parents Fund for its generous support. Recently, the UVA Parents Fund awarded Madison House a grant of $27,730 for technology upgrades. This funding will enrich the volunteering experiences of more than 3,100 U.Va. students who volunteer with Madison House every week. We are excited to share more news about these improvements in the coming months!
HALO presents Desserts & Discussion Event
Attention University of Virginia students! Are you interested in learning more about hunger and homelessness in Charlottesville and how you can help? Madison House's HALO program invites you to an evening of desserts & discussion with staff from the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank, Loaves & Fishes Food Pantry, The Haven, and more in the Newcomb Hall Gallery on Wednesday, November 4th from 7:00pm until 8:00pm.
Hoos Assisting with Life Obstacles (HALO) is a Madison House program that seeks to address the issues of hunger, homelessness, unemployment, and other life obstacles in the Charlottesville community. Through seven different programs, HALO provides direct assistance to families and individuals in need of food, educational training, companionship, or child care.
Virginia Men's Lacrosse Team Raises Awareness for HELP Line
On Saturday, November 14, 2015, the Virginia Men's Lacrosse Team will host the 7th annual Will Barrow Memorial Flag Football Tournament. The tournament is held each year with proceeds going to Madison House's HELP Line program.
This event remembers Will Barrow, who in his fourth year served as a captain of the 2008 University of Virginia Men's Lacrosse team that advanced to the semifinals of the NCAA Championships. He was considered one of the top defensive midfielders in the country throughout his career. He appeared in 63 games during his UVa career and scored 18 goals with seven assists. Barrow also was a member of the Cavaliers' 2006 NCAA Champion team.
Max Pomper, a teammate and friend of Will, created this event in 2009 to celebrate Will's memory and raise funds for HELP Line. Donations can be made via a GoFundMe campaign created by the players.
HELP Line is a 24-hour confidential and anonymous hotline, supervised by Madison House, for members of the University community. When you call HELP Line, you'll be connected to a trained U.Va. student who will listen to you without judgement.
The tournament will take place at the University of Virginia's Carr's Hill Field on Saturday, November 14 from 10:00am until 5:00pm. Various lacrosse teams from around the country will gather to play in friendly competition.
The event is FREE and open to the public. Madison House and the Virginia Men's Lacrosse team encourage the local community to come out and cheer on the players during this positive and fun event!
Commonwealth of Virginia Campaign Kicks Off
Are you a state employee? The Commonwealth of Virginia Campaign (CVC) will launch on Monday, October 5! CVC is a vehicle of giving for state employees, including staff at the University of Virginia and UVA Health System. Each year, state employees can give to the charities of their choice through the CVC. If you are a state employee, please consider supporting Madison House. With over 3,100 student volunteering weekly at 168 community sites, your donation will help build capacity for many of the region's non-profit organizations. Our CVC code is 3789.
The CVC is an annual opportunity for employees to give to charities that provide the services and programs you want to support. You can choose from nearly 1,200 charities, many of which serve the local community like Madison House! You may donate by cash, check, payroll deduction, credit card or stock gifts. You can give online by clicking here.
Why give through the CVC campaign? Here are just a few reasons:
- All charities participating in the CVC have been pre-screened to ensure that they are fiscally sound and that they perform the services stated.
- Payroll deduction allows you to budget your contribution throughout the year through regular automated giving.
- 100% of your designated contribution goes to the charity or charities stated. No administrative fees are taken by the CVC on designated contributions through workplace giving.
- Employee contributions to the CVC are entirely voluntary and all CVC activities are grounded on the principle of voluntary giving.
To learn more about participating in the CVC as an employee at the University of Virginia or UVA Health System, visit www.virginia.edu/cvc.
Cavs in the Classroom Goes Back to School
Notebooks, yellow buses, and sharpened pencils. Those are the telltale signs that thousands of local children are back in school across Charlottesville and Albemarle — and they will have extra help from University of Virginia students thanks to Madison House.
This school year, Madison House, an organization that serves as the volunteer center for U.Va. students, has placed 182 U.Va. students in 15 local elementary schools through its Cavs in the Classroom program. Cavs in the Classroom volunteers assist preschool through sixth grade students with reading, math, spelling lessons, SOL prep, and art projects.
Summerlyn Thompson, Assistant Principal at Johnson Elementary School, says "We are so excited to welcome back our Cavs in the Classroom volunteers this semester. Our students absolutely love the opportunity to work with them, our teachers enjoy having enthusiastic volunteers assisting with our children, and, as a former Cav in the Classroom myself, I daresay that the volunteers get just as much out of it as anyone!”
Cavs in the Classroom has volunteers serving in the classrooms of 115 local teachers, but the numbers tell only part of the story.
Allie Rhea, a fourth year at the University who is the Head Program Director for Cavs in the Classroom, says, "I would not say the success of our program can adequately be measured by the number of children who can do long division or read a chapter book because of Cavs in the Classroom volunteers. Rather, the true power of the program stems from volunteers who create relationships with younger students and act as role models.”
Cavs in the Classroom volunteers learn as much from their service as the local children they are helping.
"I chose to get involved with Cavs in the Classroom because I knew that I wanted to study secondary education but still enjoyed working with the energetic elementary kids," says Sean McClure, a fourth year in both the U.Va. College of Arts and Science and the Curry School of Education. "After being with the program for just over three years now, what I have enjoyed most is forming a relationship with a teacher year after year. This is my fifth semester working with the same teacher and each semester is better."
Meanwhile, the popularity of the Cavs in the Classroom program among U.Va. students continues to grow. Rhea explains, "I have been a part of Cavs in the Classroom since my first weeks at U.Va. This program is consistently one of the biggest at Madison House and I think that speaks to the simplicity, as well as the significance, of our mission."
Rhea also remarked that the Cavs in the Classroom saw a spike in the number of new teachers requesting volunteers this year, thanks to an new online application process. "We are excited to expand our teacher network so we can reach as many students as possible," says Rhea.
Local news station WVIR NBC-29 shot a video segment about Madison House's Cavs in the Classroom program at a local elementary school recently, too. They interviewed Kajal Patel, a fourth year at the University and a Program Director for Cavs in the Classroom. "It's a great break. I feel like I'm a kid again when I'm here with [the kids]," she said. To watch the full video, click HERE.
The Cavalier Daily also wrote an article about Cavs in the Classroom. You can read it HERE.
Be a Mentor through Big Siblings
One of the most beloved programs through Madison House is Big Siblings. Through the Big Siblings program, a U.Va. student is paired with a local child in need of a positive role model. Bigs and Littles meet once a week for a year for 2-3 hours.
“Volunteering with the Big Siblings Program has made a hugely positive impact on my U.Va. experience," says Maria Mencini (Col '16), Program Director with Big Siblings. "Every week, I look forward to being a kid again with my Little Sib, whether we are seeing a movie, going bowling or making cupcakes.”
Popular activities include attending U.Va. sporting events, helping Littles with their homework, and visiting local tourist attractions. Big Siblings organizes several large events for all Bigs and Littles throughout the school year and there are opportunities for smaller groups to meet up as well.
Due to the popularity of Big Siblings in the Charlottesville community, we have a wait-list of local children who are eager to be matched with a Big Sib. To meet this demand, we are extending recruitment so that even more U.Va. students will have the opportunity to register.
Questions? Email Head Program Director Caroline Vangsnes, call Madison House at (434) 977-7051, or stop by our office (located between Beta Bridge and Mad Bowl) during normal business hours.
Click HERE for more details about Big Siblings and to register.
Volunteer with Action in Reading or ACES
'Hoos, are you looking for a weekly volunteer opportunity for this semester? It's not too late! Madison House is still recruiting volunteers to serve with Action in Reading and ACES through our Youth Mentoring program.
Action in Reading is like a book club for local elementary school students led by volunteers. It's a lot of fun and really rewarding! Students come to ‘book club’ every week to read, play games, and solve puzzles with student and adult volunteers. The volunteers will get to know the students and help them develop personally and academically throughout the semester. Shifts take place every Thursday from 2:00pm to 4:00pm. Click HERE for more details and to register.
ACES volunteers play chess with children and teens at local schools as well as Boys and Girls Club sites. It's an exceptionally rewarding experience. Playing ACES Chess is a nonprofit program that brings chess to the Charlottesville youth. Chess club participants range in ability from true beginners to truly exceptional students waiting for a true challenge in their academic lives.
Volunteer shifts with ACES are available throughout the week. Click HERE for more details and to register.
Volunteer with Let Me Run
Are you a University of Virginia student who likes running and helping others? Lace up those sneakers because Madison House wants you to volunteer for our Let Me Run program!
Let Me Run is part of a national initiative for boys in grades 4 through 6. Each week, volunteers train the boys in distance running and serve as a positive role model. Each practice will consist of stretching, warmup, a character activity, and a run. Experience in running is preferred, but not required. However, volunteers will be expected to run with the boys, starting from 0.5 mile runs and gradually increasing in distance and pace to approximately an 8 minute mile pace. It culminates with a 5k race in November! Practices are from 4:30pm-6:00pm Mondays and Wednesdays, although Madison House volunteers would only need to commit to volunteer with one shift per week.
Madison House's community parter for Let Me Run is the Piedmont Housing Alliance, which also operates a sister program called Girls On The Run. Piedmont Housing Alliance is an affordable housing non-profit working in the Thomas Jefferson Planning District in Central Virginia, including the city of Charlottesville and Albemarle, Fluvanna, Greene, Louisa, and Nelson counties. The mission of Piedmont Housing is to create housing opportunities and build community through education, lending and development.
Let Me Run boys leave the program with a sense of accomplishment, strengthened belief in themselves, and a greater appreciation for their peers. Learn more about the national program at letmerun.org.
Email letmerun@madisonhouse.org to learn more -- and hurry! Registration will close soon.
Medical Services Program Inspires Service in U.Va Students
Thanks to local news station WVIR NBC-29 for their segment about our Medical Services program yesterday.
"We want to make service a part of their lives ... so they can have that mindset of really just working to better the lives of others," said Ian Miller, one of two Head Program Directors responsible for coordinating 519 U.Va. student volunteers in the Medical Services program.
Madison House's Medical Services volunteers assist patients, their families, and hospital staff in a wide variety of roles at UVA Health System, Martha Jefferson Hospital, and Charlottesville Free Clinic.
Watch the complete video here!