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
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Outgoing Student Council president reflects on initiatives to support marginalized communities

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Outgoing Student Council president reflects on initiatives to support marginalized communities

Fourth-year College student Alex Cintron is the first Latinx Student Council president in the University’s history.

As the first Latinx Student Council president in the University’s history Cintron said that, while he felt uncomfortable in some environments which the position required him to engage with, his perspective empowered him to act differently than previous Student Council presidents.

“This is my form of resisting what has been the normal narrative for Student Council president,” Cintron said.

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Harmonies for Healing brightens up hospital life through music

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Harmonies for Healing brightens up hospital life through music

Influential Madison House program allows volunteer musicians to play for patients during long hospital stays.

When fourth-year College student Grant Frazier decided to combine his passions of music and medicine, he began working with Madison House to bring music into the hospital setting. This idea led to the creation of Harmonies for Healing, a program which sends three student musicians to the University’s Transitional Care Hospital each day with hopes of improving the lives of both patients and medical staff.

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Volunteer Spotlight: Shannon Mooney

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Volunteer Spotlight: Shannon Mooney

Every year, I pick up a different Madison House program as well, it just depends on what's going to fit my schedule the best! Through Madison House, I've volunteered with New Century Hospice, where I would act as a companion once a week to patients. As a companion, my job was mainly reading, playing board games, passing the time, or just listening to what the patients wanted to say. I initially joined because I was pre-med at the time, but I stayed with the program for the eye-opening and rewarding experience. It was decidedly the most difficult volunteering experience I've ever had, due to the nature of the position. But I always felt like I was doing something that mattered; a little act of kindness goes a long way.

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My Abundant Life Story: Emma Grover

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My Abundant Life Story: Emma Grover

When I first became a student at UVA, I was so impressed with all the great programs available in Charlottesville and through Madison House that allowed for interaction and mentorship between kids in the community and college-age students. I was eager to get involved with one of the nearby elementary schools, and I was told about the great work that Abundant Life had been doing at Johnson Elementary. Soon after, I began attending the afternoon tutoring sessions at the school and working with a second grader named Abdikhayr. Our time together has continued on this year, and I still see him once a week as he is moving along through the third grade.

City leaders discuss how UVA students can engage in community

City leaders discuss how UVA students can engage in community

The panel discussed how civic engagement can look like anything from going to Charlottesville City Council meetings to simply getting off Grounds.

Freilich said community service like through the Madison House is a great way to do that.

"The most important part is personal relationship," he said. "That way our students are hearing the stories of folks in the community and gaining first-hand knowledge of what's actually happening here in Charlottesville."

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‘We can’t build out of it’: Students confront Charlottesville’s housing crisis

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‘We can’t build out of it’: Students confront Charlottesville’s housing crisis

Matt Wajsgras, a fourth-year Engineering student and Madison House HALO program director, said his experience volunteering helped him better understand the Charlottesville community surrounding the University.

“When you get a new guest that hasn’t been there before one of the first things they do is they’ll come up and ask about case managers and what options they have for affordable housing and stuff,” Wajsgras said. “So you do hear a lot about it, and you can tell it’s something that’s one of the primary issues.”

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UVA Student-Athletes’ Effort Extends Well Beyond Gyms and Stadiums

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UVA Student-Athletes’ Effort Extends Well Beyond Gyms and Stadiums

UVA’s 750 student-athletes routinely take time out from classes, practices and games to volunteer in the community – in schools, in hospitals, at Habitat for Humanity builds, assisted-living facilities, Special Olympics events and more.

Some of UVA’s student-athletes volunteer through Athletes Committed to Education, or ACE, a Madison House program that connects more than 50 student-athletes to local elementary schools. They visit the schools on a weekly basis, allowing them to form strong bonds with students week after week, year after year.

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Volunteer Spotlight: Jaime Lear

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Volunteer Spotlight: Jaime Lear

Jaime Lear is a second-year chemistry major with a sign language minor. Currently, Jaime volunteers through Madison House as a patient ambassador at the hospital where she fulfills deliveries and special requests from patients by visiting the different floors with a cart of entertaining things to offer, such as magazines or crossword puzzles.

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Volunteer Spotlight: With Harrison Grant, Student Studies The Emotional State Of Shut-Ins, What They Need

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Volunteer Spotlight: With Harrison Grant, Student Studies The Emotional State Of Shut-Ins, What They Need

An Echols Scholar and a College Science Scholar, Cheng also received the 2018 George C. and Carroll F.M. Seward Scholarship (a College of Arts & Sciences Deans’ Scholarship), a College of Arts & Sciences Small Research and Travel Grant and the Laurie Lee Woolen Memorial Scholarship. A dean’s list student and recipient of Intermediate Honors, she chairs the College Science Scholars Council; is a program director for the Madison House Adopt-a-Grandparent Program….

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Volunteer Spotlight: Neuroscience Major's Research Pursues ‘Moonlighting’ Metabolism Molecule

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Volunteer Spotlight: Neuroscience Major's Research Pursues ‘Moonlighting’ Metabolism Molecule

An Echols Scholar and College Science Scholar, Dove-Anna Johnson is a member of the Daniel Hale PreMed Honor Society; American Medical Student Association; the Undergraduate Research Network; OneWay InterVarsity Christian Fellowship; the Cavalier Symphony Orchestra; and is a Madison House volunteer for Medical Services. 

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Volunteer Spotlight: Caroline Hallowell

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Volunteer Spotlight: Caroline Hallowell

Caroline Hallowell is a second-year in the College of Arts & Sciences and serves as the Head Program Director for Madison House's Summer Programs and as the Coordinating Program Director for Madison House Medical Services. Caroline also is a volunteer in the Acute Pediatric Program at UVA Health System and a Project SERVE Site Leader.

UVA Conference Showcases Community Service, Advocacy, and Social Justice

UVA Conference Showcases Community Service, Advocacy, and Social Justice

The event was hosted by the Madison House, an independent volunteer student center.

"Hosting the IMPACT conference has been a chance for us to bring over 550 or so students and administrators from around the country here to Charlottesville to learn from some of our incredible nonprofit leaders, local activists," stated Tim Freilich, Executive Director of Madison House.

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ALUMNI, STUDENTS TO MARK HISTORIC ANNIVERSARY WITH FOOD DRIVE

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ALUMNI, STUDENTS TO MARK HISTORIC ANNIVERSARY WITH FOOD DRIVE

“When access to food is not consistent and dependable, a household is classified as food insecure,” Jane Colony Mills, Loaves & Fishes’ executive director, said. A UVA alumna, Mills herself volunteered with Madison House in a different program when she was a student.

Children make up almost 36 percent of the clientele served at the food pantry, and the percentage of senior citizens has more than doubled to nearly 14 percent, Mills said.

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Volunteer Spotlight: Janee Murray

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Volunteer Spotlight: Janee Murray

Janee Murray is a fourth-year in the College of Arts & Sciences double-majoring in Foreign Affairs and History. Janee is involved with the University's service fraternity, Alpha Phi Omega; volunteers with both Madison House and the Jefferson School African American Heritage Center; and has been recognised by Student Council as a Service Scholar.

Madison House and Loaves & Fishes Food Pantry partner with UVA for Charter Day

On Saturday, January 26th, 2019, Madison House will hold a food drive in celebration of #CharterDay. We encourage all those who wish to donate to bring at least one item from the list shared below. Thank you for helping to combat food insecurity within our Charlottesville community!

VOLUNTEERING HELPS STUDENTS BREATHE LIFE INTO THEIR WRITING

VOLUNTEERING HELPS STUDENTS BREATHE LIFE INTO THEIR WRITING

“Offered through the English department’s Academic and Professional Writing Program, “Tutoring Writing Across Cultures” goes deeper than teaching pedagogy. It encourages students to understand the people whom they are tutoring and take into account their native writing styles. Taught by Kate Kostelnik, an assistant professor of English, the writing seminar incorporates service learning, in partnership with Madison House, the independent, nonprofit volunteer center for UVA students.”

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MADISON HOUSE PROGRAM BRINGS THE HOLIDAYS TO LOCAL FAMILIES

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MADISON HOUSE PROGRAM BRINGS THE HOLIDAYS TO LOCAL FAMILIES

“One of more than 20 community service programs of Madison House – the independent, nonprofit volunteer center for UVA students – Holiday Sharing annually partners with the Salvation Army to provide local, low-income families with food and presents to help make their holidays merry.”

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Volunteer Spotlight: Vikram Seshadri

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Volunteer Spotlight: Vikram Seshadri

Vikram Seshadri is a third-year in the School of Engineering and Applied Science majoring in biomedical engineering. Vikram is the program director for Madison House's new program, "The Gym," a member of HELPline's outreach committee, and also works as a mentor for Autism Allies. He's also an Eagle Scout!

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Volunteer Spotlight: Julia Hohenstein

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Volunteer Spotlight: Julia Hohenstein

Julia Hohenstein is a third-year in the McIntire School of Commerce, concentrating in Finance and IT and also double-majoring in statistics. Julia is the co-chair of the Madison House Board of Directors, a board that is comprised of five student members and 10 community members. She has also volunteered with Madison House as a tutor and an income tax preparation assistant through the program CASH. Additionally, Julia participated in Alternative Spring Break during both her first and second years. Her first trip was to Portland, OR, where she worked with Portland Parks and Recreation. The following year, Julia attended the Death Valley, CA, trip where she worked with the National Parks Service. Both trips were programs that focused on environmental stewardship. Finally, Julia also serves on the Public Service Programming Board, an organization that strives to provide funding for student-run service projects that benefit the community.