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.”
In previous years, Madison House and UVA student groups have partnered with City of Promise in a variety of ways. Madison House volunteers have worked with City of Promise students primarily through their after-school programs, with Madison House Arts Mentors volunteers visiting on Monday afternoons to craft with students, and the UVA Black Medical Students Association facilitating toy drives during the holidays.
Holiday Sharing (HOLS) is one of Madison House’s oldest student-led programs and has long provided Charlottesville families with food and personalized gifts for the holidays. This program does most of their work leading up to the holiday season, and, during this time, students work with the Salvation Army and Madison House’s LAMA (Latinx and Migrant Aid) program to collect, assemble, and distribute gifts.
As both a former board member and volunteer, Caroline recognizes the importance of service and the impact that Madison House volunteers have in the community. This is why she decided to stay involved as a donor. “When I donate to Madison House,” says Caroline, “I know that my money is going to be used to benefit both the Charlottesville community and UVA students.”
Graeff, a fourth-year art history major and a recipient of a University of Virginia Arts Award, has taken up the cause of a trio of female artists from the 1980s who she argues have been overlooked.
Aside from her studies, Graeff is a member of Delta Delta Delta sorority’s Beta Sigma chapter. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, she was involved with a Madison House arts organization at Venable Elementary School.
At the University of Virginia, we pride ourselves on being an elite university that prepares its students to serve the public. Madison House, hundreds of CIOs, and various NGOs in and around the University are full of students looking to serve, and there is a lot of good service, too. However, there is a component to public service that is necessary but often forgotten: humility. And I mean genuine humility, not just the sort we hear all too often as a preamble to accepting recognition ("I am humbled to….").
Launched as part of a new partnership between Batten and Madison House, an independent volunteer center for students at the University of Virginia, the drive complements Holiday Sharing, a program that numbers among Madison House’s oldest and has long provided Charlottesville families with food and personalized gifts for the holidays. Due to the pandemic, a community partner that had been assisting with food for the families was unable to do so this year, so the Batten community stepped in to fully fund and shop for food for all 120 families participating in the Holiday Sharing program.
At first glance, medicine and music may not appear to have much in common, but Grant Frazier felt differently. He had seen first hand the power of music to bring joy and connection, and he felt that this happiness was its own medicine. As an UVA undergraduate, Grant worked with Madison House to explore this connection and founded the Harmonies for Healing program.
As a Madison House volunteer, Tamara tutored students at local Jackson-Via Elementary School, and participated in Madison House’s Holiday Sharing - a program that collects thousands of donations like food and gifts to distribute to hundreds of local families during the holiday season. Tamara says volunteering with Madison House gave her the opportunity to get to know the Charlottesville community beyond UVA.
After graduating from the UVA School of Education and Human Development with her master’s in foreign language education, Tamara was accepted as a fellow in the African American Teaching Fellows (AATF) - a Charlottesville non-profit that recruits, supports, develops, and retains a cadre of African American teachers to serve local public schools. Tamara taught Spanish for four years to middle school students in Albemarle County and Charlottesville City schools.
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.”
“We decided to make a donation to Madison House because the more we heard from our daughter, the more we realized that there was a real need to keep these programs going,” Natalie says. “Charlottesville is a beautiful town and it’s very special, but there is a lot of need here. Madison House provides the bridge between UVA and the community.”
The PB&J Fund is a community partner of Madison House that improves access to affordable, healthy food for children and families. The fund utilizes a CHEF (Community/Health/Education/Friendship) framework to provide holistic experiences for participants of their programs that are educational, empowering and fun. This framework allows for diets to be improved while building relationships, providing a service that is needed for underserved families in the Charlottesville community.
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.”
On March 11, 2020, all Madison House in-person volunteering was suspended in an effort to slow the emergence of COVID-19. Shortly after, a Spring Action Team headed by Madison House student volunteers Simmy Bhatia, Caroline Hallowell, and Mikaela Rirchardson worked in coordination with Dr. Rose Cole, the Madison House Director of Community Engagement, to begin developing a virtual volunteering initiative called "Hoos Helping."
As a first-year student in U.Va.’s McIntire School of Commerce, Myles McPartland joined CASH — Creating Assets, Savings and Hope — a tax preparation club that is part of the Madison House, a student volunteer nonprofit in Charlottesville. McPartland is confident that his four years in CASH equipped him with vital skills for a career working on a team that makes rapid-fire stock market decisions.
Three University of Virginia students will study overseas as Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholars. Autumn Harris of Newport News, a rising fourth-year sociology and pre-law major, will study at the International Studies Institute in Florence, Italy. Harris is a member of the University Programs Council; Sigma Sigma Sigma sorority; Phi Alpha Delta law fraternity; and a Madison House volunteer.
As Madison House resumes in-person volunteering this summer, I want to take a moment to thank all of you — our community partners — who have worked so tirelessly the past fifteen months. I have been inspired by your resilience, your perseverance, your dedication, your creativity, and your love for our friends and neighbors. Thank you for all you do for the community, and thank you for all you do for Madison House’s student volunteers.
Believe me, I understand how tempting it is to stay within the safe boundaries of Grounds, but don’t forget about everything that the City of Charlottesville has to offer. Consider giving back to Charlottesville by volunteering your time and services to organizations through Madison House — the volunteer center for the University's students.
Jefferson Scholars historically have had an impressive record of leadership at the University,” said Ben Skipper, director of graduate and undergraduate programs at the Jefferson Scholars Foundation. “Since the first class joined UVA in 1981, they have held leadership positions on the Judiciary and Honor committees, Student Council, The Cavalier Daily, Madison House and countless student organizations.
Student involvement with the project will also be possible through Engagements courses, which serve as the foundation of the general education experience, as well as research projects aimed at improving early childhood education and potential volunteer activities coordinated with student organizations like Madison House.
