UVA alumnus and former Madison House Alumni Council member Rob Hilliard (CLAS ‘74) has written a trilogy of novels called the Cutter Wellington Trilogy. He has generously agreed to dedicate the proceeds of the trilogy to Madison House.
Hoos Serving: Loganbay Campbell
Loganbay Campbell (she/her) is a fourth-year in the College of Arts & Sciences pursuing a double-major in biology and Spanish. Loganbay started volunteering for the Latin and Migrant Aid program at Madison House during her second year at UVA. This semester, she is involved with Sin Barreras, a program that teaches English to Spanish speakers. Loganbay is in the process of applying to medical school and will be taking a gap year to work as a medical assistant in Charlottesville.
Hoos Serving: Rebecca Franks
Rebecca Franks (she/her) is a fourth-year in the College of Arts & Sciences majoring in Neuroscience with a minor in Bioethics. For the past three years, Becca has served as the Madison House program director for Charlottesville Area Riding Therapy (CART), a therapeutic horseback riding program for children and adults with physical or intellectual disabilities. Becca is also a volunteer EMT with the Charlottesville-Albemarle Rescue Squad (CARS). At CARS, she responds to 911 calls in the Charlottesville-Albemarle area, proving medical care and transport to the hospital. Lastly, Becca volunteers at the Charlottesville Free Clinic. Next year, Becca will be returning to Texas for medical school.
Alumni Spotlight: Jyotika Chandhoke
Because of the formative experiences from her time as the Big Event Head Program Director at Madison House, Jyotika decided to make the shift from investment banking into impact investing for a firm that specializes in venture philanthropy. Now, Jyotika and her peers work to invest philanthropic capital efficiently in social enterprises that are driving positive social, economic, and environmental change to tackle some of the most pervasive issues we face today.
Hoos Serving: Nina Robertson
Nina Robertson is a fourth-year in the College of Arts & Sciences majoring in global public health. Nina serves as the Madison House program director for Adopt-A-Grandparent (AAGP) at Charlottesville Health and Rehabilitation Center (CHRC), through which she works with elderly residents and other student volunteers to facilitate healthy connections and bonding experiences. Nina also volunteers on the Madison House HELP Line outreach team, a 24/7 free and confidential cries hotline run by students. In addition, she is a research intern at the Treatment Advocacy Center (TAC), a national nonprofit that aims to eliminate barriers of treatment for individuals with severe mental illness.
Hoos Serving: Hannah Zaveri
Hannah Zaveri is a third-year majoring in Global Public Health and Sociology. Hannah serves as the Habitat for Humanity UVA (HUVA) Youth Leadership Team Coordinator, through which she works with high school students passionate about affordable housing. She also volunteers at UVA Children’s Hospital through Madison House Medical Services and is on the Peer Health Educator (PHE) leadership team. As a PHE, she recently co-organized the 30th Annual Fourth Year 5K (4Y5K), whose proceeds go to the Leslie Baltz Art Study Fund.
A Note from the Madison House Programs Team
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.
The First Female Executive Director of Madison House: Wanda Birckhead Farrar
Wanda Birckhead Farrar began her Madison House experience in high school in the 1970s. She was hired by then Executive Director, Judy Gough, to do part-time work. Unlike most people who have been involved with Madison House, Wanda was never a student at UVA and never served as a Madison House volunteer. All the same, the House had a significant impact on her life and shaped her career path in a way similar to the students who serve through the House.
Student Spotlight: Kara Sangiuolo
Kara Sangiuolo is a fourth year student working on a double major in Biology and Global Public Health. With medical school aspirations, she has been studying for the MCAT. Despite the heavy workload that comes with pre-med, she has made time to be a Head Program Director (HPD) for Madison House’s Youth Mentoring program.
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.
Community Partner: City of Promise
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 Success!
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.
A Young Alumna's Perspective on Giving - Caroline Biondo
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.”
AWARD RECIPIENT’S RESEARCH FOCUSES ON FEMALE ARTISTS FROM THE 1980S
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.
Service and Self: Humility and Wisdom
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….").
Batten Food Drive Supports 120 Local Families Through Partnership with Madison House
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.
Alumni Spotlight: Grant Frazier
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.
Tamara Wilkerson Dias - Madison House Alumna and Forbes 30 Under 30 Recipient
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.
Olympic Silver Medalist Paige Madden’s Madison House Experience
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.”
Natalie Tallis - Madison House Parent and Donor
“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.”