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.”
Thank you for helping us make tax season 2024 a success for our Madison House volunteers and the community. As of the end of July, we filed 1,804 returns, which amounts to a total of $1,804,137 in federal refunds and a savings of $451,000 on tax preparation fees. We could not have achieved this impact without your help!
There is an impressive number of current and former Hoos who are Paris-bound for the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games! We are especially excited to cheer on Paige Madden, a former Madison House volunteer for Cavs in the Classroom, as she represents Team USA in swimming the 400-meter freestyle, 800-meter freestyle, and 4x200-meter freestyle relay. Paige won a silver medal in the 4x200-meter freestyle relay at the Tokyo games in 2020. Go Hoos!
Hot off the t-shirt press! Madison House logo items, including t-shirts, sweatshirts, hoodies, and ball caps are now available through Rivanna Gear & Apparel. John and Susan Turner own this small, local business and are committed to giving back to other local organizations. Read more about the Turners and how your purchase benefits Madison House.
In an era where college students are increasingly focused on academic achievement and career prospects, volunteering with a non-profit organization like Madison House that places students in community service roles offers a unique and invaluable opportunity. This experience goes far beyond simply fulfilling a requirement or padding a resume; it is a transformative journey that builds essential skills, fosters leadership, creates lasting relationships, and encourages ethical engagement with the community. Read on to learn the top 15 benefits of volunteering that students cite most frequently.
As we approach the end of our fiscal year, we at Madison House are reflecting on the incredible impact our volunteers have made. This year, we are particularly proud of our recent graduates and the alumni who joined us for a heartwarming Reunions weekend. Their dedication to public service and community engagement continues to inspire us all.
The Board of Directors of Madison House, the independent volunteer center for students at the University of Virginia, is pleased to announce that Mary Denlinger has been named the organization’s new Executive Director. With a wealth of experience in community engagement and a passion for student development, Mary brings a dynamic vision to further enhance the impact and reach of Madison House within both the University of Virginia and the surrounding community.
The CASH tax preparation assistance program recently wrapped up another successful year. Final numbers are not yet in, but preliminary figures indicate that this year’s CASH program volunteers prepared more than 1,500 returns between February and April 2024. However, the volunteers say there is much more to CASH than the numbers. What they enjoy most is the opportunity to connect with the Charlottesville community. Read more about CASH and the volunteer experience.
The spring 2024 semester introduced a new Community Partner to Madison House: the Emergency Food Network (EFN). Phoebe Zamoff, currently a second-year UVA student, devoted the fall semester to fostering a relationship with the EFN in order to give UVA students an additional opportunity to fight food insecurity in Charlottesville. “I wanted to create a new program at Madison House that was dedicated to fighting food insecurity in Charlottesville,” Phoebe explains. Read more about this new Madison House partnership.
As Head Program Director of the Adopt-a-Grandparent program, Emma has dedicated many hours to getting to know the woman she calls her “adopted grandma”. After discovering that they both had lived in Emma’s hometown in West Virginia, they quickly developed a close relationship. “My favorite part of my week is getting to spend time with her,” says Emma. Read more about Emma’s experience in the Adopt-a-Grandparent program at Madison House.
Flowers are not the only thing springing up as the weather turns warmer! Some seasonal Madison House programs, like Piedmont Virginia Community College (PVCC) Community Gardens Program are picking up again after UVA’s spring break ended in mid-March. The program operates from August to mid-November and is in its sixteenth year of helping local food banks like The Haven, Loaves and Fishes Food Pantry, the PVCC Food Pantry, the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank, the Thomas Jefferson Area Food Bank, and The Salvation Army. Read more about this growing program!
For over 40 years, UVA students have been volunteering with Therapeutic Adventures and IndependencePlus Adaptive Sports. Mark Andrews founded the program when he was a graduate student at UVA from 1980-1983. In the past four decades, a family-like community has developed among the athletes and volunteers as they inspire and encourage one another. “We exist to provide leadership, programs, and specialty therapeutic services to educate, to challenge, and to inspire persons of all ages and abilities. Individuals who have experienced traumatic or catastrophic life events learn positive ways to adapt and overcome those challenges. Our unique approach of teaching, coaching, guiding, and mentoring makes it possible for persons with disabilities and complex medical needs to restore, to rebuild, to re-create themselves,” comments Mark.
“TJACE is an adult education program designed to serve the Charlottesville community in teaching English to immigrants and refugees (or English Speakers of Other Languages),” explains Zainab Razzaq, the Program Director of TJACE and the Head Program Director for Adult Education at Madison House. The program not only helps adults learn the English language, it also provides cultural knowledge about living in the US, functional skills, study skills for the citizenship or GED exams, and employment preparation, such as practice job interviews. Read more about the TJACE program and Madison House volunteer experience.
Barnaby Lo swiftly ascended the ranks from his initial steps as a CASH volunteer at UVA, becoming a program director in his second year and a head program director in his third and fourth years. Barnaby graduated from the McIntire School of Commerce in 2015 and has since carved a distinguished career path as a Principal at Towerbrook Capital in New York. Reflecting on his journey, Barnaby speaks with a sense of pride and gratitude, attributing much of his success to the life lessons he learned at Madison House. Read more about Barnaby’s volunteer experience at Madison House.
With seven programs under her Madison House umbrella, third-year UVA student Dao Tran manages 65 volunteers and oversaw 500 hours combined of service in the Fall 2023 semester. Dao is Head Program Director of After School Programming, as well as a co-Program Director for the Music Resource Center. Read on to find out why Dao is invested in serving the community.
The Holiday Sharing Program (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, creating a remarkable impact and providing invaluable support to families in the Charlottesville area. This year HOLS partnered with the Hope House Program to serve unhoused parents with minor children in their physical custody. Under the leadership and dedication of Student Head Program Directors Alie Gibson and Carol Cho, enough money was raised to serve 53 families. Read more about this growing program.
Tax season 2024 is right around the corner! The Madison House CASH (Creating Assets, Savings, and Hope) Program began recruiting and training volunteers for their tax preparation services in September. After receiving a record number of volunteer applications, the new recruits selected underwent weeks of training and are now ready to take their certification exams. Read on to learn more about their experience as they prepare to assist local residents in filing their taxes and claiming tax credits for which they are eligible.
New this year, Madison House is partnering with Charlottesville Community Bikes, a nonprofit used-bike shop that sells bikes, performs bike repairs, and offers bike voucher programs to local children, teens & adults. Learn more about the bike referral and bike voucher programs, as well as the volunteer experience at Charlottesville Community Bikes.
As the holiday season draws near, a dedicated team of student volunteers is working to make the festivities even more special for families living in Charlottesville. Holiday Sharing, a volunteer program at Madison House, ensures that everyone gets to participate in the festive atmosphere. As a program director, Riley Sweet organizes volunteer shifts once a week to prepare for the final day of distributing gifts. Read more about the joy she feels in helping share holiday cheer to local families in need.
UVA Professor Kate Stephenson combines community engagement and writing skills in her first-year writing requirements. Essentially, her courses focus on community-based learning, which Professor Stephenson describes as the “intersection of activism and coursework”. Read more about the benefits of community-engaged learning as shared by Professor Stephenson and her students.
Every year, Madison House offers many opportunities for students to get involved with volunteering in the health and medical sectors. These opportunities range from interpersonal interactions with patients to administrative work in both clinical and non-clinical settings, from emergency rooms to nursing homes to recreational facilities. Read more about the volunteer experience and Madison House’s call for additional community partners.
