How Hoos Helping Came to Be
Following the shift to online classes, Madison House staff's first concern was for the health and well being of our student volunteers, how to support them and provide stability and continuity. Students were mourning … not only the loss of spending their spring semester on Grounds but also of their strong personal connections with the Charlottesville/Albemarle community members they serve. So we asked ourselves, “How can our volunteers continue to serve the community safely, ethically and effectively albeit remotely?”
Dr. Rose Cole, Director of Community Engagement at Madison House
We immediately opened conversations with local schools, community non-profit partners and University stakeholders about the concept of virtual volunteering. Our approach was proactive, thoughtful, collaborative and based solely on community-identified needs. While things came together quickly, each action item was made in response to input from the student volunteers and our partners and brought to fruition under the guidance of myself and the Director of Program Management, Rollin Johnson, Jr.
Hoos Helping is designed to channel the energy of our student volunteers into ethical service opportunities and avoid exacerbating existing social problems that our community members and schools are facing (always a concern when coordinating disaster volunteering). Volunteers participating in Hoos Helping Learners (HHL), our education-based initiative, have just finished training. They are now being matched with teachers and educators, youth-serving organizations in Charlottesville and Albemarle County, families who want support for distance learning, and local high school students who could use near-peer support as they finish out the school year. Additionally, spanish-speaking students are translating teacher-training and parent-facing documents on an as needed basis.
As we look ahead, we know that development of Hoos Helping initiatives will continue to expand, in alignment with our existing program goals, as community needs are identified. There is more work to be done and dedicated, innovative, inspired Madison House student volunteers and leadership stand at the ready.
Hoos Helping with Best Practices
If you’re keeping up with UVA news, you know that the Madison House volunteers participating in the Hoos Helping initiative are connecting with their Little Sibs (Big Sibs Program), organizing distance-based and virtual volunteering efforts, writing letters to their “adopted” Grandparents (Adopt-A-Grandparent), and much more. Dr. Rose Cole continues to work closely with our student Spring Action Team to organize, develop, and launch additional distance-based and virtual volunteering opportunities.
Recently, Dr. Cole and I were invited to participate on a panel and share Madison House best practices at a national webinar hosted by GivePulse, "COVID-19 & Virtual and Remote Volunteering." The session explored best practices and current efforts from an array of community-based organizations and educational institutions responding to the impact of COVID-19.
Rollin Johnson Jr., Director of Program Management
While the Hoos Helping virtual volunteer effort is locally focused, it’s exciting to be a part of larger national conversations on how to best organize volunteering during this critical time.