Natalie Anderson has always loved kids. During her second year as an undergraduate at the University of Virginia, she made it official. “I realized I hadn’t devoted enough time giving back to the Charlottesville community, even though I had grown to love this place,” said Anderson, now a first-year UVA Law student. She decided to join the Madison House Big Siblings Program, drawn to the idea of a “deeply personal volunteering experience.”

“The program paired me with Jazhara, who was 5 years old at the time, and through her I met Jojo, who was 2,” she said. Now the kids are 10 and 8, and have known Anderson more than half their lives. “Looking back, it’s amazing how many of my favorite memories involve these two kids.”

Jojo, Natalie Anderson and Jazhara Anderson will often take her little siblings to play at parks around Charlottesville, take them out for ice cream, or play board games. The children love Halloween, so trick-or-treating on the Lawn was an annual must, and she once, with her sister and another undergrad friend, treated the kids to a visit at Great Wolf Lodge. “We had a blast exploring the water park, playing in the arcade and running around the hotel together,” she said. “More than anything, it’s been a joy to watch them grow into two vibrant, sweet, and respectful little people, and I’m so thankful to have them in my life.”

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