For many UVA students, Madison House is a place to give back to the Charlottesville community—whether it’s mentoring kids, working in local clinics, or helping at food pantries and community gardens. But for a few lucky Hoos, service was a shared passion with their soulmate! This Valentine’s Day, we celebrate three UVA alumni couples who volunteered at Madison House during their undergraduate years.

Madison House alumni Stacy and Kevin Cunningham graduated together from the McIntire school in 2000. They met on move-in day in their first year dorm, Lefevre.

“Kevin’s room was next to the side-door to the street, so he helped a few girls move their stuff to the upper floors,” Stacy explains. After getting to know one another through living in Lefevre, taking McIntire prerequisites, and shared rides home to Northern Virginia, the two started dating in December 1998. Now, they have been together for over 25 years.

Leigh Ann and Cameron Webb, also Madison House alumni, met in their first year in the Chemistry building. “Cameron always jokes that we had great chemistry,” says Leigh Ann. Both of them graduated in 2005, with Cameron majoring in Echols Interdisciplinary Studies (Medical Anthropology) and Leigh Ann in Kinesiology. This coming year, they are celebrating their 16th wedding anniversary.

Amanda and Andrew McCormick crossed paths several times during their undergraduate years. “We were both very involved in a student ministry named Chi Alpha and really got to know each other when we were both RAs in neighboring old dorms as third years,” says Amanda. We were also both Madison House volunteers and spent a lot of time together at UVA sports games!”

Amanda graduated in 2006 with a combined Bachelor’s in English and Master of Teaching in Special Education, and Andrew graduated in 2005 with a degree in History and Politics.

Stacy was a Madison House volunteer all four years as an undergraduate, working with first grade students, tutoring a seventh-grade student with a learning disability, and helping at the local Boys and Girls Club. Kevin also volunteered at the Boys and Girls Club for three years and served as the Madison House Program Director during his last two years at UVA. During his fourth year, Kevin started a program at Madison House in conjunction with B.U.C.K.S., another UVA organization, to provide volunteers to help local students at the Charlottesville Housing Authority computer labs.

For the Cunninghams, times at the Boys and Girls Club not only provided an opportunity for them to spend time together, but also to get to know each other better.

“During the spring of my fourth year, Thursday afternoons became something I looked forward to every week. A group of my friends, including Stacy, joined me in volunteering at the club, and it provided a well-needed break from the grind of school,” says Kevin. “For a few hours, we could set aside our classwork, get off campus, and just immerse ourselves in playing sports and games with the kids—and with each other.

Kevin shares that spending time with Stacy outside of the classroom and usual social settings brought them closer. “Watching her interact with the kids, showcasing her incredible patience and great sense of humor, gave me a newfound appreciation for her,” says Kevin.

Similarly, Amanda and Andrew spent quality time together at Madison House. Though they volunteered in different programs—Andrew with Hoos Against Hunger and Homelessness and Amanda with several tutoring and mentoring programs—the building holds special memories. In addition to volunteering and service events, they would gather with friends for fun. They still have fond memories of their get togethers today—including watching the premiere of LOST at Madison House one night in 2004, which became a weekly tradition.

Leigh Ann volunteered as a Big Sibling while Cameron was a medical volunteer. Although they did not volunteer together, they were both recognized in 2018 as Madison House Alumni of the year.

“We got to take our daughter to the ceremony and it was cool to explain to her what Madison House meant to us and how it remains an important part of the student volunteer experience at UVA,” reflects Leigh Ann.

UVA Grounds itself also serves as a meaningful location for the Webbs and Cunninghams. Leigh Ann and Cameron got engaged at the Rotunda in 2007, and Stacy and Kevin were married in 2004 in the University Chapel.

Looking ahead, the McCormicks hope to keep UVA traditions alive in their family.

“Volunteering with Madison House was such a joy and honor, and we hope that some of our kids will follow in our orange and blue footprints at Madison House someday,” says Amanda. “Bonus points if it is our daughter Madison!”

By Cecilia Murphy

Hoos in Love: Madison House Alumni Couples

Meet Stacy and Kevin Cunningham, Leigh Ann and Cameron Webb, and Amanda and Andrew McCormick