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.”
After serving as the program director for Madison House’s Music Resource Center partnership last year, UVA third-year student Jack Engel is now a head program director for Madison House’s Youth Mentoring program. His journey from volunteer to program director to head program director has been a highlight of his time at UVA.
Jenna Delgado is a fourth-year UVA student and is in her third year of coaching basketball as a Madison House volunteer. Jenna has spent most of her life volunteering. As a kid, she worked with her mom, Tracy, to pack lunches for kids in the summer so that everyone in her community in Atlanta, Georgia, would be sure to have something to eat during the day. In middle school, Jenna started coaching basketball, something that has continued as a passion and interest of hers. But she never thought back then that she’d attend the same college as her mom and volunteer with the same organization.
Sonia Patel (she/her) is a fourth-year Cognitive Science major in the College of Arts & Sciences. Sonia is the president of Charlottesville Community Access to Resources, Exposure, and Support (Cville CARES), a CIO whose mission is to serve the underprivileged and underserved community of Charlottesville. Sonia also is a volunteer with Medical Services and Head Program Director for Tutoring with Madison House. Her post-graduation plans include attending medical school and becoming a physician in the future.
