COVID-19, Community Partners, History, UVa Students, Volunteer Stories
Madison House
Looking Ahead, and Celebrating Over 50 Years of ...

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.

Looking Ahead, and Celebrating Over 50 Years of Madison House Tax Preparation
Volunteer Stories, UVa Students
Madison House
Student Leadership: Chelsea Li

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.

Student Leadership: Chelsea Li
Alumni, Volunteer Stories, Student Athletes
Madison House
Olympic Silver Medalist Paige Madden’s Madison ...

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.”

Olympic Silver Medalist Paige Madden’s Madison House Experience
UVa Students, COVID-19
Madison House
Madison House Youth Mentoring Volunteer ...

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.”

Madison House Youth Mentoring Volunteer Inspires Native American Youth Through Science
UVa Students, COVID-19
Madison House
Hoos Helping (Virtually!)

On March 11, 2020, all Madison House in-person volunteering was suspended in an effort to slow the emergence of COVID-19. Shortly after, a Spring Action Team headed by Madison House student volunteers Simmy Bhatia, Caroline Hallowell, and Mikaela Rirchardson worked in coordination with Dr. Rose Cole, the Madison House Director of Community Engagement, to begin developing a virtual volunteering initiative called "Hoos Helping."

Hoos Helping (Virtually!)
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Madison House's Mission of Service Continues through Hoos Helping

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“Hoos Helping” is a virtual volunteering initiative created by Madison House staff and student volunteers to respond to the COVID-19 crisis and address community needs. There are currently two major initiatives for the spring semester: “Hoos Helping Learners” and “Hoos Helping Send Encouragement & Gratitude.” However, Madison House program leaders are actively planning and identifying new ways to remain safely engaged with their community partners, our organization anticipates a number of new efforts will launch over the coming weeks.

Visit the Hoos Helping page to learn more!

Class of 2020: Aspiring Doctor Takes Aim at Health Inequities

Class of 2020: Aspiring Doctor Takes Aim at Health Inequities

Among the many University of Virginia experiences that have shaped Avery Bullock’s professional aspirations, two in particular stand out.

One is a sociology course that Bullock, who earned her undergraduate degree in biology from UVA in 2018 and will complete master’s in public health in May, took during her third year, “The Sociology of Health and Society.” It was one of her favorite sociology courses, and the discussions around how socioeconomic standing influences health felt like a clarion call to the aspiring physician, who will enter medical school in the fall.

“It just captured me,” said Bullock, a Richmond resident who grew up attending UVA football and basketball games. “I decided then to apply for the master’s in public health program before going to medical school.”

Another factor in that decision? Two senior ladies that Bullock met through Madison House’s Adopt a Grandparent program, which pairs UVA students with senior citizens in the Charlottesville community. Bullock has volunteered with the program for six years, meeting with the same two “grandmothers,” both of whom live in a low-income nursing home in Charlottesville.

“They have been crucial to my experience at UVA,” she said.

Full Speed Ahead: The Coronavirus Isn't Derailing Madison House From Its Mission

Full Speed Ahead: The Coronavirus Isn't Derailing Madison House From Its Mission

If there was ever any question about University of Virginia students’ desire to fulfill President Jim Ryan’s mission of the University being both great and good, it was answered in the immediate aftermath of the coronavirus pandemic hitting the commonwealth.

Just a few hours after being required to leave Grounds to quarantine, a whopping 600 students reached out to Madison House – the independent, nonprofit volunteer center for UVA students – to see how they could continue helping the community from a distance during the pandemic.

“I know how amazing UVA students are and how ingrained service is into the culture of our institution,” Rose Cole, director of community engagement at Madison House, said, “but I was surprised by how quickly the numbers climbed.