Rugby Road - Madison House

Madison House

Madison House serves as the student volunteer center at the University of Virginia. It coordinates volunteers, develops leaders, builds community partnerships and promotes lifelong volunteer service. It is a non-profit student-run organization that helps students at the University of Virginia give back to the University and the greater Charlottesville community through community service. Madison House is unique in that it is student-led and has a multi-tiered leadership and volunteer system. There are 19 programs in which more than 3000 volunteers participate on a weekly basis. University alumni play an important role in the operation of Madison House by donating money to support the programs. Madison House has been recognized nationally with prestigious awards for the services it provides.

Madison House originated in the Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) that was formed in 1856. The YMCA was founded on religious values and its members considered volunteer service a big part of their club. Membership declined in the late 1960s and the group considered disbanding. There were members, however, who still believed in the values of volunteer service so they reincorporated as the Masters and Fellows of Madison Hall. Madison House was operating at the same time with a focus on community service. The Masters and Fellows of Madison Hall grew rapidly; in order to sustain their group they sold their property to the University. In 1975, the two groups incorporated and formed Madison House.

The programs run through Madison House include Adopt-a-Grandparent, Animals and Environment, Athletics, Big Sibling, Bridging the Gap, Cavs in the Classroom, Day Care, English as a Second Language, HELP Line, Holiday Sharing, Hoos Against Hunger and Homelessness, Housing Improvement Program, Medical Services, Migrant Aid, Outreach Services, PLAY, Recreational Therapy, Tutoring, and Youth Mentoring. Each program is run by a Head Program Director, a student who bears responsibility for setting goals for the program, budgeting funds, coordinating events, and training the 10-11 Program Directors who work under them in the program. In all, there are about 200 Program Directors who are each in charge of about 10-25 volunteers within a specific program. It is their job to motivate and train volunteers, and they show their willingness to do this with a ten-hour-a-week time commitment. This leadership pyramid is supported at its base by over 3000 student volunteers. These are undergraduate students committed to work for between one and five hours per week on the program to which they belong. Overseeing everything is the staff of Madison House, composed of specialists trained at managing non-profit organizations. They are in charge of the Head Program Directors and help to connect many of the programs to the Charlottesville community. There is also a Board of Directors, with mixed student, University, and community representation, that determines the mission of the House and hires the Executive Director.

Madison House has received several awards for its service. In 1990, Madison House was designated a Point of Light by President George H. W. Bush. This award celebrates the success of the volunteers and spotlights the impact that various individuals, groups, businesses and families have made in their communities. In 2000, Madison House was the only Youth Volunteer group in Virginia to win the Governor’s award for volunteer community service.