“Madison House has such a great way of giving access to volunteer experiences that are atypical — where you’re truly able to engage the community.”
Wei Lin is a 2018 graduate of the McIntire School of Commerce who volunteered with Madison House throughout his college career. As the child of non-English speaking immigrants, Lin saw his parents utilize and depend on social services like the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program to assist them when tax season rolled around. For this reason, when he came to UVA, he felt compelled to join Madison House’s Creating Assets, Savings, and Hope (CASH) program. CASH annually trains student volunteers to offer help during tax season, with each volunteer taking an exam to become IRS-certified. Their tax return accuracy rate is 99%.
Through CASH, which is part of the VITA program, Lin went out into the Charlottesville community to pay it forward and help more than 1,000 families struggling with filing their taxes. In his second year at the University, Lin became Head Program Director of the CASH Program and continued to volunteer in that position until he graduated.
Throughout his time with Madison House, he assisted numerous community members and formed bonds with his clients who he would help year after year. “Volunteering with CASH felt like I was coming full circle; being a part of it gave me a full view of both sides,” he said.
Lin learned through Madison House the importance of connecting with the community that surrounds him. He is now a member of the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) board at Guggenheim Partners in New York.
He left Charlottesville and the University knowing that everyone must trust in “your own ability to learn and do the best you can,” because, “even if you help one person — it is worth it.”
With support from donors like you, Madison House will be able to help more students reach out even further in the community, and learn the values of service that will extend throughout the rest of their lives.