HELP Line (295-TALK) is an anonymous, confidential telephone service serving the residents of Charlottesville, Albemarle County and the University of Virginia. We are a student-run, student-operated program, staffed entirely of volunteers, affiliated with Madison House.
HELP Line receives calls concerning a
wide variety of subjects, including
depression, family turmoil, sexuality,
substance abuse, sexual assault,
suicide, and people who just need
someone to listen. Volunteers learn
how to deal with all types of calls
during HELP Line's four-month training
program.
HELP LINE is open 24 hours a day, 7
days a week during the academic
year. Active volunteers hold weekly
shifts, which consist of manning the
phones for 2-3 hours at the HELP Line
phone center at a confidential
location. Each semester, volunteers
also serve two overnight shifts, two
rotation shifts (2-3 hours on a
Saturday afternoon, for example), and
one exam shift (2-3 hours during one
day of exam week). Volunteers always
have at least one shift partner in the
HELP Line phone center.
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Impact Statement
Madison House, a student-run
organization that coordinates the work
of more than 3,300 student volunteers
each week. In 2006, volunteers
contributed 110,000 hours of service
as tutors, construction workers, peer
counselors and day care and patient-
service providers.
