For Immediate Release October 25, 2005

For More Information Contact: Rich Schneider, 317-278-4564 rcschnei@iupui.edu

McBride Urges IUPUI Community to Contribute to United Way Campaign

Angela Barron McBride, PhD, RN, FAAN, distinguished professor, former university dean of the IU School of Nursing (1991-2003), current member of the IUSON faculty and university dean emerita.

INDIANAPOLIS - It comes as no surprise that one way Angela McBride looks at United Way of Central Indiana is through the lens of nursing.

"I have direct knowledge of many of the service agencies funded by United Way and how important they are to the community," said McBride, distinguished professor, former university dean of the IU School of Nursing (1991-2003), and current member of the IUSON faculty for 28 years.

McBride, who is on the board of United Way of Central Indiana and one of the co-chairs of the IUPUI United Way campaign, said, "Looking through the lens of nursing I see the value of United Way agencies, particularly in supporting families and supporting programs that assist children from birth until they start school."

In recent, years, McBride noted, government has not always provided the level of support she believes it should to meet the growing needs of families with young children. "I don't think government is doing enough particularly to meet the needs of the working poor. I wish they did more."

"United Way, in a thoughtful and responsible way, is putting scarce resources in the right places," McBride said. The organization is able to do that because it does far more than just channel funds to service agencies, she added.

"United Way supports the agencies it funds so that they thrive as organizations," she said.

As the IUPUI campaign draws to a close, she cited several myths that may lead people to think their contributions are not vital to their community.

"A lot of people are comforted by the thought of a safety net which may or may not exist in the areas they think it does," she said. "They may even not want to give because they think this is what government should be doing, but that doesn't help people who need help in our city."

Another myth is that United Way only serves the poor. In fact, McBride said, "the people who are assisted by United Way are a lot more like you and me than people understand. We all profit from programs that encourage independence for older adults, support families struggling with drug problems, and help children move ahead developmentally."

McBride also hopes that no one will allow a dislike of one particular service agency to get in the way of contributing to United Way by directing their contribution to community priorities they do support.

Make your pledge online by going to the IUPUI United Way website at www.iupui.edu/~uwaycamp. ###