When you hear the name “United Way,” what do you think of? Are you thinking of 20 years ago and not today? The new approach of the United Way may be a surprise, and a reason for stronger engagement.
It's true that the United Way of Greater Los Angeles has been around for a while — 82 years, to be exact. Barbara Nelson, dean of the School of Public Affairs and a member of the board of the United Way of Greater Los Angeles, knows the new United Way. The Los Angeles United Way serves 250 agencies, with a three-part focus: education, economic empowerment and a community safety net.
Nelson has a special interest in the work of the United Way's Women's Leadership Steering Committee, on which she also sits, which helps women and men save for housing down payments, go to college or training schools, or start a small business.
“Asset-creating programs, like ‘Saving for the American Dream,' mean that the United Way is investing in the future of individuals and community together,” she said. “In the midst of Hurricane Katrina and the Asian tsunami, it is easy to forget we are a city of 4 million, a county of 10 million and a region of 18 million. The United Way allows me to donate money to people in my community whom I don't know, but with whom I share a common future and a common space. I deeply value making a better future for and with my neighbors.”
Information packets for this year's UCLA United Way campaign are being mailed to the campus community this week. Donors may contribute through April 21 and can elect to make a general contribution to the Bridging the Gap Fund or may choose to support any of 250 local agencies.
Last year, UCLA raised more than $221,000 for the United Way of Greater Los Angeles. Campaign officials are hoping to surpass that amount this year.
