Tuesday, April 29, 2003

Wilmington, NC – Programming for the week of May 5 for UNCW Community Link, a new interactive, public affairs television show, features a segment discussing the crisis of funding for nonprofit agencies and the psychological effects of war and terrorism.

This week Betty Ann Sanders speaks with UNCW political science professor Stephen Meinhold, the Cape Fear Area United Way’s vice president for community investment and agency relations, Laurie Taylor, and, in a pre-taped segment, Trisha Lester, vice president for North Carolina Center for Nonprofits. “These are challenging times for nonprofits. There is very little money to support the work that they do. After the events of September 11, many nonprofits were unsure how to proceed with fund raising. Currently, we’re observing that some groups who didn’t proceed are now in trouble,” said Lester.

On the other side of the coin, “annual giving has remained at two percent for over 20 years now,” said Meinhold. “The donor base is still here, it’s just shifting. People are still as giving, but their wallets aren’t as deep as they used to be.”

Also this week, H. E. “Hunter” Thompson, Jr. chats with Richard Ogle from the UNCW psychology department and Barbara Brooks, an area psychologist, about the toll war and terrorism takes on community members.

Betty Ann and Hunter both get the scoop on Fayetteville’s upcoming Festival of Flight from Patrick Tremblay with the Air Force Museum. Festival of Flight 2003 will run May 16 - 26. Expecting to draw over a half million people, it is “the biggest thing to hit Fayetteville since Ft. Bragg showed up,” Tremblay said.

UNCW Community Link reaches beyond the television studio to allow citizens to sound off on compelling issues facing Southeastern North Carolina. Hosts Betty Ann Sanders and Hunter Thompson engage and challenge the region’s newsmakers and opinion-shapers and then ask viewers to voice their opinions. Through collaboration with the Southeast Public Interest Network of North Carolina (www.SpinNC.org), citizens can use the latest Internet technologies to continue the dialog on show topics and community ideas.

UNCW-TV has won four Awards of Excellence from the Alliance for Community Media.

For more information about the mental health topics discussed on the show, please visit:

Counseling and Psychological Services: http://www.uncwil.edu/stuaff/SDS/index.html

Mayo Clinic Site for coping with stress related to war and terrorism:

http://www.mayoclinic.com/invoke.cfm?objectid=118EBF6B-8B14-4DFC-BC64BFC615E6FBCE

The National Mental Health Association:

http://www.nmha.org/

Tune into UNCW Community Link

Wilmington & Brunswick County 7:30 p.m. Mondays

4:30 p.m. Wednesdays

1:30 p.m. Thursdays

The Learning Network on Time Warner Ch 5 and Charter Communications Ch 12

Pender County 7:30 p.m. Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays

Government Channel 8

Carteret County/Havelock 8 p.m. Thursdays

Time Warner Channel 10

Jacksonville 7 p.m. Thursdays

Time Warner Channel 10