September 21, 2007
Women in the DeKalb area will be better informed of the support available when experiencing an unplanned pregnancy thanks to a grant given by the McKesson Foundation. The grant provides funding to the NIU College of Business Experiential Learning Center (ELC) for market research and assistance to the We Care Pregnancy Center.
The research and assistance will be the focus of a semester long ELC project. The spring project will be staffed by junior, senior and graduate level students and coached by Dr. Mark Rosenbaum of the College of Business Marketing Department. Next May, the team of students will make recommendations based on their research to the We Care Pregnancy Center Board of Directors who will then implement the team's plan.
"We were delighted to have a partner like McKesson Corporation willing to support this important project," says Jane Mall, director of Corporate Relations & Experiential Learning with the NIU College of Business. "Depending on the situation, an unplanned pregnancy can be frightening. Raising awareness of the support offered in our community will help ease the worry and fear."
The We Care Pregnancy Center, located in DeKalb, Illinois offers services and support to women experiencing unplanned pregnancies and post abortion. The Board of Directors asked the ELC for help in examining the competition, the target audience, and the market situation. They've also asked the ELC to create a marketing plan and creative strategy that presents the We Care Pregnancy Center message most effectively to their target audience.
"The McKesson Foundation's generous donation will make a very real and positive difference in women's lives. As students at NIU create a new marketing plan for We Care, they will improve both the accessibility to healthcare services and the support for those facing an unplanned pregnancy. We Care Pregnancy Center is grateful to McKesson Foundation for investing in building a healthier community," says Patty Bridgeman, We Care Pregnancy Center Board member.
The McKesson Foundation contributes $5 million every year to non-profit organizations working to improve the health of our communities. Grants are focused on organizations and programs providing access to healthcare services for low-income children and are made in cities where McKesson Corporation has the greatest concentration of employees.
The NIU College of Business ELC connects teams of NIU students with organizations to tackle real-world business issues. Students serve as junior consultants addressing non-mission critical, cross functional business issues. Throughout the 16-week semester, ELC teams are guided by a faculty coach and assisted by an organizational sponsor. Teams apply the ELC project methodology, as well as the knowledge, skills and theories learned in the classroom, to each unique project. For more information about the ELC, please visit www.cob.niu.edu/elc.