NEED is a nonprofit college access program which is a lifeline to many young people who otherwise would not have had the guidance and resources to gain invaluable life skills, pursue higher education, and embark on a brighter future by obtaining financially successful careers. Many of our recipients are the first in their families to attend and be graduated from college which is a key component to ending the cycle of poverty and becoming powerful contributors to their families and communities.

Over the past 60 years, NEED has been a pacesetter to overcome historical disparities that have left minorities and the underserved at a tremendous disadvantage. The organization has developed a legacy that includes valuable college and career access for our region’s youth, as well as powerful mentoring and workforce diversity programs and an established educational tour to Historically Black Colleges and Universities. NEED has seen remarkable growth in our efforts to address many of the barriers to higher education through the growth of these programs and services. We have plans to expand these programs further to reach even more students as we continue to Build On Our Legacy for years to come. NEED has done so much for so long, with so little, we are now qualified to do anything. "It takes a village to raise a child" and we are grateful for all the charitable contributions which have allowed us to be the change agent in our youth's lives and making Dr. Martin Luther King's "I Have A Dream" become a reality.