The NEED Podcast

Celebrating Scholars, Fueling Futures: NEED's Annual Dinner Turns Recognition Into Opportunity

• Dr. Marcia Sturdivant • Episode 11

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What Is The Significance Of The Annual NEED Dinner?

A red carpet. A packed ballroom. Hundreds of voices cheering as students’ names, majors, and destinations are read aloud. This is the NEED Dinner—our annual, student-centered celebration where recognition becomes momentum and a community shows up to launch scholars into college with pride and purpose.

We walk you through the meaning behind every choice: a formal sit-down meal that says “get used to this,” African drummers and cultural touchstones that affirm identity, and a dais that centers students, not speeches. You’ll hear how scholarships at the dinner symbolize recognition within a wider ecosystem of support, and why bringing sophomores and juniors to watch turns distant dreams into near-term goals. Parents sit in a dedicated section to cheer. Churches fill “church row” and compete to fund a scholarship for a congregant. Fraternities, sororities, colleges, judges, and civic leaders come to witness, applaud, and invest in the next class.

We also share practical paths to support. Donors and business partners can engage early in the year to align with the May date, start or continue named scholarships, or volunteer when funds aren’t possible. Grants and foundations are vital, but it’s often the number of contributors—not just the size of gifts—that changes a student’s path. A standout memory captures the heart of the night: a retired teacher, once a Need recipient, receives a spontaneous standing ovation from former students who cry out, “You were my teacher!” Impact echoes when communities celebrate their own.

If you believe public celebration can be a catalyst, you’ll find the blueprint here: culture, recognition, and resources working together to lift students into higher education. Subscribe for more stories that center students and expand access, share this episode with a friend who loves mentoring, and leave a review to help more people join this mission.

To learn more about NEED visit:
https://www.NEEDLD.org
NEED
429 Fourth Avenue, 20th FL, Suite 2000
Pittsburgh, PA 15219
412-566-2760



SPEAKER_00:

Welcome to the Need Podcast, highlighting students, partners, and advocates. Presented by me and hosted by Dr. Marcia Sturtevent, President and CEO, this series highlights the impact of mentoring, philanthropy, and collaborative partnerships that empower students' triumphant entry into and progression through higher education. Whether you're applying for scholarships or supporting the mission, you'll find insights that inform, inspire, and empower.

SPEAKER_02:

One evening each year brings together community celebration and support for students. Let's talk about the Need Dinner. Welcome back, everyone. I'm Julie Schwenzer, co-host and producer in the studio with Dr. Marcia Sturdevant, president and CEO of Need. Dr. Sturtavan, again, it's great to talk with you.

SPEAKER_01:

It's great seeing you and talking with you too.

SPEAKER_02:

Thank you so much. So you touched on this in our last episode. We can't wait to hear more. What is the significance of the annual Need Dinner?

SPEAKER_01:

The significance is that we bring together some of the best students across the region that are starting to embark on their college journey. But the best thing is that so many different walks of life come to our dinner. We have sometimes at least 600, but it's going up to as many as 750 people come out and celebrate and acknowledge these students as they move on to college. We're not giving scholarships. This is scholarship dinner, but we award scholarships to these students. But these scholarships are special scholarships. They don't represent the totality of all the scholarships that we give out. But there are students that we want to recognize and celebrate. And that's one thing, too, that we take much pride in this event, that our dinner is celebratory. Because we know that African American children aren't celebrated. If they've done something wrong, you'll see that on the news. But generally, we don't get the opportunity or use the opportunity to celebrate the good things in our community. And our children need to hear it. The larger community needs to hear it. And students who may not have that idea that they can go to college, they need to hear it as well. So at our dinner, we um top flight, you know, we uh bring out the best because our students deserve the best. And parents are there. Uh our churches are there. In fact, we have what we call a church row where the churches come out and uh help us. We celebrate, they celebrate with us. And the church with the highest number of tickets sold, you know, gets um, we get a give us the church a scholarship so that they can uh award, you know, one of their congregants. We have fraternities and sororities that come out and celebrate colleges and universities that come and celebrate uh judges, politicians, just about everyone who is interested in the education of our students, uh, you know, come out and celebrate with us. We do a red carpet that again, we want our community to know that these students have worked hard, they've done good things, and they're going to continue to do good things on behalf of our community. So we put all the red carpet, and the students walk up, uh, each of their names are announced, uh, what high school they are going to, what they're going to major in college, and more importantly, what college they're going to. And we cheer each and every one of them as they enter the ballroom and go to the dais. And it is such a uh just a moving event to see these students sent the center of attention. And uh they also report that it's one of their highlights, you know, of the evening. And uh students, we bring some of our students who are you know lower classes, juniors and sophomores, so that they can see what's in store, you know, for them. We have music, uh it's very much an African-centered approach. We have African drummers there, um, as well as sometimes we'll have uh some type of entertainment there, someone showcasing their talents, you know, as well. And we give um homage and and um celebration to community members, adult community members, which generally are former need alums, and present them with community champion awards. And that's always so very uh touching and moving for us as well. The uh dinner is it's we end with uh dancing and you know celebration, but each student again is highlighted, the spotlight is on them, we talk about them, we celebrate them, and then we award uh their scholarships. We know that when you invest in students and not just in monetary ways, but time and celebration, that has an impact on their life. So we want to send every student out on a good note, you know, you're you're here for college, you're you're going to college, and we're so very proud of you.

SPEAKER_02:

And what time of the year does this take place? Is this this is after all the you know college acceptance letters have been, you know, all that's gone. So this is like late spring.

SPEAKER_01:

Yes, late spring. In fact, our dinner is usually in May. And this year it's May the 1st, 2026. Uh, and it's about three hours long. We don't spend a long, long time because it's always very, you know, to the point that uh we celebrate our heroes and heroines of the past, uh, the present and the future. And uh we have a course of reception where you know the media comes in and highlights and and uh you know speaks with us as well as some of the some of the students. It's uh formal sit-down dinner because we tell our students get used to this lifestyle because that's what you'll be. I love that. Love that and um like I said, it's upbeat, uplifting, and uh we play our music as well as some of the music that the uh young folks like uh because it is for them, you know. So many times we have such some of these events, but it's not student-centered or kids-centered, and we want it to be um formal, but we also want it to be fun and celebratory for you know for our students.

SPEAKER_02:

Give the parents a little fun too with some of their music, right?

SPEAKER_01:

Yes, exactly, exactly. And the parents, they you know, they get to see their student, their their child, you know, the center of attention in a public place. And uh all of the parents that come, you know, they're um they they come at our expense, and uh they have a special section of the ballroom so that they can uh cheer for their for their child as well.

SPEAKER_02:

This just sounds like an extraordinary event. Um what about donors and and business partners or someone that wants to support? How early do they need to get involved? Um, how do they reach out to you guys if they want to help support this event in particular?

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, uh they can look at us, uh, reach out to us at the office as well. We'll send out uh donor requests. And it's interesting that we have so many private donors who will start scholarships or continue scholarships uh on say their behalf. Uh it's it's very rewarding when people will start a scholarship and uh they can decide you know what they want in terms of uh what kind of student. And we announce all of those scholarships, uh, but as early as you can at the beginning of the year, because like I said, our dinner is usually in May. So at the beginning of the year, people can donate. You know, we advertise everywhere about the dinner, so people well informed, and we always get a great reception from donors and people interested in providing resources for us. Like there's also volunteer opportunities because everyone can't donate, you know, financially, but you can donate your time. Uh, but we don't have any challenges with getting people to come out and celebrate, celebrate our cause. And we're very thankful for that. We have uh donors that are just tremendous around uh the amount of resources that they'll give uh on behalf of you know aspiring students, and while we'll take donations uh from anyone, it's great to see people from our community come back, serve our serve the uh kids in our community, and also serve us and support us. We operate off of grants as well. We have some very generous foundations here and philanthropic organizations here in Pittsburgh, and we're grateful for that. But sometimes it doesn't take a whole lot, and people think that it takes a whole lot. It's the number of donors that can make the difference in the uh life of a child. So if you're interested in that, uh just give us a call or you can reach us on our website and we'll send someone or uh to return the call or talk to you about how you can also uh help us or continue the legacy of need.

SPEAKER_02:

Well, thank you so much, Dr. Surtevant. And a last question for you, and I'm sure there are so many moments, but can you share one memorable one with us about something that took place at one of these uh Need annual dinners because it sounds like you know some amazing things are happening and students are getting the experience of a lifetime or something they you know they haven't encountered something like this before in a lot of cases?

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah. Oh, I have so many stories. Um I think one of the most memorable for me was uh a former, we were giving out a uh community champion award, and it was a former teacher who had longed ago, you know, had retired, and she was a former knee recipient, and uh had also done things to help me continue uh, you know, our our our program. And when we called her up, the entire audience stood and gave her a standing invasion. And her reaction uh was just so touching because she was surprised that people remembered her. Uh, because many of the people that stood would say, You were my teacher, they were yelling out, and to see you know the tears from her and her family was one of the most moving experiences. She said, I never knew that I had made that difference, and here she had, and many of the people that she didn't even know she had made the difference were there in that auditorium to celebrate her.

SPEAKER_02:

Well, that's amazing. Thank you for sharing that, and that just shows you know the the alumni from this program how extraordinary all of you are.

SPEAKER_01:

Yes, absolutely, absolutely. We have uh tons of those alumni stories where you know we celebrate, celebrated, but so many of the students, the current students that are receiving scholarships, they'll come up at the end of the dinner and thank us and tell us, you know, how this is going to make a difference and how we've made a difference in their lives. And they're so excited to be able to embark on their college journey, and we're there just you know, just pleased that our small part, whatever we can do, that we have touched a student or a child in some ways, and that's really what it's all about. What have you done in your life to help someone move forward?

SPEAKER_02:

Oh, that's a wonderful way to wrap this up. Thank you, Dr. Sturdevan.

SPEAKER_01:

Thank you, and you have a great holiday.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, you too. And we're we're so excited you you know taught us about the annual Need Dinner and how it brings a community together and celebrates the mission of this organization. Uh, we love it all. Thank you again.

SPEAKER_01:

Oh, you're welcome. My pleasure.

SPEAKER_00:

Thank you for listening to the Need Podcast. To apply for scholarships, access support, or learn how you or your organization can get involved, visit www.neadld.org. Email needph at gmail.com or call 412 566 2760. Need unlocking the power of education for students, families, and the future of our region.