A Long, Rich History
WE CAME TOGETHER IN 1991...
Founded as an “educational” youth organization in November 1991, the organization achieved tax exempt status in May 1996. Formerly known as Youth Organized for Integrity & Nurturing Citizenship, Inc. (YO INC), youth ages 13 to 21 were recruited to conduct community service projects in Jackson, Mississippi, to learn leadership skills and have opportunities to determine their career choices before they graduated from high school and/or college. Youth developed the bylaws and determined the activities.
Technical Assistance Provider. From 1996 to 2003 volunteers assisted the organization to evolve to serve the whole family providing much needed information in rural and urban communities. In September 2003 the organization became a Certified Technical Assistance Provider based on the experience of the founder – Sandra Miller Edwards.
By collaborating with the U.S. Small Business Administration’s District Office in Jackson, MS, Ms. Edwards conducted group sessions throughout the state at colleges, universities, churches, chambers of commerce, and business locations. The organization was listed in the SBA Resource Guide and had MOUs with three (3) national lenders to assist business owners to apply for the SBA Community Express Loan. Between 2003 – 2009 the organization assisted 418 businesses to receive approximately $5 million.
After Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and the national economic decline, many businesses struggled to stay in business, and since that time, the business climate has changed where processes are driven by technology.