• Photo courtesy of ePIFanyNOW

MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP - ePIFany now, a non-profit organization dedicated to creating positive transformational experiences through random acts of kindness, has announced this year’s finalists for the Y-PIF (Youth Passing it Forward) award. This award honors students in grades K – 12 who are spreading kindness and making positive contributions to their communities. This year, there are seven finalists from Michigan, and one from South Dakota, who are making positive changes in other’s lives.

“Six years ago I realized we were hearing a lot of negativity about youth and nothing positive. I thought well I know there’s some kids that are doing amazing things, let's give them a platform where we can tell their story. So we created the Y-PIF award,” said director Bob Hoffman.

The winner of the Y-PIF award will $500 from ePIFanyNow™, which will go to a pre-approved charity of the winner’s choice or towards further development of the winner’s in-kind project. All funds raised through the online voting process will also be awarded to the charities noted in those participants’ applications. Selected charities this year include the humane society and local food banks.

The public can vote for their favorite Y-PIF finalists online at www.epifanynow.org. The winning Y-PIF award recipient will be announced on Friday, July 30, 2021.

“They’re changemakers, and that’s what we need more of in our community,” Hoffman said.