Kindness in Action: ePIFanyNow Week of Kindness Returns to Mid-Michigan
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Something special is happening across Mid-Michigan.

For another year, neighbors, nonprofits, businesses, and volunteers are coming together with a simple goal: make life a little better for someone else. The ePIFanyNow Week of Kindness returns May 11-15, 2026, bringing with it a week of service projects, community partnerships, and everyday acts of generosity designed to create a ripple effect throughout the region.

At its core, the Week of Kindness is built on a belief that small actions can have a lasting impact. Whether it’s delivering meals, cleaning up a community space, assembling care packages, or helping a nonprofit tackle a project that’s been waiting for extra hands, every act matters.

For one week, that spirit of kindness takes center stage.
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*A Week Dedicated to Service*

Throughout the week, local nonprofits hosted volunteer opportunities that connected people directly to the work happening in their communities every day. Each project reflected a different need, but they all shared a common purpose: helping organizations expand their impact while giving volunteers an opportunity to make a meaningful difference.

This year’s featured nonprofit partners include:

CASA for Kids – Volunteers helped increase awareness of the organization’s fourth-floor library by bringing books, building bookcases, and updating conference room spaces.

Big Brothers Big Sisters – Teams spent time at Ranney Park behind Frandor, helping clean and improve a space used by the community.

Tri-County Office on Aging – Volunteers rode along on Meals on Wheels routes, helping deliver food and connection to older adults throughout the region.

Hospice of Lansing – Volunteers assisted with outdoor cleanup projects, helping maintain the welcoming environment that supports patients and families.

Positive Somebody – Working alongside the Lansing Commons Soccer Team, volunteers assembled and delivered mental health care packages for teachers in the Lansing School District.

These projects may look different on the surface, but together they tell a larger story about what happens when a community decides to show up for one another.
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*Sharing Stories of Impact*

One of the most powerful parts of the Week of Kindness is seeing the impact unfold in real time. With support from WSYM FOX 47, stories from volunteer projects throughout the week were shared across the community, highlighting the people, organizations, and moments that make Mid-Michigan stronger.

These stories remind us that kindness isn’t just a concept. It’s action. It’s the volunteer who gives up a morning to help a nonprofit complete an important project. It’s the organization that continues serving families, children, seniors, and neighbors every day. It’s the person who decides to help, even when nobody is watching.

When those stories are shared, they inspire others to do the same. That’s how kindness grows.
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The Grand Finale: Day of Kindness Community Celebration

The Week of Kindness culminated on May 15, 2026, with the annual Day of Kindness Community Celebration. This year’s event brought together volunteers, nonprofit leaders, community partners, and supporters to reflect on the impact created throughout the week and celebrate the people who continue to make Mid-Michigan a better place to live.

It’s an opportunity to meet local organizations, hear stories of service and resilience, and connect with others who believe positive change starts at the community level.

The celebration also included one of the event’s most meaningful traditions: the presentation of the Chris Rosati Hero Award.
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*Honoring a Life of Service*

The ePIFanyNow Board of Directors established the Chris Rosati Hero Award in 2018. The award honors individuals who embody the spirit of paying kindness forward and whose actions create a lasting ripple effect throughout their communities. Named after Chris Rosati of Durham, North Carolina, the award recognizes those who dedicate themselves to helping others and inspiring acts of kindness wherever they go.

This year’s recipient is a person whose impact has been felt across Mid-Michigan for decades.
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*Meet the 2026 Chris Rosati Hero Award Recipient: Irv Nichols*

For nearly seven decades, Irv Nichols has been a force for good in the Greater Lansing community. Since moving to East Lansing in 1957, Nichols has dedicated his life to public service, advocacy, and community leadership. His work has touched countless lives through healthcare, volunteerism, humanitarian efforts, and civic engagement.

During his time with the American Red Cross, he helped build a significant blood donor program by engaging Michigan State University students and thousands of regional auto workers. He also played a key role in the creation of Lansing’s hospice services. Through his leadership and relationships, he helped secure a major grant from the Dart Foundation that ultimately led to the construction of Stoneleigh Hospice Care.

As a member of Rotary, Nichols is especially proud of the club’s work supporting the Lost Boys of Sudan. Through those efforts, more than 300 Sudanese refugees were welcomed and assisted as they built new lives in the Lansing area.

His legacy reflects exactly what the Chris Rosati Hero Award represents: a commitment to serving others and creating opportunities for people to thrive.
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*The Ripple Continues*

The Week of Kindness is about more than a single week on the calendar. It’s a reminder that communities are built through relationships, service, and a willingness to care for one another. Every volunteer project completed. Every nonprofit supported. Every act of generosity shared.

Together, they create a ripple effect that extends far beyond one day or one event.

As Mid-Michigan gathered once again for the 2026 ePIFanyNow Week of Kindness, the invitation was simple: get involved, meet your neighbors, support local nonprofits, and discover what can happen when kindness leads the way.