Westchester Nonprofit Chosen from 2,500 Entries as National Award Finalist

YONKERS, NY, July 18, 2012 (Press-News.org) Yonkers Partners in Education (YPIE) has been nominated by Classy Awards, "The Oscars for charity, non-profits and philanthropic organizations," to win for best educational non-profit in the country. Out of more than 2,500 applicants, YPIE is one of five in the category and the only nonprofit in Westchester in the category. In order to win, the organization must generate the greatest number of online votes and be selected by a panel of nonprofit professionals. Voting runs until July 26th and can be done via Facebook (http://www.stayclassy.org/classy-awards/vote)

Says Wendy Nadel, YPIE's Executive Director, "This nomination affirms the great work our organization is doing to increase the number of students who graduate from high school and complete a post-secondary program. We need to raise awareness of our mission throughout Westchester and across the country - as other cities start to look to our work as a model."

YPIE competes for this award against some large national organizations with large fan bases. To encourage voting among Westchester residents and other people and groups interested in urban education, YPIE has put a challenge out to all the social media marketing companies in Westchester - and companies/groups with large online followings. "Post, tweet, share, and e-mail!" urges Nadel. "The more "fans" and "votes" we get, the greater the awareness of our programs." The voting link has also been shared with Westchester County legislators, business groups, retailers, and other companies who are active on Facebook. The marketing firm that comes up with the best viral marketing concept will be awarded with a ticket to YPIE's gala this fall at the Cross County Shopping Center, which is being catered by X2O.

People can vote for YPIE by going to this link http://www.stayclassy.org/classy-awards/vote, and clicking on East Region and the Educational Advancement category.

About Yonkers Partners in Education
Begun in 2007, Yonkers Partners in Education (YPIE) is a public education fund that works to increase the number of young people who graduate from high school and complete a post-secondary program. For more information about YPIE, visit http://www.ypie.org.

About the CLASSY Awards
The CLASSY Awards is the largest philanthropic awards ceremony in the country, celebrating the greatest charitable achievements by nonprofit organizations, socially conscious businesses, and individuals worldwide. In 2011, nearly 2,000 organizations and volunteers were nominated for a CLASSY Award, and their collective efforts impacted the lives of more than 200,000,000 people in 71 countries worldwide.