Est. 1988
Est. 1988
Est. 1988
Easterns Automotive Group and Fox 5 DC are always looking for someone who is doing great things to make a difference in the community. Just recently, their Pay It Forward segment with Fox 5 DC was nominated for an Emmy Award by the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. It is so wonderful to see such a positive segment get noticed that touches many lives across the Washington DC, Maryland, and Virginia community. This week’s Pay It Forward segment is special for several reasons. A small child by the name of Callie Linscott was born with a rare medical condition. Her parents struggled to find her the proper care but eventually found a specialist in New York to help her with her needs. She was diagnosed with a life-threatening condition called pulmonary hypertension which greatly affected the family. Living in Virginia comes with its fair share of obstacles in terms of getting Callie’s medication. There are three types of medication that she must take three times a day along with a pump attached to her. Callie’s parents, Nikki and Warren Linscott coordinate with various pharmacies around the clock to make sure the medicine is ordered. However, some instances arise where shipments can be missed or overlooked.
The family ran into a bit of unexpected trouble on the Friday before Easter when they were alerted by Walgreens that there was a nationwide shortage of Callie’s medications. They were told that the medications would not be available for a few weeks. At this point, they only had a two day supply left. Local pharmacist, Laura Thomas was on the phone with Nikki and offered to try to help locate the medications. Thomas called the Linscott family back with great news. The medication was located at a store 100 miles away and she offered to pick it up. She woke up the next morning and drove for over two hours to pick up the medication and make sure that it was at the store on Monday. Thomas sacrificed her Easter Sunday to because she knew that Callie’s life depended on these medications. Needless to say, the Linscott family was thrilled and honored that she would even go the extra mile. When Fox 5 DC and Easterns Automotive Group got wind of Thomas’ actions, they had no choice but to Pay It Forward for her selfless deed and compassion that she showed to Callie as a sick child. Joel Bassam of Easterns Automotive Group was on site with Erin Como and Fox 5 DC cameras to gift Thomas with a spa day for two at the Salamander Resort and Spa and couple dinner at Texas de Brazil: Brazilian Steakhouse. We thank Laura Thomas for going above and beyond and showing how important it is for a pharmacist to have a caring relationship with their patients.
If you know someone in the DC, Maryland, and Virginia area that goes above and beyond the call and is worthy of being recognized, Click here to nominate them.
Watch the video to see the way everything unfolded.
Animals have a very special place in the ecosystem. For this reason, organizations and individuals that care for and help animals should be celebrated. Easterns Automotive Group and WUSA 9 found an incredible nonprofit that is doing wonders for animals in the DC, Maryland, and Virginia community. Located in Gaithersburg, Maryland (Montgomery County), Second Chance Wildlife Center helps to rehabilitate thousands of wild animals each year with the hopes of returning them to their natural habitat. This is possible with the help of their incredible staff and volunteers that spend countless hours working to ensure that the animals receive proper care and attention. Second Chance is a 501c3 nonprofit organization so they run solely on donations in order to stay afloat and cover the costs they need. Rehabilitating animals comes with many costs depending on the severity of a particular animal’s injury. Second Chance does not release the animals back to wildlife until they are completely healed and ready to take on nature.
WUSA 9 and Easterns Automotive Group wanted to really make a difference in these animals’ lives. Known for giving back in the community, Easterns put their money where their mouth is once again. Joel Bassam of Easterns Automotive Group was on hand to present Maureen Smith of Second Chance Wildlife Center with a check for $2,000. These funds will go a long way in terms of caring for the animals. Hopefully this inspires you to give back in your own community. Second Chance is always accepting donations, volunteers, and interns. Please visit www.scwc.org to find out how you can get involved.
If you want to learn more about Easterns Automotive Group’s partnership with WUSA 9 and how they come together to empower the community, please visit www.wusa9.com/BetterCommunity
Reese Waters and the wonderful Get Up DC staff are always looking for amazing ways to give back to the community. This week was no exception. They reached out to Easterns Automotive Group and the rest was history. Together, they found the wonderful Lucky Dog Animal Rescue non-profit organization. Waters went to their HQ in Arlington, VA to talk about the amazing work that they do. The Lucky Dog staff him a brief run down of their organization. Lucky Dog was founded in 2009 and since then has saved over 14,000 dogs and cats. Animals that they rescue stay with volunteers until they find stable home for them. Finding a match is important to them so they put the animal and potential owner through a match making process to ensure that there is a match. Lucky Dog is a phenomenal organization that understands the importance of animals and their care. After the visit, Waters walked the Lucky Dog team to his car where he had a trunk full of dog food. Easterns Automotive Group thought it would be perfect to donate dog food because they know and understand the amount of dogs they are responsible for. If you would like to learn more about Lucky Dog Animal Rescue, their animal services, and ways you can help – please click here.
Thanks to the wonderful team at WUSA 9’s Get Up DC, Easterns Automotive Group was able to partner with them for another great cause. Reese Waters of Get Up DC joined Donnie Simpson of Uprising Muffin Company in the District to help deliver some muffins to a few teachers. They stopped by Cleveland Elementary School in Northwest DC to chat with teachers about the incredible impact that they have on their students. After the chat, the teachers were pleased to enjoy their muffins. The next stop was Bread for the City which is a nonprofit organization that helps Washington DC residents living with low income. They provide food, clothing, medical care, and legal and social services to those in need. The volunteers are so happy doing their job that it was nice for them to be recognized and celebrated for their hard work. It is certainly wonderful when people of different walks of life can come together and accomplish a great task that benefits others. If you would like to learn more about Bread for the City, their services, and ways you can help – please click here.
The District of Columbia is known for various historic African American historic grounds. One of these places is the Woodlawn Cemetery located on Benning Road in Southeast DC. The cemetery sits on 22 acres of land with about 36,000 people buried there. Some notable figures that are buried at Woodlawn Cemetery include Blanche K. Bruce, Wilson Bruce Evans, and John Wesley Cromwell. Blanche K. Bruce was the very first black Republican senator to serve full term in Congress. Wilson Bruce Evans was a prominent abolitionist that owned a house on the Underground Railroad. His house was a frequent stop for travelers such as Harriet Tubman. John Wesley Cromwell was a lawyer, teacher, civil servant, journalist, historian, and civil rights activist. However, even though Woodlawn Cemetery was their final resting stop, the land was not well maintained over the years. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1996 but still nothing had been done about the land being overgrown and very dangerous.
Thanks to Tyrone Carter and the Woodlawn Cemetery Association, they took it upon themselves to step up and revitalize the historic cemetery. It was important to them to have the families of deceased loved ones to make the land clean and neat for tourists. Something that is a tremendous part of history like shouldn’t just be left untreated. For this reason, Fox 5 DC and Easterns Automotive Group teamed up to Pay It Forward by helping the Woodlawn Cemetery Association continue the restoration process. Joel Bassam of Easterns announced that they will be donating $5,000 worth of landscaping courtesy of SML services. With these funds, they will be able to clear debris and replace headstones. It is important that Woodlawn Cemetery gets back to its original condition. Shout out to both Tyrone Carter and the Wood lawn Cemetery Association for their incredible work!
If you know someone in the DC, Maryland, and Virginia area that goes above and beyond the call and is worthy of being recognized, Click here to nominate them.
Watch the video to see the way everything unfolded.
Teacher Appreciation Week took place from May 5th through the 11th. Easterns Automotive Group and Fox 5 DC connected to Pay It Forward to a group of incredible educators at Randle Highlands Elementary School in Southeast DC. Being a teacher in America is one of the hardest jobs anyone can have. The level of patience, care, and knowledge that it takes to educate children is truly remarkable. Many times, teachers are not appreciated and celebrated on the level that they should be. Mike Thomas of Fox 5 DC was on hand to highlight all of the wonderful teachers and the impact that they have on their students. Mrs. Wilson was one of the teachers that allowed cameras in her classroom during a short presentation that she did for her students. Like many teachers, her goal overall is to ensure that the children are having fun throughout the process of learning.
The group of teachers at Randle Highlands Elementary School is truly an incredible bunch because they operate as a family. This is not an easy feat while serving over 350 students but they remain dedicated to their craft. For their tremendous contributions, Easterns and Fox 5 DC surprised them all with a catered breakfast, notebooks, and a $50 dollar gift card for every teacher. It is extremely important that teachers everywhere know how much they mean to the community. They are the leading force in pushing our children to be the best they can be.
If you know someone in the DC, Maryland, and Virginia area that goes above and beyond the call and is worthy of being recognized, Click here to nominate them.
Watch the video to see the way everything unfolded.
Mother’s Day is just around the corner! This is a special time of the year for mothers across the world to be recognized, appreciated, and celebrated for all of their hard work. Being a mother is a hard job but being a mother in the military is another level of difficulty. Fox 5 DC captured a very special moment last month when they followed Shadia Everett of Fairfax County, Virginia to surprise her son, James at his school. James is a student at Riverside Elementary School in Alexandria, Virginia. As a Navy petty officer, Everett was only given one week to visit the U.S. and leave her station at Camp Lemonnier in Djibouti, Africa. The joy and excitement on both of their faces spoke volumes. Small moments like that become memories that last a lifetime especially when you are unable to see your loved ones everyday.
Easterns Automotive Group was so inspired by the clip that they decided to partner with Fox 5 DC to Pay It Forward. Initially, Everett was the one trying to surprise her son but this time she was the one to get surprised. Easterns and Fox 5 DC came together to provide Everett, James, and close family members with a limo ride to the National Harbor in Oxon Hill, Maryland. The family was treated to an early Mother’s Day brunch since Everett won’t be home the actual holiday. It was a very special day for the family because it truly does take a village to raise a child. While Everett is deployed, James is in the loving care of his grandparents, aunt, cousins, and even church members. Mother figures are extremely important because James is still able to receive that love even though his mom is not always able to be present. All of these wonderful people did not hesitate to step up to the plate and help while Everett is hard at work hoping to provide a nice future for both her and James. We would like to send a special shout out to each and every single mother that works tirelessly to provide for their family. You are loved and appreciated!
If you know someone in the DC, Maryland, and Virginia area that goes above and beyond the call and is worthy of being recognized, Click here to nominate them.
Watch the video to see the way everything unfolded.
Easterns and WUSA 9 are back! They pair recently joined forces to do a brand segment of their Road to a Better Community series. It was important for them to end the month of April on a positive yet inspirational note. Both were able to accomplish this by finding and highlighting Laurel Advocacy & Referral Services, Inc (LARS). LARS is 501c3 non-profit organization that serves both homeless and low-income families in Laurel, Maryland. With Laurel stretching across 3 counties, they are able to impact the residents of Prince George’s, Howard, and Anne Arundel Counties. An incredible team of local social workers run the program and keep it going. Being that LARS is a non-profit, they survive on financial donations and volunteer support from their faith-based partner organizations. Some of their stats for March 2019 include 469 bags of food distributed, 77 referrals, and 5 households assisted with rent (just to name a few). They are doing such great work helping people in the community achieve stability. We need organizations like LARS all across the county to help those in need. Sometimes, all people need is someone to show them love and compassion that can be used as motivation to move in a positive direction.
WUSA 9 and their camera crew went to the LARS Headquarters to meet the staff. The LARS team received a huge surprise when Joel Bassam of Easterns Automotive Group presented the organization with a check donation of $2,500. This money will be used to help atleast 2-3 households with rent along with adding food to the food pantry. More people will now be helped which is truly amazing. If you would like to learn more about LARS and see how you can get involved by volunteering or making a monetary donation, please click here.
If you want to learn more about Easterns Automotive Group’s partnership with WUSA 9 and how they come together to empower the community, please visit www.wusa9.com/BetterCommunity
Easterns and Fox 5 DC are still on their mission to Pay It Forward to deserving people who are committed to working selflessly to help others and better the community. This week, Prince George’s County resident, Charlene McCall is being highlighted for her efforts. McCall has been volunteering for the Fuller Center for Housing in Brentwood, Maryland for 23 years. She spends 8 hours a day volunteering and working to serve others in the community. The Fuller Center for Housing is a faith driven non-profit organization that works to end poverty housing by promoting partnerships with individuals and community groups to build and rehabilitate homes for people in need. They are able to help seniors and veterans especially because many are on a fixed income and have limited funds for any possible repairs needed. McCall’s role has been sorting donations, answering calls, and assisting the thrift store. For all her time there, she has managed to go above and beyond for nothing in return. Even when she was offered a salary, she turned it down. McCall is someone who truly loves and enjoys sharing her time and services with others. The joy that she is able to bring people is the reason that she’s been able to keep going.
Fox 5 DC and Easterns Automotive Group recently went to the Fuller Center of Housing Thrift Store in Brentwood, MD to personally Pay It Forward to McCall for her amazing work. Joel Bassam of Easterns Automotive Group surprised her with a check for $1,500 along with a spa day a Cosmedica Natural Day Spa. What a well deserved treat for her incredible work! This day was also special because it was Fox 5 DC’s own, Allison Seymour’s birthday. Bassam gifted her with flowers and cupcakes to show her some birthday love on behalf of the Easterns family. If you would like to learn more about The Fuller Center for Housing and find ways that you too can get involved to help others, please click here.
If you know someone in the DC, Maryland, and Virginia area that goes above and beyond the call and is worthy of being recognized, Click here to nominate them.
Watch the video to see the way everything unfolded.
The Fairfax County Police Association (FCPA) represents over 1,000 police officers in Fairfax County, Virginia. Their overall mission is to reach the various goals and objectives for the men and women in the police force. Unity is very important to them because technically they are a family. Most of them spend more time with each other than their actual families so it is important to have a close bond. It makes policing much better when they are operating from a place of love, compassion, and understanding. During times of crisis, the association is able to respond to members and their families to assist where they can. The FCPA also provides benefits to police offers and support staff. They are able to be the standard for what an association should be especially with the negative media narrative surrounding police as a whole in this country.
With the FCPA being a not-for-profit organization, it relies on donations to continue to help the men and women of the Fairfax County Police Department and the communities that they serve. The donations received make it possible for them to continue bringing people in the communities together along with promoting positivity and kindness. We need organizations like this to change the negative stereotypes of police officers in America. Easterns Automotive Group (Eastern Motors) is one of the DMV’s premier car dealerships offering 7 locations throughout Washington DC, Maryland, and Virginia. Since Easterns started over 30 years ago, they have always been a company that is big on philanthropy and finding ways to better the community. Joel Bassam, Director of Marketing at Easterns, presented the FCPA with a donation of $1,000 to continue their great work uniting not only the police department but also people in the community. Please click here to learn more about the FCPA and find ways that you can contribute.
When it comes to Fox 5 DC and Easterns Automotive Group, giving back to the community is a year-round activity. Through their Pay It Forward campaign, they are able to highlight individuals who show selfless acts of kindness and those working to bring the community closer together. The government shutdown affected hundreds of thousands of people back in January. Many families suffered during this time because federal workers were not getting paid. Without pay it makes it very hard to provide basic necessities such as food. Prince William County teen resident, Eric McKay stepped up to the plate and donated his lifetime supply of peanut butter to furloughed government workers. McKay suffers from Autism but everyday he chooses to fight through his obstacles like a champ and find ways to impact the lives of others.
Lidl, a local grocery store with several locations in Virginia saw McKay’s generosity along with his good deeds and wanted to get involved. They decided to partner with McKay in honor of National Autism Awareness Month by adding his picture to the front of their brand peanut butter. His nickname is Bean so the jar will say “Lidl Beanut Butter”. For the entire month of April, you will be able to purchase his limited addition peanut butter at Lidl. 10 cents of every jar purchased will go towards the Autism Awareness Society of America. Fox 5 DC went to Lidl’s in Dumfries, VA to support Mckay and be a platform to help spread the word. While there, Joel Bassam of Easterns Automotive Group surprised him with a check for $2,000 which is equivalent to about 20,000 jars of Lidl’s Beanut Butter. This money will be donated to the Autism Society of America as well. Good deeds like Bean’s never go unnoticed. It is truly great to see that so many others will benefit from his spirit of giving. Please click here to learn more about Autism as a whole and find ways that you too can get involved.
If you know someone in the DC, Maryland, and Virginia area that goes above and beyond the call and is worthy of being recognized, Click here to nominate them.
Watch the video to see the way everything unfolded.
Easterns Automotive Group has been on a roll with WUSA 9 for their series, Road to a Better Community. The goal of the series is to empower nonprofits and various individuals who are going above and beyond to bring the community together. This week, the two came together to highlight The Miracle Foundation who is doing wonders not just locally but globally. The Miracle Foundation is a nonprofit organization that is committed to reuniting orphaned children with their families. The term orphan is used a lot but many people don’t know that there are approximately 8 million children worldwide that are living in orphanages across the world. The mission of The Miracle Foundation is to abolish this number by the year 2040. Of course, that year is a while away but it will take much time and many resources to accomplish this.
Every child needs a loving family to provide unconditional love and support along with a stable safe home. However, it costs to keep the children safe, healthy, and educated until they find a home. The Miracle Foundation is a nonprofit so therefore they rely on government funds, donors, and other non-profits to help provide the children with their necessities. Easterns Automotive Group decided to step up to the plate and donate $2,500 to their incredible organization. The Miracle Foundation is always accepting donations to get them closer to their goal. They need support from people who care and understand how orphan lives are affected and hope to see a change. Help doesn’t only come in the form of money. The Miracle Foundation is always looking for volunteers and interns who are committed to empowering orphans to reach their full potential. Please click here to learn more about The Miracle Foundation and see all the ways that you can get involved if this is a nonprofit organization that interests you.
If you want to learn more about Easterns Automotive Group’s partnership with WUSA 9 and how they come together to empower the community, please visit www.wusa9.com/BetterCommunity
It is very hard to find kind people in this world who don’t turn a blind eye to situations that do not directly affect them. A good Samaritan in Washington D.C. by the name of Donnita Scott was with Jacqueline Elliott in late February. The two witnessed a man steal a car with a child inside. The car belonged to Tamara Richardson who stopped to fix a seatbelt hanging from her back door. A man hopped in the driver’s seat while her back was turned and carjacked her. The man involved in the theft has been identified as Matthew Walker. Both Scott and Elliott wasted no time telling Richardson to get into their car so that they could follow the carjacker. Shortly after they dialed 911, Walker pulled over and escaped the vehicle leaving Richardson’s son untouched. DC Police charged walker with kidnapping and unarmed carjacking.
Thanks to the help of Scott and Elliott, Richardson was able to get both her son and car back in one piece. Unfortunately, Scott recently experienced some hard times that left her homeless for a short period of time. All of her furniture was lost due to bug and mold infestation where she was staying. It was time for someone to go out of their way for her just like she did for Richardson. Easterns Automotive Group and Fox 5 DC teamed up with Value City Furniture to surprise Scott during their Pay It Forward segment with Allison Seymour. Scott received $5,700 worth of furniture courtesy of Easterns and Value City Furniture. Value City Furniture discounted the total and applied their $1,000 to the cost while Easterns covered the difference. Joel Bassam of Easterns also presented Scott with a $1,000 Target gift card on site so she can do some shopping for her family. The moral of the story is, when you do good things for others it truly does come back to you. We need more people in this world like the lovely Donnita Scott!
If you know someone in the DC, Maryland, and Virginia area that goes above and beyond the call and is worthy of being recognized, Click Here to nominate them.
Watch the video to see the way everything unfolded.
Easterns Automotive Group is back at it with WUSA 9 for their Road to a Better Community segment. The pair is extremely committed to highlighting those in the area who are choosing to promote positivity and unity. One nonprofit organization who is doing this very well is the Metropolitan Tennis & Education Group (MTEG). MTEG is mixing tennis with education reaching a diverse group of at risk youth and teaching them life and tennis skills. This group of kids in the DC, Maryland, and Virginia area normally would not be exposed to the sport. There are over 200 students in the program and over 30 on the excellence team. The impact that tennis has on them is quite outstanding. A few students have received scholarships from major colleges to play the sport. Thanks to MTEG, this group of students is receiving various opportunities that they may have never been presented otherwise.
With MTEG being a nonprofit, they are always accepting donations. Joel Bassam of Easterns Automotive Group surprised Jeri Ingram of MTEG with a $2,000 check donation. Easterns aka Eastern Motors has always been a company that loves giving back to the community. This money will be used to fund travel for an upcoming tournament. It’s imperative that we invest, empower, and support our youth. They need to know that the people of their community are behind them one hundred percent. Please click here to learn more about MTEG and find ways that you can get involved if this is an organization that interests you.
Thanks to the amazing folks over at WSUA 9, Easterns Automotive Group was able to be a part of a great cause. The Suited for Change nonprofit is a wonderful Washington D.C. based organization founded in 1992 that empowers women and encourages them to reach their full potential in life. They help low income women in need of professional clothing attire as they enter the workforce and also offer mentoring and job-readiness education. Suited for Change is available at no cost to local women that would like their services. Reese Waters of WUSA 9 stopped by their office to drop off some clothes provided by Easterns Automotive Group. Everyone from the staff to the women they were helping were so appreciative of the donation. The Easterns team just knew they had to get involved after hearing the incredible things that the organization is doing. Easterns has a strong history of giving back to those in the DC, Maryland, and Virginia community. There is nothing better than being able to help put a smile on someone’s face, especially one that needs it. Suited for Change is always looking for new volunteers and donations to be able to continue their mission. If you would like to learn more about their services and ways you can help, please click here.
The winter months are definitely upon us here in the DC, Maryland, and Virginia area. We have experienced bitter cold temperatures accompanied by freezing rain and snow just within the last couple of weeks. Many people have the luxury of traveling to work in a warm car only to arrive to a home filled with heat, blankets, and warm clothes to be comfortable. However, everyone is not always this fortunate. Often times, we forget about those that have no home and are forced to endure such cold temperatures and precipitation. A man by the name of Rich Garon is helping those who are homeless in his Woodbridge, Virginia community by helping them stay warm during the winter. He takes his own funds and provides propane tanks for the homeless so they can have heat to survive. Easterns Automotive Group and Fox 5 DC decided to step up to the plate and Pay It Forward as soon as they heard about the selfless service that he is doing in the community.
Garon and members of his community church established their homeless ministry seven years ago. They took notice of the amount of homeless people in their community especially during the winter months. Throughout the journey, they have been touched by many homeless people who shared their story. Garon became so touched that he was inspired to write a book called, “Lee Fitts”. The book sales allow him to generate funds that he donates to the Bill Mehr Drop-in Center in Woodbridge. His partnership with the Bill The center’s mission is to provide “chronically homeless” a place where they can receive medical assistance, employment referrals, and basic physical needs. It’s a great environment to help homeless people put the pieces together and get their life back on track. The only issue is that this incredible organization is in need of some funding to continue their work. Joel Bassam and Easterns Automotive Group donated $2,000 to help their amazing cause. Please click here to learn more about the Bill Mehr Drop-in Center and find ways that you too can help out.
If you know someone in the DC, Maryland, and Virginia area that goes above and beyond the call and is worthy of being recognized, Click here to nominate them.
Watch the video to see the way everything unfolded.
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