Est. 1988
Est. 1988
Est. 1988
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.
With 2019 in full effect, Easterns Automotive Group and Fox 5 DC continue to push the envelope and find new ways to make an impact in the community. As soon as the Pay It Forward partners got wind of a Prince George’s County woman by the name of Rhonda Stewart, they wanted to help. Stewart was diagnosed with cancer and has just finished her final round of chemotherapy at Sibley Memorial Hospital in Washington DC. She was there for over a month and during that time she was able to process her thoughts and put many things into prospective. We hear about people having cancer all the time but it is impossible to understand the severity until It affects you or someone close. Luckily for Stewart, she was surrounded by family, friends, and loved ones who gave her the support and encouragement she needed to overcome this tough time in her life. “My message would be to be thankful for everything and be thankful for the love and support,” Stewart said. Hearing her words reminds us all to be grateful for any and everything because what happened to her can happen to anyone.
Easterns Automotive Group and Fox 5 DC decided to Pay It Forward to Stewart on the last day of her chemo treatment. Allison Seymour of Fox 5 DC and Joel Bassam of Easterns met Stewart at Sibley Memorial Hospital where they surprised her with a girl’s trip to the National Harbor with a spa day, dinner, and a Ferris wheel ride. Hopefully this fun time out will be the extra boost she needs after fighting so hard for her life. We wish Stewart and her family all the best and encourage anyone facing obstacles or going through a hard time to never give up. Tough times don’t last forever!
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 government shutdown is over (temporarily)! This is such great news to the tens of thousands of federal workers that were affected by this. Federal employees were expected to work during the 35 day shutdown without receiving any pay. Many had to take out loans and open new credit cards just to live, eat, and keep their bills paid. A few weeks ago, Easterns Automotive Group teamed up to donate $10,000 a week to two Loudoun County food pantries to help feed local families that were in need due to the shutdown. Even though the shutdown is over for now, the recovery process does not stop. Families still need time to get back on their feet. Easterns partnered with WUSA 9 on their Get Up DC segment to surprise several former furloughed workers in the District with gift cards. In total, $1,000 in gift cards were given away. Reese Waters from WUSA 9 did a great job chatting with federal workers and hearing their furloughed stories. It was great to see so many smiling faces. Little things go a long way especially in a time of need.
If you know someone in need please visit www.wusa9.com and let them know!
For Easterns Automotive Group and Fox 5 DC, the act of giving back is year round. The Pay It Forward partners teamed up for the second time in 2019 to do some good in the community. They came across Kelly Rogan who is a reading specialist at Arcola Elementary School in Aldie, Virginia. Rogan created the Law and Literacy Program at Arcola Elementary where Loudoun County deputy sheriffs come out to read and do other literacy activities with the students. She was inspired to create this program after seeing the deputy sheriffs that were shot in Dallas back in 2017. It touched her because she sees how police in general put their lives on the line for the safety of civilians. Her Law and Literacy program idea sparked conversation and led to change because the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office was very receptive and willing to be a part of the program when she reached out. The Law and Literacy program is for students in Kindergarten to second grade at Arcola Elementary School. It’s great for children to have a relationship with law enforcement to bridge the gap within the community.
It was such a smart idea for Rogan to come up with this concept. The children are able to be comfortable around the deputies and understand that they are only there to help them. Doing small activities like this with young children go a long way especially in the real world. This group of children won’t grow up fearing the police in their community because they already have a relationship with them. Easterns and Fox 5 DC decided to gift Rogan with a $1,000 Amazon gift card to purchase more books for the students as well as bean bag chairs. The kids will definitely feel cozy during reading time now!
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.
Late post! A few days before 2018 came to a close; Easterns Automotive Group (Eastern Motors) joined Fox 5 DC for their Diaper Drive Donation. Fox 5 DC asked businesses in the area to contribute or donate what they could so they could provide diapers to families in need with babies. Many times as people we think about adults living in poverty but not always the affects it has on small children. Due to the lack of diaper supply, babies are often left in dirty diapers causing various infections, skin aliments, and rashes. Diapers also unfortunately cost more in low-income neighborhoods where they should in fact be cheaper. The issue is that those areas don’t always have wholesale department stores where diapers can be purchased in bulk.
Fox 5 DC partnered with Horton’s Kids and the Greater DC Diaper Bank to make sure all donations and diapers goes directly to the babies affected by the lack of supplies. When Fox 5 DC reached out to Easterns, they didn’t hesitate to get involved. Joel Bassam of Easterns met Allison Seymour in Washington D.C. at the diaper drive to present Horton’s Kids with a $1,500 check. That wasn’t all, Joel then walked Allison to an SUV full of diapers!
Please take some time to learn more about Horton’s Kids and the Greater DC Diaper Bank to find out more and learn how 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.
Easterns Automotive Group and WUSA 9 recently got together to do their very first edition of their Road to a Better Community segment for 2019. Easterns and WUSA 9 have such a unique relationship because their intentions always line up when it comes to giving back and helping others. They found an amazing Washington D.C. based nonprofit that specializes in helping LGBTQ youth in the area. The organization, SMYAL is short for Sexual Minority Youth Assistance League. SMYAL brings LGBTQ youth together through their afterschool programs and leadership development opportunities. They also offer counseling services to youth because they understand the importance of mental health and making sure the teens go on to prosper in the real world. Many LGBTQ youth often feel isolated and alone with nobody to relate to so SMYAL also offers housing to teens in need. SMYAL is there to be a safe space for them to be understood, loved, and appreciated. The nonprofit offers a scholarship program to recent high school graduates that can be used at their discretion.
Joel Bassam, Director of Marketing for Easterns presented SMYAL with a check for $2,500 to help with their incredible organization. This money will help them to cover the costs of their services needed to keep SYMAL going. WUSA 9 and Easterns are no strangers to giving back to the LGBTQ youth. Just a few months ago, the pair donated to the Latin American Youth Center in Washington D.C. If you would like to learn more about SMYAL, the services that they provide, and how you too can get involved, please click here.
To learn more about how WUSA 9 and Easterns Automotive Group helps organizations through the Road to a Better Community partnership, please click here.
Happy New Year! We hope that everyone is having a good start to the year despite all the craziness going on in the world. To those affected by the government shutdown, please know that you are in our thoughts and prayers. In fact, Easterns Automotive Group announced that they will be donating $10,000 each week to two local Loudoun County food banks until the shutdown is over. The overall goal is to help feed all the families that are currently without pay. Being a part of the community for over 30 years, giving back is a huge part of Easterns’ DNA.
Easterns and Fox 5 DC recently had their very first Pay It Forward collaboration for 2019. The two became aware of a Northern Virginia woman by the name of Patricia Funegra. She was working for an international development agency in Washington D.C. where she quit her job because she realized her passion was to impact her community. This decision birthed her nonprofit organization called La Cocina VA. Their mission is to create opportunities for social and economic change through feeding, educating, and empowering the minds of the community. La Cocina VA has a Culinary Training Program where they teach those unemployed the necessary skills and knowledge they need to work in the food service industry. They also have a Food Assistance Program where they help low income families have access to more healthy and affordable food options. The bigger picture is that there is power in food that can generate opportunities and create social and economic change.
Funegra is doing such amazing work in the community with LA Cocina VA that Easterns and Fox 5 DC decided to surprise them. Joel Bassam, Director of Marketing for Easterns Automotive Group presented La Cocina VA with a $1,000 check to contribute to all of their expenses. He also gifted the students with cast-ironed pots, recipe books, and $50 gift cards. The holidays may be over but the giving certainly doesn’t stop!
Please click here and take some time out of your day to learn more about La Cocina VA. Find out how you can invest, donate, or volunteer if you would like to be a part of their amazing family.
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.
It has been nearly a month that the government has been shut down for issues regarding politics. This has unfortunately left hundreds of thousands of federal employees without pay. The entire country is in an uproar because federal employees are still expected to work while they have no clue when they will receive their income. Though this is a tremendous tragedy, life certainly does not stop. In the meantime, people still have to live, pay bills, and support their families. Easterns Automotive Group, headquartered in Sterling, Virginia has always been a company that steps up to the plate to help the members of the DMV community (DC, Maryland, and Virginia). This government shutdown issue is no different.
Easterns Director of Marketing Joel Bassam collaborated with his father CEO Robert Bassam on ways they could give back and help the many families affected during such a hard time. The two came up with the idea to donate $10,000 each week to both Loudoun Hunger Relief and Dulles South Food Pantry. Both are local food banks located in Loudoun County, Virginia. This will continue until the shutdown is brought to an end. Unfortunately, the shutdown has caused many people to run out of money which in turn has lead to not being able to eat or provide food for their families. An estimated 15,000 to 20,000 federal workers live in Loudoun so this will definitely be a start to help people out. Easterns also donated $5,000 to that Capital Area Food Bank which is a member of Feeding America that responds to hunger in the Washington, DC metro area. We want to encourage everyone that is facing tough times to stay strong. Please keep hope alive and remember that this won’t last forever!
DONATE: If you are looking to donate to any of these incredible organizations, please visit: Loudoun Hunger Relief, Dulles South Food Pantry, or Capital Area Food Bank.
RECEIVE SERVICES: If you are looking to receive services during this government shutdown, please visit: Loudoun Hunger Relief, Dulles South Food Pantry, or Capital Area Food Bank.
Happy Holidays everyone! As we approach Christmas, giving back is more imperative than ever. Fox 5 DC and Easterns Automotive Group recently came together for a very special Pay It Forward segment. They got wind of what a DC woman by the name of LeShawn Weathers was doing for the homeless of her community and decided to help out. Weathers lost her son to gun violence roughly six still years ago and his murder still remains a mystery. Her son Anthony was 25 years old when he was killed. This unexpected yet painful loss inspired her to turn her grief into giving. Weathers created nonprofit called Anthony’s Angels which she named after her late son. It has become quite a hobby for her as she gathers cans around her Southeast neighborhood. She turns the cans into coasters and ashtrays that she gives away in exchange for donations. The donations that she is able to raise allow her to continue helping the homeless. Weathers has the kind of compassion that everyone in this world needs; especially during this time of the year.
What separates Weathers from most is that she is coming from a place of understanding after being homeless herself before. She understands that some people just need that extra boost to remain encouraged. Her son would definitely be proud of the hard work that his mother is doing for others. Fox 5 DC and Easterns Automotive Group came together to surprise Weathers because they wanted to help make her job easier. They gave her gloves, hats, hand warmers, and dozens of coats for Anthony’s Angels that she can gift to the homeless. Hopefully the selfless heart that Weathers has can inspire you to also do some good in your own community. Remember, it doesn’t take much to make a difference!
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.
Link to original post – http://www.fox5dc.com/news/pay-it-forward/pay-it-forward-dc-woman-turns-grief-from-sons-murder-into-opportunity-to-give-to-homeless
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