Monthly Archives: April 2019

Road to a Better Community – Laurel Advocacy and Referral Services (LARS)

Award, Community,

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

 

 

Link to original WUSA 9 article

Pay It Forward – Surprising long-term Prince George’s County volunteer

Community,

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.

 

Link to original post

Easterns Automotive Group Shows Continued Support of Fairfax County Police Association

Community

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.

Pay It Forward – Generous teen from Virginia surprised with a $2,000 donation for his good deeds

Community,

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.

 

Link to original post