Monthly Archives: October 2019

Pay It Forward – Halloween Costume Giveaway

Community,

Happy Halloween everyone! This holiday truly gets more and more exciting every year with the creative costumes and fun events around the DC, Maryland, and Virginia area.? However, not every parent has the necessary funds to ensure that their child has a wonderful Halloween.? Costumes can be quite costly depending on the character or theme but Del Ray Business Association in Alexandria, VA decided to step up and help less fortunate kids.? For the past twenty three years, they have been paying it forward to their community by collecting costumes so that all children are able to have the ultimate Halloween experience.? The Del Ray Business Association coordinates with nonprofits and enlists volunteers to full all of this off.? They invite kids in need of a costume to the Mount Vernon Rec Center where they are able to choose from racks of costumes until they find the one that they like.? Every child deserves to have an incredible Halloween despite their families? financial status.? The Del Ray community truly comes together as one and even has a large Halloween parade every year so they kids are able to interact with each other and show off their costumes in a safe space.

 

Fox 5 DC and Easterns Automotive Group got word of the fabulous work that the Del Ray Business Association is doing in addition to giving back to the kids.? They decided to Pay It Forward to them on their Fox 5 DC segment.? The ladies that run Del Ray Business Association were invited to the Good Day DC studio where they were surprised by Joel Bassam of Easterns.? Joel gifted them with the remaining costumes on their wish list so the kids will have a variety to choose from.? Just in time for trick or treating! Be safe everyone and enjoy Halloween 2019!

Link to original article ? https://www.fox5dc.com/news/pay-it-forward-del-ray-business-association-offers-free-halloween-costumes-to-those-in-need

Road to a Better Community – Lift Me Up

Community,

It?s important to recognize both incredible people and organizations that work very hard to help others in the community.? This idea is the reason that WUSA 9 and Easterns Automotive Group came together to form their Road to a Better Community series.? They search the entire DC, Maryland, and Virginia community to find great causes to shine a spotlight on and contribute to.? Recently, they got word of a wonderful therapeutic horseback riding inclusion program that also provides equine therapy.? Lift Me Up is located in Great Falls, Virginia and is committed to teaching riding skills to both children and adults with various disabilities.? They are able to help people improve their balance, core strength, and flexibility.? Riders at Lift Me Up range from ages 3 to 60 years old.? Kim Buseman suffers from multiple sclerosis but has been coming to Lift Me Up for 23 years.? ?If I can?t see, feel, tough, or smell a horse I?m not a happy person,? she said.? The impact that Lift Me Up has on the community on its riders speaks volumes.? Thanks to their lovely volunteers and instructors, they have been able to continue growing and teaching more than 100 riders each week.

 

WUSA 9 and their camera crew recently joined Joel Bassam of Easterns Automotive Group at Lift Me Up.? Bassam presented them with a check for $2,500 to support their 100 for 100 program which will go a very long way.? If you would like to learn more about Life Me Up and how you can either support or volunteer, please visit: www.liftmeup.org

 

 

 

To learn more about Easterns Automotive Group?s partnership with WUSA 9 and how they come together to empower the DMV community, please visit www.wusa9.com/BetterCommunity

Pay It Forward – Children’s National Hospital Volunteer

Community,

 

It speaks volumes when a person goes above and beyond to help others in need.? Jonathan Bell is a former patient of Children?s National Hospital in Washington D.C.? When Bell was a child, he suffered from kidney failure but unfortunately this was in the 1940s before many medical advances.? There was so such thing as dialysis at that time so he spent much of his childhood in and out of the hospital.? His personal health experience inspired him to become a volunteer at Children?s National Hospital.? Bell has been volunteering for over 20 years and is truly an inspiration for being a selfless individual that chooses to put others first.? It was and still is important to him to make a difference in the lives of sick children and encourage them to persevere and appreciate the top-tier medical care they have been given.? Thanks to Bell, the children in the hospital are able to talk and work with someone that has been in their shoes and directly affected by health issues firsthand.

Fox 5 DC and Easterns Automotive Group of DC, Maryland, and Virginia teamed up to surprise Bell during their Pay It Forward segment.? Maureen Umeh, host of Good Day DC, surprised Bell with Fox 5 DC cameras during his volunteer hours at Children?s National Hospital.? Joel Bassam of Easterns was also in attendance to present Bell with a $1,000 gift card to help him buy books and supplies to continue his volunteer work.? To top it off, Bell also received tickets to take his grandchildren to the Washington Nationals baseball game.? He has been a Nationals fan for years so being able to witness the excitement on his face was truly priceless.? We must congratulate the Washington Nationals as they are now playing in the World Series against the Houston Astros.? If you would like to learn how to be a Patient Care Volunteer at Children?s National Hospital, please visit www.childrensnational.org

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 article ? https://www.fox5dc.com/news/pay-it-foward-childrens-national-hospital-volunteer-surprised-with-nats-tickets

Road to a Better Community – StyleEsteem Wardrobe

Community,

October is upon us which means that it is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.? Breast cancer affects more woman than any other cancer.? Before the end of 2019, over 300,000 women in the United States will have been diagnosed with breast cancer along with 2,670 men.? Easterns Automotive Group and WUSA 9 decided to come together for their Road to a Better Community segment in a major way.? They wanted to highlight and give back to those directly affected by breast cancer.? They chose StyleEsteem Wardrobe, a business that creates head wraps for women fighting cancer.? Sonya Keshwani created StyleEsteem after suffering from breast cancer herself.? Going to chemotherapy resulted in her losing her hair which inspired her to get creative with her look.? She began to shop at the fabric store and sew her own head wraps as an alternative to wearing a hat.? It was important to her that she was still fashionable even while going through such a dark time in her life.? Keshwani grew her new found passion into a business when she realized that many others are faced with the same journey.? StyleEsteem Wardrobe has a head wrap collection for every season.

 

One woman who in particular that StyleEsteem Wardrobe was able to help is Maggie Kudirka aka Bald Ballerina.? As a dancer, her life was affected drastically by breast cancer but she refused to give up.? She continues to go through chemotherapy and dance through the pain.? Her head wrap keeps her stylish and confident when she goes out into the world.? Keshwani has done so much to support the community through her business that Easterns Automotive Group was inspired to make a donation.? Joel Bassam of Easterns presented StyleEsteem Wardrobe with a check for $2,500 to continue their incredible efforts.? Not only will this money be used to create new head wrap collections but it will also be used for their one for one donations.? If you would like to learn more about StyleEsteem, order a head wrap, or make a donation ? please visit www.styleesteemshop.com

 

Please also educate yourself and those around you on the topic of Breast Cancer. ?When breast cancer is detected early, and is in the localized stage, the 5-year relative survival rate is 100%. www.nationalbreastcancer.org

 

 

To learn more about Easterns Automotive Group?s partnership with WUSA 9 and how they come together to empower the DMV community, please visit www.wusa9.com/BetterCommunity

Get Up Give Back – Easterns Automotive Group donates to Critical Exposure

Community,

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An incredible non-profit organization by the name of Critical Exposure is teaching Washington D.C. students the power of photography. They have set out to create a new generation of civic leaders that have the necessary tools to prosper. Through their various campaigns, students are able to start young and learn about the various issues that affect their community. The youth are our future so it?s imperative that they find their voice and know how to fight for educational equality and social justice. Change takes effort and the art of photography truly brings people together. The images taken by the students of Critical Exposure are shown in galleries, libraries, and directly to many public officials.

Reese Waters of WUSA 9 became aware of this incredible cause and called Easterns Automotive to be a part of this segment.? Critical Exposure plays such an instrumental role in fighting for change in the DC community that they wanted to make a donation.? Easterns Automotive Group donated $1,000 to the non-profit for them to continue blessing the youth. If you would like to learn more about Critical Exposure and how you can donate to their mission, please visit http://www.criticalexposure.org?

If you know someone in the DC, Maryland, and Virginia area that is worthy of being helped or recognized, please contact at @ReeseWaters on social media.? #GetUpDC #GetUpGiveBack