As children begin to make it back to school after a challenging year, we surprised Prince George’s County families with something special to help kick off their school year. With the help of Rose Valley Elementary School Principal Dr. Sharon Porter, Kidd O’Shea revealed the surprise live last Wednesday on 7 News. Ten students from Rose Valley Elementary received brand new laptops.
“Our theme is ‘Strive For 5.’ With that, we strive for five-star academics, five-star performance, five-star attendance, behavior, and character,” explained Rose Valley Elementary School Principal Dr. Sharon Porter. “So these students were part of that ‘Strive for 5’ third quarter last year. We’re really excited to have them for this big surprise.”
Joel Bassam, joined to share a special message, ‘We wanted to support Prince George’s County schools once again this year by donating 10 laptops to your students to use as they see fit. Continue doing the amazing work, and you’re going to have an amazing school year once again.”
We are always want to help others in our community. If you know a person or organization that deserves a “7News Helping Hand,” contact 7News, today!
Crofton, Maryland natives, Mike Thomas and Gary Heldt, got together to form For The Kids MD, an organization that helps support local families who have critically ill children. Every year, their team selects a deserving family and holds fundraisers and a charity golf tournament where 100% of the proceeds goes to assist them with medical costs. For the last 22 years, they have raised almost half of a million dollars for children every year.
It’s important to them that they help someone local and this year’s beneficiary is Sabrina, a 1-year-old girl battling many serious illnesses. Her mother Gianna has been unable to work the past few years because her focus has been caring for her daughter. For The Kids MD along with Truman Charities kicked off this year’s fundraising efforts with a Happy Hour at Tommy Joe’s in Bethesda on July 15th.
Joel Bassam joined with a special message for For The Kids. In awe of what they have been able to achieve every year to help families in need, Easterns donated $2,000 to support Sabrina and their family’s medical expenses.
If you know someone who should be featured on Pay It Forward, you can nominate them here. In your email, be sure to include who they are and why they deserve to be recognized.
Today is World Photography Day, and where would we be without our amazing photographers! At Easterns, our facility puts out 30 to 40 cars a day, and our photographers take 80 photos per car for every car we get. That’s almost 3,200 photos a day! Our photographers Roy and Oscar make sure our customers can view complete and transparent pictures of every single vehicle.
Meet Roy
Roy has been a part of the Easterns team for almost six years, but he wasn’t a stranger to the automotive industry before joining the Easterns family. He once ran an automotive photography blog, so he has always been in love with taking photos of cars. He loves that at Easterns, he can do what he loves for a living and stay in the creative mindset.
Meet Oscar
Oscar has been snapping photos with Easterns for almost a year now. Not only is he a great photographer, but he is also an artistic painter. His favorite part about being a photographer at Easterns is the constant surprises and change of pace. “One minute a honda civic, and the next a Ferrari.”
World photography day allows us to celebrate the art, craft, and science of photography. We are incredibly grateful for our photographers for their creative vision and dedication.
Having amazing photographers and the work they do is very much appreciated.
The pandemic has drastically changed lives leaving some searching for assistance, and a nonprofit in upper Marlboro, Maryland, has been supporting thousands since the beginning.
The Fountain Community Enrichment has been doing fantastic work to provide food for those in need for the past 16 weeks. As they continue to help within the community, they found a need for more than food. Their food pantry has a unique approach to support other areas of need, such as counseling to help deal with everyday life situations such as debt, job loss, divorce, and substance abuse. They also host a community health fair,
Jose Gonzalez had a special surprise for Pastor John. Jose pulled out a large check from Easterns for $2,000 just for the Fountain Enrichment Community. Joel Bassam even joined to share how amazed he and the Eastern team were by their hard work.
Honda is a big company, and they sell a lot more than just cars. Honda is responsible for the design and manufacture of motorcycles, recreational watercraft, power equipment, ATVs and much more. While the corporation is based in Japan, it has made a name for itself worldwide. They even have many manufacturing plants here in the United States, which means when you buy Honda you are still supporting American workers.
Honda and Acura cars, trucks and SUVs are some of the best-selling products in the Honda brand. If you are looking to purchase one of these vehicles, you chose a great brand. While both technically come from the same parent company, they are known for and purchased for different characteristics.
What is the difference between the two?
Pros and Cons of Hondas
Honda is the second most reliable car brand based on the reliability index with a score of 42. Whether it is a pickup truck, crossover hybrid or minivan, you can count on the efficiency and dependability of a Honda vehicle.
Hondas are known for their reliability and practicality. Many people have their Honda for ten years or more. They’re vehicles people purchase when they’re looking for a car, truck or SUV for the long haul.
Hondas also don’t compromise on performance. They tend to break down infrequently and rarely need repairs. When repairs are required, they’re generally inexpensive in comparison to other brands.
Most models are also affordably priced, making them a reasonable purchase for almost any budget. Honda’s cheapest model, the Honda Fit, starts as low as $16,000. Honda is one of the few brands where you can get a great car for under $20,000.
Hondas are great for any stage of life. Hondas offer optimal trunk space for carrying luggage, groceries, strollers or anything else you may be hauling. They have spacious seating in comparison to many luxury vehicles, which frequently offer very little trunk space and might only designed to comfortably seat two people at a time.
Honda is also notable for its safety features. Advances in technology and safety standards have generally made most vehicles safer. Newer Hondas feature backup cameras, sensors and airbags. While Hondas may not boast all the bells and whistles of luxury cars like Acura, they are still safe.
The only cons are the absence of standard luxury features, like heated seats. Hondas are lower powered than their luxury car cousins and don’t offer sports car performance. With a Honda you are getting a practical, reliable and functional vehicle – not a flashy one.
Pros and Cons of Acuras
Acuras have a reputation for being more durable than their more affordable Honda counterparts, but they cost more to repair when things go wrong. The quality of Acuras is a testament to the lasting standard of the brand, but only with proper maintenance and care. Some Acura models, such as the Acura MDX, have been reported to clock over 300,000 miles.
The most obvious difference between Acuras and Hondas are the luxury features. Where Honda vehicles tend to have more “analog” features, Acuras generally have more electronic and computerized bells and whistles. They also boast elegant interiors that most Hondas lack. You will also get a sportier and higher-class exterior aesthetic with an Acura vehicle.
With luxury also comes a more powerful engine. Some Acuras are fast. Models like the MDX boast a nine-speed transmission and 290 horsepower. They manage all that extra power without sacrificing fuel efficiency. These higher-end vehicles are also more likely to have front wheel and four-wheel drive options.
As far as safety goes, Acuras come with Acurawatch, a system that helps guide the driver directionally and helps to prevent accidents. Although both brands tend to rank high in safety, Acuras frequently have a slight edge on Hondas based on the National Highway Safety Traffic Administration (NHSTA)’s safety ratings.
The only cons when it comes to Acuras are higher overall purchase prices and repair costs. For a brand new 2021 TLX Acura you could be paying as much as $37,000 or more.
Luxury car parts are more expensive than the basics, making Acura maintenance pricier than Honda maintenance and repairs. Maintenance is crucial for Acura longevity, so you may need to put in more time and money to maximize the mileage on an Acura compared with the maintenance investment required for a Honda.
Should I Buy a Honda or Should I Buy an Acura?
From a quality and safety perspective either option is essentially the same. The main difference comes down to luxury, power and price. If you are looking for something more affordable, the Honda is the better choice. If you are looking for something luxurious and fast, the Acura is a better choice. Either is a great choice if you want to buy an exceptional pre-owned vehicle.
If you’re looking for Acura and Honda models, check out our inventory. We have a great selection of used cars suitable for any budget. We work with people with all types of credit, from less than perfect to great credit.
The community has been overwhelmed with the work of a woman in the Manassas community. Helen Zurita has been a lifesaver for the East End mobile Home Trailer Park.
The trailer park would close four years ago, but Zurita assembled a team to make sure that did not happen. If the Manassas-based nonprofit, Catholics for Housing, had not rescued the property with 58 homes, many people would have been homeless.
Zurita shared that she has experienced homelessness and had to go without food before, and she did not want to see them go through what she once went through. Her work in the community goes far beyond saving homes. She also feeds, clothes, and prepares children for school. She also hosts back-to-school and toy drives for children in the community. On most Fridays, she gives away almost 300 to 400 boxes of food to those in need.
Inspired by the selfless acts of Helen, we had something special for her.
“Hey, I am Joel Bassam from Easterns Automotive,” Bassam explained to Zurita. “We were touched by the story 7News shared about you saving this community and feeding others without any consideration for yourself but only for others. We want to donate $2,000, so you can continue to help others.”
In shock, Zurita expressed how honored she was for this contribution. Zurita said the money would help her buy gas cards, provide backpacks for children, and start her free pantry.
Glen Mourning is paying it forward by creating literary diversity for children all over. Glen Mourning, a former teacher, created the Crunchy Life book series so that kids could see themselves in stories and want to read more.
Glen can remember being bullied as a child for not being the best reader, and he is now a 5th-grade language teacher whose goal is to make literacy and reading fun for kids that are reluctant to read.
His book series is called Crunchy Life. The name was created as a way to encourage kids to keep going even when life gets hard or, as he likes to describe it, “crunchy.”
Lamont Geddis, the director of the Freedom School, expressed that having the books like Glen Mourning’s Crunchy Life helps the students to see an African American teacher and author with relatable books and brings the school alive. Students find it empowering to see other children in books that look like them.
Glen was completely shocked when Joel Bassam joined virtually to surprise him with a check for $1,500. Glen was so excited he announced, “Pizza for EVERYBODY!” as the Freedom School students jumped for joy.
