All posts by jon

Get Up Give Back – Families4FamiliesDMV

Community,

 

The COVID-19 pandemic has truly taken a toll on everyone. Families across the DC, Maryland, Virginia have been hit extremely hard due to the increasing unemployment. This has resulted in many needing the bare necessities such as food. The Marshall family created Families4Families as a way to cater to those in need by addressing the critical food emergency that the coronavirus pandemic has caused. James Marshall and his siblings began collecting groceries in their driveway to deliver them to families across the DC metro area. After a few weeks, Families4Families made it to over 12 cities as people were inspired by their model.

The way Families4Families works is that a middle and/or high school students create an F4F Student Club at their school. Every F4F Student Club is paired with a nonprofit partner organization that has been carefully vetted. The duty of the partner organization is to identify the families that have been most impacted by the pandemic. The F4F Student Club collects groceries and essential items that are in demand. Once the items are collected, they are then delivered once a month to the partner organization that distributes the food to the families in need.

To date, F4F has delivered over 125,000 meals across the United States and over 1,000 people have volunteered to help out the cause. An idea that started so small turned out to be major as it received such an incredible response. According to Marshall, they are in the process of setting up a 501c3 so people can donate to their cause.

Easterns Automotive Group and WUSA 9 got wind of Families4FamiliesDMV and wanted to help out their incredible cause. Reese Waters of Get Up DC was able to chat with Marshall via video call during his Get Up Give Back segment. During their conversation, Waters announced that Marshall would be receiving a $1,000 donation from Easterns for the hard work of him and his family. Please visit www.families4familiesdmv.org to learn more and support their efforts.

 

Easterns Automotive Group and WUSA 9 are always here to help. 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

 

YouTube Link ? https://youtu.be/8hoQ2gO83oE

Helping Hands – A Football Coach w/ a Heart of Gold

Uncategorized

 

Role models are extremely important to have in communities to encourage and guide the youth.? For Montgomery Village, Coach Joseph Hooks is just that.? Coach Hooks is the coach for the Montgomery Village Chiefs football team.? COVID-19 has put a huge damper on their typical summer football drills.? However, Coach Hooks is doing his part to ensure that his players stay in shape even as well giving back to their community.

Coach Hooks has a personal connection with Montgomery County, Maryland because he grew up in the community himself and was a student of Montgomery Village Middle School.? He is a guy that knows firsthand of the struggle that some face in the area and wants to lead by example now that he is in a position to help.? Times are very tough for people with the unemployment rates at all-time high and the state of the country not improving financially.? Coach Hooks gathers his team up to give away groceries to hundreds of struggling families in the community after their outdoor practice.? The line stretches for blocks but it is understandable considering the unprecedented times we are in and people being in desperate need of basic necessities.

Coach Hooks has been working with corporations, volunteers, and nonprofit organizations for over a month now to have a supply of food that can be distributed to the families that need it the most.? Easterns Automotive Group and ABC 7 WJLA heard about Coach Hooks and his tremendous community efforts and wanted to be apart of it.? They were able to highlight Coach Hooks on their Helping Hands segment and provide him with a special donation.? Joel Bassam surprised Coach Hooks in person with a $1,500 donation to contribute to his great cause.? This will allow him and his team to provide groceries for many more families in the DMV.

 

Watch the video to see how everything unfolded.

Helping Hands, powered by ABC 7 is always looking to help out people or organizations in need that are worthy of assistance.? If you know someone that fits this description, please click here to nominate them.

YouTube Link ? https://youtu.be/9cDB1LXJKW0

Road to a Better Community – Project Support Initiative

Uncategorized

 

The never-ending COVID-19 pandemic has affected us all in more ways than we can imagine.? It has made simple tasks like running to the store very risky.? Although many have the ability to just throw on a mask and gloves, it is not that easy for some.? Two high school teens from Virginia saw this as a call to action. Akshath Mahajan of Rock Ridge High School in Ashburn, VA, and Maneesh Vallurupalli of John Champe High School in Aldie, VA teamed up to form Project Support Initiative ? a nonprofit organization that deploys volunteers to go grocery shopping and pick up essentials for people who are elderly and immunocompromised.

There is nothing like seeing two young people doing their part to help out their community during a tough time.? Mahajan came up with the idea to start the Public Support Initiative after speaking with an elderly mentor whose wife survived cancer.? He was scared of grocery shopping because he didn?t want to bring the COVID-19 virus back to his wife.? It was at that moment that Mahajan volunteered to go shopping for him so his mentor wouldn?t have to put himself or his wife at risk.

Public Support Initiative started very small with just Mahajan and Vallurupalli shopping in their local Northern Virginia community.? They had no clue that it would have such an impact not just locally but globally as well.? To date, Public Support Initiative has 220 dedicated volunteers, 22 national chapters, and has served over 1,300 seniors and people across their globe.? They have also reached over $100,000 worth of groceries delivered.? A small no-contact grocery delivery service that started in Loudoun County has inspired other teens and young people to get involved and put their own health at risk to help those in need. However, there is one thing that they are in need of and that is safety essentials.? Public Support Initiative does not ask for cash donations but having the proper PPE would help them and their volunteers to sanitize properly and disinfect the grocery items.

WUSA 9 and Easterns Automotive Group team up for a monthly segment where they find people or organizations to highlight that doing tremendous work in the community.? Joel Bassam of Easterns Automotive Group surprised Mahajan and Vallurupalli on a video call to express his appreciation and gratitude for the way they have come together to form Public Support Initiative.? Bassam donated 1,000 units of PPE on behalf of Easterns for all of their current volunteers and any new ones that decide to come on board.? If you would like to learn more about Public Support Initiative and how you can be a part of their movement, please visit https://sites.google.com/view/projectsup/home

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

YouTube Link ? https://youtu.be/dy_Hm8Z67lE

Helping Hands – Surprising a Retired Teacher

Uncategorized

 

Many times, people ask if good people still exist.? The answer is yes because Karen Shilling of Montgomery County, Maryland is one of them.? Shilling is a retired teacher that has spent years working at Thomas Edison High School in Silver Spring, Maryland with the academic and career program for adult ESOL students.? However, it seems like her retirement ignited a new flame in her as she continues to give with a broken arm during this global COVID-19 pandemic.

When schools shut down early this year, Shilling took matters into her own hands.? She made the decision to turn her garage into a food pantry with the help of her small team of family, neighbors, and fellow teachers.? Shilling knows and understands how much of a trying time this is for Americans, so she wanted to do her part to help students as well as adults during such a difficult time.? People are out of school and work with no extra funds for food.? With unemployment through the roof and the government putting an end to the additional federal aid, people across the country are losing everything.? The bare necessities have become luxuries for some.? Shilling has been giving out masks to everyone as well as the hope to prevent the spread of the virus.? She has received donations and packages from food pantries and the USDA who have been in full support of her mission.? Her husband, Brian Shilling has even been helping out as he sees how passionate his wife is about helping others.

ABC 7 and Easterns Automotive Group heard of Shilling?s incredible mission and wanted to cover it on their Helping Hands segment.? Cameras followed Joel Bassam as he surprised Shilling with a check for $1,500 to help continue feeding those in need during this time.? Bassam and Easterns family have loved doing their part to feed the community since they started in business over 30 years ago.? It?s important that we stick together as a community and always be a helping hand to one another when we can.

 

Watch the video to see how everything unfolded.

Helping Hands, powered by ABC 7 is always looking to help out people or organizations in need that are worthy of assistance.? If you know someone that fits this description, please click here to nominate them.?

YouTube Link ? https://youtu.be/M9Su8j3F85I

Pay It Forward – Communities that Care

Uncategorized

 

Teamwork truly does make the dream work. There is power in numbers and two women from different parts of the DC, Maryland, Virginia area are a testament to that. A Bethesda resident by the name of Niki Mock and a Washington D.C. named India Blocker-Ford are both on a mission to help the community. They decided to come together as Mock has worked with various organizations across Southeast D.C. Blocker-Ford grew up in Southeast herself so for her it’s personal. It?s always different when you can understand a struggle first hand. The Woodland area of Southeast D.C. has been severely impacted by crime, extreme violence, and poverty over the years.

The COVID-19 pandemic has taken a toll on everyone but those in need of assistance have been hit the hardest. Mock took matters into her own hands but asking her fellow Bethesda neighbors to donate items from their closets to help those in need. She also encouraged them to donate bikes and cash donations. The cash donations were used to purchase refurbished computers and everything was given to the people in the Woodland community. Many students need laptops for online learning since many schools will be resuming virtually to prevent the spread of the virus.

Blocker-Ford has been working with those in this particular community to try to make it a better place. They are an amazing group of people that are just in need of the proper help and resources which is why these donations were so important. Fox 5 DC and Easterns Automotive Group are partners on a segment called Pay It Forward where they help those who are making a difference in the community. Joel Bassam of Easterns was so touched by all that these two women are doing that he personally to Southeast D.C. to meet them both. Fox 5 DC cameras followed him as he surprised both ladies with a $2,000 donation to help them buy more bikes and laptops for the residents of the Woodland community. It is important that the residents have access to fitness, transportation, and technology as they strive to be the very best they can be.

 

YouTube Link ? https://youtu.be/qL3xOfhwYOM

Link to original post ? https://www.fox5dc.com/news/pay-it-forward-community-comes-together-to-provide-clothing-for-those-in-need-amid-pandemic

Helping Hands – Greater Morning Star Apostolic Church

Community,

 

It?s been a few months since the COVID-19 pandemic began in the United States, but the effects have been long-term.? The unemployment rates remain through the roof and many people simply are hungry.? Almost every industry has been impacted and is in need of financial assistance.? The amazing folks at Greater Morning Star Apostolic Church in Alexandria, VA have been going above and beyond to help their community during this tough time.? Despite going through financial hardships, they have decided to help feed others through their Fisher of Men food truck.? The food truck has allowed them to raise money for the church while also feeding their community.? Every Sunday, they feed hundreds of people for free because they know that people are in need during this trying time.

Deacon James Myers is the master chef on the food truck and he truly enjoys being able to support and uplift the community.? He praises Ed Moore for offering to be a part of their community efforts.? Moore is the founder of Veterans Fishing Adventure, a nonprofit organization in Northern Virginia connecting veterans of all abilities and their families with boating and fishing adventures.? Moore saw the way that the church was getting involved in the community and decided to help out.? A few months ago, Moore and his team of volunteers caught catfish and received donations from local restaurants to benefit the Fisher for Men food truck.? To date, Fisher for Men has been able to feed over 5,000 people every Sunday thanks to the generosity of Moore.

Something as simple as pitching in to help can impact the lives of so many in need. ABC 7 and Easterns Automotive Group heard this story and wanted to pitch in on their Helping Hands segment just like Moore did.? Joel Bassam of Easterns was so touched by this story that he wrote a check for $2,000 for the Greater Morning Star Apostolic Church and their Fisher of Men Food Truck.? This story is very personal for Bassam as he and his family have a long history with feeding people in the DC, Maryland, and Virginia community.? Deacon Myers was truly at a loss for words and was brought to tears by Bassam?s kind gesture.? Instances like this remind us that helping someone in the smallest way can make the biggest impact.? A small act of kindness can inspire others to do the same.? Ask yourself, when is the last time you?ve been a helping hand?

 

Watch the video to see how everything unfolded.

Helping Hands, powered by ABC 7 is always looking to help out people or organizations in need that are worthy of assistance.? If you know someone that fits this description, please click here to nominate them.

YouTube Link ? https://youtu.be/ANre-QZMF4o

 

Road to a Better Community – The IIIB’s Foundation

Community,

When people hear the word ?cancer?, many things come to mind. Most have dealt with cancer head-on due to a friend or family member having it. Breast Cancer synonymous with the color pink and is the most common cancer in American women. About 1 in 8 women will develop breast cancer over the course of a lifetime. It?s extremely important to raise awareness as simply having regular mammograms and being screened can lower the risk of dying from breast cancer through early detection.

Virginia resident, Carolyn Cole-Rodenburg created The IIIB?s Foundation after being an 18-year cancer survivor herself. She turned her pain into her purpose by putting her life into helping women going through the same journey. Cole-Rodenburg knows first-hand how breast cancer can take a toll on one?s body ? mentally, physically, and emotionally. The mission of the IIIB?s Foundation is to provide Bosom Buddy Baskets (gift baskets) to women recovering from mastectomy surgery. No one knows what is needed more than a woman that has already gone through this process herself.

Being a non-profit organization, The IIIB?s Foundation relies solely on donations. However, their biggest annual fundraiser ? The Pink Tie Breast Cancer Charity Ball is at risk due to COVID-19. The incredible folks at WUSA 9 and Easterns Automotive Group heard about this and decided to help. They chose to highlight The IIIB?s Foundation on their Road to a Better Community segment. Joel Bassam of Easterns stepped up to donate $2,250 and also shared his own personal cancer story involving his aunt. This money will be able to give 15 Bosom Buddy Baskets to women currently going through treatment. Each care basket will include essential products for these women to make their journey a little easier. Please visit https://www.keepthecandleglowing.org/ to learn more about this incredible organization and to find ways that you can also support.

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

YouTube ? https://youtu.be/SU9R3hD8Lwo

Get Up Give Back – Black Lives Matter DC

Community,

The past few months have been heavy for the United States as a country.? From COVID-19 to the killings of unarmed African Americans by police brutality, this has been a very scary time, to say the least.? At the end of May following the death of George Floyd, ?Black Lives Matter? protests broke out in just about every city.? Many feel as though African Americans haven?t been treated fairly since the beginning of time.

The Black Lives Matter foundation is a global organization that was founded in 2013 after Trayvon Martin?s murderer (George Zimmerman) was found not guilty.? People all over the world have taken a stand with the movement and decided that they will no longer tolerate injustice of any kind in America.? Easterns Automotive Group made their stance very clear when the protests began to reemerge.? They have always been a supporter of anyone in the community doing their part to make a change.

Easterns Automotive Group has a partnership with WUSA 9?s Get Up DC program with Reese Waters.? The pair created a segment called Get Up Give Back where they help people on the front lines putting in the work.? Reese Waters and Joel Bassam of Easterns thought it would be great to make a donation to Black Lives Matter DC.? The first step was to get Ms. April Goggans on a zoom call as she is the core group organizer for Black Lives Matter DC.? She was able to discuss the ways that they?ve been helping people with their essential needs such as food, diapers, and hygiene products goods throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.? Black Lives Matter DC has made about 5,000 deliveries which is incredible as they rely on donations to function.

The Washington D.C. Chapter of Black Lives Matter has always been great in terms of going above and beyond and serving those in need.? For this reason, Joel Bassam of Easterns decided to surprise Goggans with a check for $2,500 on camera to continue supporting the beautiful people of DC.? Easterns Automotive Group has been around for over 30 years and the hard-working men and women of the DMV have supported in every way.? It?s only right that those in need know that Easterns too is on their side.? There are many ways that one can get involved with the Black Lives Matter movement and it goes beyond just donating.? No action is too big or too small.? Please visit www.blacklivesmatterdmv.org to find out all the various ways that you can be a part of the movement. Tell a friend!

 

Easterns Automotive Group and WUSA 9 are always here to help. 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

 

 

YouTube ? https://youtu.be/c28pauyEzdE

Link to the original link ? https://www.wusa9.com/article/news/local/outreach/get-up-give-back/draft-do-not-publish-easterns-automotive-gives-2500-to-black-lives-matter-dc/65-0b5dedb8-8b01-4981-9a27-83649b77170c