All posts by jon

Pay It Forward | Surprising educators at Mount Vernon

Community,

Fox 5 DC and Easterns Automotive Group teamed up once again but this time to celebrate. Tuesday, May 8th was National Teacher Appreciation Day so the two Pay It Forward partners teamed up to surprise the incredible educators at Mount Vernon Woods Elementary School. The day started off with free breakfast courtesy of Easterns. Mike Thomas was able to speak with several teachers to discuss their important role in kids? lives and understand the reason that inspired them to teach. Joel Bassam, Director of Marketing at Easterns, was got on the mic to address the teachers and also give each of them a $50 Amazon to in honor of their selfless contributions to their students? day in and day out.

Allison Seymour came to the school later in the day where she met with the principal of Mount Vernon Woods Elementary School, Dr. Clint Mitchell. The two helped surprise a standout 3rd grade teacher by the name of Jamelle Adamson. Ms. Adamson was singled out for going above and beyond to accommodate all her students and always bringing her A game in the classroom. As a community, we should do our best to always make sure teachers make sure they feel loved and appreciated.

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.


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Easterns Automotive Group supports Fairfax County Police Association

Community, Easterns Automotive

For years, Easterns Automotive Group (Eastern Motors) has been a generous organization that loves giving back to others and helping the people of the DC, Maryland, and Virginia community. Eastern Motors, founded by Robert Bassam, recently teamed up to donate to the Fairfax County Police Association (FCPA) in Virginia. The FCPA represents more than 1,000 police officers in Fairfax County, both active and retired. The mission of the FCPA is to reach common goals of both the men and women of the Fairfax County Police Department. With everything going on in this country involving police, it?s good to know that unity is at the core of this group. FCPA holds several events throughout the year to celebrate and bring the community together as one.

Donations play a large role in helping organizations like FCPA because it takes funds to continue making an impact. They also help provide benefits to police officers and support staff. It?s important to them that they continue to promote unity and bring people together during times of crisis. The lovely people of the FCPA do so much good for Fairfax County that the people of Easterns decided to make a $750 donation for their generous contributions to the community. If you would like to find out more about FCPA or make a donation of your own, click here.

Pay It Forward | Humane Rescue Alliance is committed to finding happy homes for pets

Community, Events,

Pay It Forward partners Fox 5 DC and Easterns Automotive Group have teamed up again to do some good in the community. April 30th was National Adopt a Shelter Pet Day. The two decided that it was only right that the two celebrate and highlight an incredible local organization that continues to help animals in the area. The Humane Rescue Alliance (HRA) was formed by the Washington Humane Society and the Washington Animal Rescue League to help animals find forever homes. Each year, HRA manages to help over 60,000 area animals.

HRA has a unique set up because they house everything under one roof, including low-cost veterinary services, behavioral training, and animal care. The donations and support from the community is the reason that HRA has been so successful at this. Easterns and Fox 5 DC got wind of the incredible things that HRA is doing and volunteered to help out. In honor of National Adopt a Shelter Pet Day, they made a donation of $3,000 to cover the cost of all pet adoptions on Tuesday, May 1st. It was a success! People definitely came out to support and several now have new additions to their families. The remainder of the money will go to HRA?s vet care fund. The vet care fund was set up to pay for the additional care needed after the animals find a home. HRA is such an incredible organization for going beyond the call of duty to help these animals. We hope that you too are inspired to get involved.

To find out more about Humane Rescue Alliance and to learn how you can adopt a pet, 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.

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Easterns Automotive Group partners with Earth Lady / Small Footprint Lifestyle

Community

Earth Lady Programs were founded by the amazing Izolda Trakhtenberg to teach students about Earth Science and natural resources. Trakhtenberg or ?Earth Lady? is a science collaborator at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. With all of her experience, she has made it her job to share her environmental-friendly experience with others and encourage people to go green, especially children. If you start teaching children young, they learn and carry those teachings with them throughout the rest of their life. The major reason for going green is to save the Earth and keep it as clean as possible for the generations to come. Trakhtenberg teaches a variety of workshops and programs to students to students in Greenbelt and Prince Georges County, Maryland but also travels all over the world.

Easterns Automotive Group got wind of some of the fabulous work that Earth Lady is doing with the students in the community and wanted to help out. With all the programs and workshops coming up, Earth Lady was in need of some supplies for her students. Easterns donated several items including educational thermometers, beakers, and paint. The students will get to use all of these during their upcoming workshop at Watkins Park. If you would like to find out more about Earth Lady and her workshops/programs for students, Click Here.

Easterns Automotive Group supports Loudoun County Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 69

Community

For the fourth year in a row, Easterns Automotive Group is supporting Loudoun County Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) Lodge 69. With over 325,000 members and 2,100 lodges worldwide, the FOP is in fact the world?s biggest organization of sworn law enforcement officers. The purpose of the FOP is to protect the police officers from the dangers faced in today?s world. They continue to be a voice for officers that dedicate their lives to protective and serving the community. The FOP also fights for police officers to have better overall working conditions.

The best part about the Loudoun County FOP is their conscious effort to help other organizations to better the community as a whole. They support several organizations throughout the Loudoun County, Virginia community. One of the organizations is called Police Benevolent Foundation (FBF) whose job is protecting those behind the badge. They provide financial support to families of fallen law enforcement officers whose deaths occur in the line of duty. This is extremely important because many of us don?t think about how a family is supposed to move on financially after an officer is killed. The Cops and Kids Foundation is also supported by the FOP. The mission of the Cops and Kids Foundation is to bridge the gap between the community and the police by bringing law enforcement agencies together to start community programs for children.

Another organization that is supported by the FOP is the Loudoun Abused Women?s Shelter (LAWS). LAWS provides free, confidential services to anyone who is a victim of domestic violence, sexual assault, or child abuse. Through LAWS, victims now have an outlet to get advice and seek help. The FOP supports the Loudoun Therapeutic Riding Foundation (LTRF) also. The purpose of LTFR is to improve the lives of people suffering with cognitive, physical, and psychological disabilities through a wide range of activities and therapies.

The FOP helps such a wide range of people through the various organizations mentioned above. It?s clear that the donation made by Easterns will be put to good use. Hopefully others are inspired to give back and do what they can to help others. If you would like to make a donation to the Loudoun County FOP, Click Here.

Over the course of 30+ years in business, Easterns Automotive Group continues to play an instrumental role in the DC, Maryland, and Virginia (DMV) area through their philanthropic and community integration efforts.

Pay It Forward ? Capital Caring Gets Surprised with a Free Truck to Continue Helping Needy Families

Community,

Capital Caring is a bereavement program with several locations throughout the DC, Maryland, and Virginia area. The organization is based in Northern Virginia and specializes in providing bereavement services for families who have suffered a loss. They also provide care to people suffering with serious illnesses. Pay It Forward partners Fox 5 DC and Easterns Automotive Group decided to team up and lend Capital Caring a helping hand since they do so much for the community.

Back in December, the two came together to help the Parkland family who lost their daughter in a horrible car accident in Alabama. Capital Caring was helping the family at the time so Fox 5 DC and Easterns stepped in to give them a vehicle. The Parklands needed transportation to get around so a car is just what they needed. Everything went so well that the two partners didn?t want to stop there. Recently, Fox 5 DC and Easterns got word that the organization was in need of a truck. They stepped in to gift Capital Caring with a Dodge Ram so they can continue their mission to serve people in their community. Capital Caring delivers supplies and serves 1,400 patients in the region so this truck will definitely be put to good use.

?We want to help the community that has helped us for 30 years now. We worked with Capital Caring late last year and gave the Parkland family a car and fell in love with the organization, love what they are doing and found out they were in need of a truck and we want to fulfill that need and help them out and keep them going,? Joel Bassam with Easterns Automotive Group said.

To learn more about Capital Caring and their mission, please Click Here.
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.

Easterns Automotive Group (Eastern Motors) serves the hard working men and women of the DC, Maryland, Virginia community. Please visit www.easterns.com to view the inventory and view all 6 locations. Find out why they are the #1 car dealership in the DMV!

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Pay It Forward |Young Women find a 2nd chance at life through HER Resiliency Center

Community,

Pay It Forward partners Easterns Automotive Group and Fox 5 DC partnered up once again to give back in the community. The non-profit organization that they chose to help is called HER Resiliency Center in Washington D.C. The overall mission for this center is to help local women find a second chance at life. Many of the members of HER have faced various struggles throughout their lives including living in shelters, non-stable families, and even homelessness. These are obstacles that no one should have to handle alone.

Natasha Guynes created HER Resiliency Center because she herself has faced life obstacles including being in the commercial sex industry, frequent drinking, drugs/homelessness. Guynes was able to overcome her difficult time with the help of DC?s social service agencies. The community of women there were able to help her get on her feet and make positive changes in her life. Once she got on her feet, she knew that there were other women in the same situation that she wanted to help. Guynes is now the CEO of her own non-profit organization that really does make a difference in people?s lives. The young women in the HER Resiliency Center program are assigned mentors to assist them with finding jobs and housing.

Fox 5 DC and Easterns Automotive Group (Eastern Motors) heard about the great things Guynes was doing with HER Resiliency Center and wanted to Pay It Forward. They teamed by by donating $2,000 and an SUV filled the supplies that were needed for the program. This will definitely go a long way.

For more about HER Resiliency Center, 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 story

Easterns donates to Seasoned Settlers, a D.C.-based nonprofit organization

Community, Easterns Automotive

Seasoned Settlers is a D.C.-based nonprofit organization that was created by Sweetz LaBamba. The organization provides entertainment and specialty entertainment for the youth as well as senior citizens. Whether it is range of motion, minute meditation, or reinforcing their therapeutic aspects, LaBamba knows the importance of helping others in the community. The live entertainment events hosted by Seasoned Settlers bring smiles to many faces all different ages and cultural backgrounds. The events are able to able to teach and inform as well as bring everyone attending together through music ? the universal language. Seasoned Settlers hosts events at a variety of locations including schools, churches, universities, and various facilities. Through the organization, LaBamba has been able to open doors and provide unique volunteer opportunities for individuals looking to give back and make a difference in the community. However, in order to keep this great organization LaBamba needs donations from other members of the community. The donations would help Seasoned Setters get the supplies they need in order to continue providing entertainment.

Easterns Automotive Group heard about the great things that LaBamba is doing with Seasoned Setters and wanted to help out. LaBamba was in need additional supplies for her volunteers to fully execute the live events and provide exceptional quality. Easterns donated a Fender portable PA system, an HP laptop, and a Canon camera bundle. LaBamba, her incredible team, and students were so grateful for the items received that they decided to make Easterns a thank you video. Take a look below!

Click here to find out more about Seasoned Settlers and their mission.

Throwback Thursday Clip of the Week: First Ever Eastern Motors Commercial

Different Vehicle Makes, Throwback Thursday,

Thursday is upon us! It?s only right that we bring you guys another Throwback Thursday Clip of the week presented by Easterns Automotive Group. In case you aren?t familiar, Easterns Automotive Group (Eastern Motors) is a premiere car dealership with 6 locations that has been serving hard working men and women of DC, Maryland, and Virginia for over 30 years now. We thought it would only be right to take you back and show you how Easterns got to where it is today. There would be no present without the past. The clip that was chosen is from 1993 and is the very first televised Eastern Motors commercial. The first noticeable thing in the video is the age of the cars that were shown throughout the commercial. It?s a testament to how much time has changed and how much cars have advanced from several years ago. The video quality in the commercial is not the HD quality that we are used today; in fact, it is quite blurry. Technology in 1993 of course was far less advanced than it is in 2018. However, it makes for great content because it brings back a feeling of nostalgia. Clips like this take you back in your mind and make you reminisce about what you were doing or where you were in life during that particular time period. People are now able to see the evolution of Easterns starting with the very first commercial and compare it to the more recent ones. Even though the two are night and day, there is one thing that stayed the same. ?Eastern Motors, your job is your credit!? The slogan was the same in 1993 as it is in 2018. It?s clear that Easterns owner and CEO Robert Bassam started Easterns with vision that he has been able to successfully execute throughout the years. Easterns has always been a car dealership that has been for the people and it?s clear that won?t be changing any time soon.

Pay It Forward |DC Seniors in need receive help from non-profit, Embracing Our Pearls of Wisdom.

Community,

Easterns Automotive Group and Fox 5 DC recently came together to highlight a local woman who is helping to pay it forward to seniors of Washington D.C. Norma Hardie is the founder of a non-profit organization called Embracing Our Pearls of Wisdom. Hardie?s purpose for creating this non-profit was to help seniors in the District and surrounding areas with assistance or small things that they need. One great thing is that Hardie has loyal volunteers to help the seniors cook meals, run errors, and even clean. Older people need help sometimes and don?t always have the luxury of having a family member or friend to assist them.
It?s very important to recognize the needs of the elderly because they are the ones who raised the youth. A woman by the name of Arthalia Pumphrey receives excellent care from the volunteers that help her clean and keep her home in good shape. She suffers from really bad arthritis so it is difficult to walk at times. The volunteers believe in being patient with the seniors and take pride in showing them that they will forever be loved. We definitely could use more people like Hardie and her incredible volunteers in this world.

Fox 5 DC and Easterns Automotive Group caught wind of Hardie and what she has been doing with her volunteers at Our Pearls of Wisdom and wanted to pitch in and help. The Pay It Forward partners donated a $1,000 check, gifts for the seniors, and even gas cards to help with the volunteers travel.

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 how everything unfolded.

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