As soon as the lowest-income seniors in Washington get the call that they can move to Sarah’s Circle, they know it will change their lives. Most of the people who come to Sarah’s Circle come from unfortunate and unsafe places.

“We’ve been homeless. Where we were living was very dangerous. Sometimes you step outside, and you were afraid. Now I step outside I’m not afraid any more. Thank God,” said D.C. resident Joe Boomer.

Sarah’s Circle provides affordable housing for low-income seniors in one of the most expensive neighborhoods in Washington, D.C. The renovated building allows seniors to thrive independently, and to help prevent food insecurity, the organization also offers hot meals to the community and more.

According to Sarah’s Circle Executive Director Jessica Petro, the organization plans to expand to other neighborhoods since waiting lists are hundreds and hundreds deep.

Easterns Automotive Group saw Sarah’s Circle Story as part of 7News On Your Side’s Helping Hands initiative last year, and they were moved by the organization’s mission. They were surprised with this message from Joel Bassam at Easterns Automotive Group.

“What is there not to say about Sarah’s Circle? You guys support low-income seniors in every way imaginable. Housing, nutrition, health, and exercise, it’s simply incredible. We want to support your mission to help those in need by donating $2,000 to your cause. Continue doing the amazing work you’re doing,” Bassam said.

Petro and the residents at Sarah’s Circle were blown away by the generosity and are looking forward to how the money will enrich the good work being done there.

In Arlington, Va., a two-time Paralympic swimmer helps people with disabilities enhance and maintain their fitness by sharing her talents and knowledge. 

Gialamas founded AMG Fitness to provide online adaptive workouts for people with disabilities. She has arthrogryposis, which affects joint mobility in her hands and legs. She walks with assistance from braces that help support her.

“I went to London and Rio (Paralympic Games),” Gialamas said. “I swam Division One at Loyola University (Maryland). I’m from Chicago, and I started swimming at three. I retired from swimming at the age of 24. After London and Rio, I found myself in a position where COVID hit, and everything was going online. But no adaptive resources were hitting online, and I wanted to create a solution.” 

Following her swimming career, Gialamas realized there wasn’t a commonplace for people with disabilities to seek out exercise information. “That weird time in quarantine when everything went online and everyone was posting workouts in their living rooms,” she said. “As someone with a disability, I was like, there has to be something out there that has to be people doing this, and I didn’t find a lot of what AMG is for varying disabilities.”

For example, there are workout videos online for people in wheelchairs, but not necessarily for people like Gialamas with limited mobility issues.

“I really wanted to create a place for people to not only be athletes and feel really good in their bodies,” she said. “But also not be athletes and just feel really great in their fitness spaces.”

Gialamas’ exercise videos incorporate a lot of bodyweight exercises. For example, stationary jumping jacks, forward punches, and others involve lightweight dumbbells. “It’s all adaptive workouts, all free, and it’s all at home,” Gialamas said. “I don’t want people to have to pay for any of the workouts, so I rely on donations and strategic partnerships to keep AMG free.” Gialamas’ videos don’t coach a class; they offer instructions for exercises you can perform at home compared to other videos you might find on the internet.

Her dedication to helping others inspired Easterns Automotive Group.

“Hi, this is Joel Bassam at Easterns Automotive Group. I was amazed to learn about the AMG Fitness Foundation and Alyssa the way that you have turned your passion for fitness into a way to help others with adaptive workouts. It’s something that I think should be admired, and you are an inspiration to athletes all over the United States. We want to support this cause and increase your community size by donating $2,000 to the AMG Fitness Foundation so you can continue to share those workouts and keep everyone in shape. Keep doing the amazing work that you are doing.”

Gialamas was so pleasantly surprised by the generous donation from Easterns Automotive and was eager to start using it to help people in her community and far beyond.

“I am so shocked,” Gialamas said. “This will help so many people. There are so many fitness kits we can do with this money and the incredible things. I cannot believe the support I have got. Thank you so much.”

A local organization works tirelessly to support families who received the diagnosis or have children who are receiving treatment in local hospitals. Both Maryann Mayhood and Laura Tierney have experienced firsthand what it’s like to have a child with a heart condition. Mayhood’s son Joseph was born with Transposition of the Great Arteries (TGA), and Tierney’s son Lincoln was born with Tetralogy of Fallot with Pulmonary Atresia.

They call themselves heart moms and take pride in Mended Little Hearts (MLH), a nonprofit organization that helps families navigate life with child heart disease. Mayhood continued, “We stick together because no one else knows what you’re going through like a heart mom.”

Mended Little Hearts is helping families by providing resources, tools, and support. They transitioned from in-person visits to dropping off lunches and bravery bags during the pandemic. They partnered with Lost Dog Cafe, which helps to provide lunches to children and their families at children’s hospitals.

“To be able to have these lunches and have real food,” Tierney laughed. “No offense to the hospitals but it gets old, it really does.”

Joel Bassam with Easterns Automotive Group loves the organization’s work in the community.

“Our hearts were touched by the Mended Little Hearts program. This volunteer-led initiative is absolutely incredible. We want to support the bravery bags initiative by donating $2,000, so you can keep supporting these kids,” Bassam said.

“That helps so much. Thank you, Easterns!” Mayhood said in tears. “That goes so far. That’s what you get in a year, so that’s really big.”

The donation will allow Mended Little Hearts to continue feeding patients and their families.