Tag Archives: Pay It Forward

Pay It Forward – Omar Fulcar & Hispanic Heritage Month

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15-year-old Omar Fulcar from John Lewis High School in Springfield, VA, has volunteered with different organizations throughout Fairfax County. 

His work includes helping organize and distribute backpacks to kids returning to school, packing and distributing food to needy families, distributing flyers, and helping day laborers get the COVID-19 vaccine.

Claudia Morcelo, his aunt who works for the Fairfax County Department of Health, says Omar has really put his heart into helping others. “From a small kid to now, he loves to serve. 

Easterns Automotive Group was moved by Omar’s dedication to helping his community, we surprised him with a $250 Visa gift card and will make a $1,000 donation to one of the non-profit organizations he works with. 

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.

Pay It Forward – For The Kids

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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.

Pay It Forward – Glen Mourning

Community, Uncategorized,

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.

Pay It Forward – SMYAL

Community, Uncategorized,

It can be challenging for queer and transgender youth to face discrimination, violence, lack of acceptance, and local organization, SMYAL, is working to combat that.

SMYAL (Supporting and Mentoring Youth Advocates and Leaders), an organization established in 1984, empowers LGBTQ youth by keeping them focused and prepared. SMYAL offers counseling, housing programs and provides leadership opportunities for children ranging from ages 6 – 24. SMYAL also works with the community to give the general public information to increase LGBTQ competency.

Fox 5’s Mauren Umeh got the chance to speak with several remarkable people at Smyal, including Tessa. Tessa is a part of the housing program, and she shared that she feels it takes a load off just having a safe place to live. 

Joel Bassam joined in surprising SMYAL with a message, ” We wanted to honor SMYAL’s incredible dedication to the LGBTQ community by donating $2000 to your mission. You all do such amazing work changing the lives of young people.” Excited and thankful for their donation, SMYAL shared that it would go directly towards helping residents in DC 

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.

Pay It Forward – Pastor Robbie Bike Ministry

Community,

After someone stole his bike, Pastor Robbie Pruitt of the Holy Spirit Church in Leesburg began what he calls “bike ministry.”  He works in the backyard of his home to repair bicycles that have been tossed out or given to him just to put a smile on others’ faces.

His goal is to teach children and teenagers how to repair and maintain their bicycles. He also wants to begin to have pop-up bike clinics, where people can stop by and have their bikes fixed and learn how to maintain them in the future.

If you have a bike to donate or have something to learn, you can find Pastor Pruitt on Facebook.

Blown away by what Pastor Pruitt has achieved and helping his community in such a unique way, Joel Bassam of Easterns Automotive Group joined in surprising Pastor Robbie with $1,500. Enough to fix almost 150 bikes!

Pay It Forward – Longview School

Community,

On this segment of Pay It Forward, we surprised the staff of Longview School with bags filled with products from women-owned businesses to say thank you during this worldwide crisis.

As children begin to make their way back into the classrooms, we must show our appreciation for the incredible teachers and staff that keep our little loved ones safe.

At Longview Elementary School, a slew of teachers, nurses, parent-teachers, and therapists gathered for this “Pay It Forward” segment as we honored them for being on the frontlines during this worldwide crisis.

Longview School is a special education school for students 5 to 21 years of age with severe intellectual and/or multiple disabilities. Sarah Starr, the principal of Longview School, joined to share how difficult it was during the pandemic for her staff, but they have gotten creative, learned new technologies, and persevered through the pandemic for their students.

Easterns Automotive purchased and filled bags with products from local women-owned businesses to deliver to their staff as a way to say thank you for their continued dedication during this time.

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.

Pay It Forward – Khloe

Community,

Earlier this year, 11-year-old Khloe from Gainsville, Va, suffering from Alopecia, was ecstatic to receive a wig from Cardi B. Alopecia is an auto-immune disease that causes hair loss. Khloe has lost all of her hair, but her mother, Teia Ferguson Maxwell, made sure to instill in her daughter that beauty comes from within and that wigs are a nice accessory and option to have.

Once we saw how happy Khloe was, we had to do more! Khloe thought it was a typical day running errands with her mother, but little did she know she was in for a huge surprise from the Easterns Automotive Group and the Pay It Forward team.

The glam squad at DanieNikole beauty bar in Greenbelt, Maryland, joined in pampering Khloe. The hairstylist Danielle Easterling created custom units with hints of pink, while Bri Price and Kayla Farrar provided makeup and nails. Khloe walked out of the beauty bar, surprised by her family, and left with a makeover that left her speechless. Joel Bassam from Easterns Automotive Group even joined in, surprising her with even more. She was able to take home two hair units, a gift card to Forever 21, and because she is a big Roblox fan, she also received an X-box gift card.

Pay It Forward – Frontline Workers at White Oak Medical Center

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So many men and women have put themselves in harm’s way to work the frontline. They have spent the past year dedicated to helping those who have contracted COVID-19 while trying to remain safe themselves.?

From the Fox 5 team, Erin Como visited the White Oak Medical Center in Silver Spring, Maryland, to speak with those saving lives on the frontline. Continue reading Pay It Forward – Frontline Workers at White Oak Medical Center →

Pay It Forward – Helping Neighbors in Need

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COVID-19 has turned everyone’s lives upside down, and, amazingly, there are so many people doing extraordinary things to help others during these trying times. A new mom in Maryland named Caroline Dennin wanted to find a way to impact those less fortunate and thought an app connecting neighbors was the perfect way to reach out.?

Caroline decided the Next Door app was the best platform to let others in the community know that she was there to help if needed. It was never her intention to receive so much support. However, by creating so many connections through the app, twenty-five people made donations. With help from others in the community, she provided families with things like groceries and toiletries. Receiving so many contributions, she was able to deliver to 12 local families.?

Inspired by Caroline’s effort to help her neighbors in need, Joel Bassam joined virtually to share some good news! Easterns Automotive wanted help by donating twenty-one $100 gift cards.

The holiday giving didn’t stop there as Mike Thomas from the Fox 5 team continued to give back! As people passed by, Mike asked, “What are you thankful for?” With the past year we have had, it is no surprise that most replied that they are grateful for life and health. He next surprised them with a $100 gift card from Easterns Automotive.?

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.

Pay It Forward – Ana Romero

Community,

Ana Romero doesn’t want anyone to experience what she went through during the pandemic and uses what she learned from her experience to help others. She now uses what she learned to help her community. Ana’s actions inspired us on our Pay It Forward with Fox 5 DC that we had to surprise her with something special.?

Ana contracted COVID-19 resulting in her spending a week in the hospital. Even though Ana was finally able to return home, the virus’s lasting effects have caused her to still be in pain, and she has also lost vision in one of her eyes. In the process of her husband and son caring for her, they lost their jobs. However, she did not let this stop her.

After Ana’s encounter with the virus, it motivated her to help her community. Daily, Ana gathers food from a local non-profit called Tenants and Workers United and delivers it to high-risk individuals and those in need. She was terrified to go to the hospital when she contracted COVID-19, so it is also essential to share facts and not fear while encouraging others to get tested. People often ask if she is getting paid for her act of kindness, but it is 100% from her heart.?

Ana’s actions are such an inspiration to us at Easterns Automotive Group and Fox 5 DC, so we surprised her with a deluxe spa basket, a warm shoulder throw, and a $200 gift card to Safeway.

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.