Tag: Pay It Forward

Lorton Community Action Center saw a need in the face of the pandemic and wanted families to have a wonderful holiday season. They were committed to providing food, toys, and resources to those in the community who needed them the most. They worked tirelessly to gather donations to distribute, and we had a secret surprise on this Pay It forward with Fox 5.

In October, 82-year-old veteran, affectionately known as Mr. Eddie, lost his home of 40 years in a fire, forcing him to start over. On this Pay It Forward with Fox 5, we had a special surprise for him and his wife.

Soles4Souls is an organization that collects unwanted shoes and puts them to good use for those in need. On this #PayItForward with Fox 5 we were inspired by their efforts so we donated $500 worth of shoes to their cause. We also purchased $1500 worth of foot soap from botanical-based line Naturally London to give to first responders and hospital staff.

Inspired by these neighbors coming together to help one another, we surprised each household with a $100 gift card to help with their holiday shopping on this Pay It Forward with Fox 5.

Manizha Aziz has been helping families who fled Afghanistan, but after her trailer full of items for those in need was stolen, she had to start over. We wanted to help replace them on this Pay It Forward with Fox 5, so we had a special surprise for her!

15-year-old Omar Fulcar has been volunteering with different organizations that support his community in Fairfax County. Moved by his dedication to helping others, we had a surprise for him.

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.

"Crunchy Life" is a series of books by Glen Mourning that create literary diversity for children all over. Glen, created the Crunchy Life series to help children see themselves in stories and cause them to read more. Inspired by Glen's motivation to help children read more and ensure they see themselves in stories, we had a special surprise for him on this Pay It Forward with Fox 5.

On this Pay It Forward partnered with Fox 5, we wanted to honor SMYAL's dedication to the youth of the LGBTQ+ community by donating $2,000 towards their mission!

The Pay It Forward initiative partners FOX 5 News with Easterns Automotive Group, and this time, we teamed up to surprise Pastor Robbie Pruitt, who started what he calls "bike ministry," where he is determined to help change lives one bicycle at a time!