Easterns Blog

The holidays are a time of giving and helping those in need. Easterns Automotive Group and Fox 5 DC felt compelled to do just that with this family featured in this edition of Pay It Forward. The team got wind of Olivia Parkman, a Virginia mother of four, regarding a car accident that the family was involved in last year. The accident occurred on June 11th, 2016 in Alabama and resulted in the Parkmans losing their daughter in the crash. It has been over a year since her death, but of course the family is still struggling to heal. To make matters worse, the family has not had a car due to their previous vehicle being totaled in the crash. The money that they received from the insurance company was not nearly enough to get another car.

As a mother, Olivia is doing the best she can to stay strong for her 3 remaining children and provide the best possible life she can for them. Her sons have been receiving grief counseling through Capital Caring in Northern Virginia. Olivia would love to attend counseling as well but does not have the proper transportation to get there. The good folks at Capital Caring reached out to folks in the community to share her story and see if there was any way that people could help. Easterns Automotive Group received word about the Parkmans through Extreme Custom Collisions in Woodbridge, Virginia. Once they heard the story, they decided that they were going to do something special to make Christmas special for the Parkmans and help end their year on a great note. They donated a Honda Accord to the family to get back on their feet and provide the transportation that they need as a family.

When watching the video, you will see raw emotions because no one had any idea what was happening until it happened. Even Fox 5 DC?s Allison Seymour was both emotional and in shock because this was just truly a touching story. However, the surprise didn?t end there. Joel Bassam of Easterns Automotive Group also presented the boys with an official Washington Redskins football. The ball contained the signatures of Kirk Cousins, Josh Norman, and Ryan Kerrigan. He also gave them a basketball signed by the Washington Wizards own Bradley Beal. To top it all off, Joel gifted the entire family with tickets to both a Washington Redskins and a Washington Wizards game.

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.