Easterns Blog

A Washington D.C. teacher by the name of Carmen Garner turned his childhood pain and trauma into his purpose. Garner grew up in the District where it wasn’t safe to go outside because of gun violence. His cousin’s boyfriend used to take him finishing to escape the madness. It was during that time when he got inspired to create a better life for himself.

Fast-forward to now being an adult, Garner sees his students residing in the same areas of Washington where he grew up. He even discovered a memorial for a homicide victim during the visit to one of his students. This pain of being stuck in the apartment and not being able to simply go outside was devastating and he didn’t want another child to have to suffer through it. During the pandemic, Garner received a stimulus check like many other Americans but its what he did with it that separates him from most.

Garner created the Inner City Anglers nonprofit organization that allows him to take struggling children from the city and take them on fishing trips to provide a sense of escape. Many of these children do not know what it’s like to go on a vacation. These small outings show them that there is so much more in life than what they see every day. Easterns Automotive Group and Fox 5 DC caught wind of Garner’s work and decided to feature him on their Pay It Forward segment. During the Zoom video call with Fox 5’s Holly Morris, Joel Bassam of Easterns surprised Garner with the news that he was donating $1,500 on behalf of Easterns. These funds will be used to help pay for fishing gear and lunch for future trips. Please visit www.innercityanglers.com to learn more about ICA and donate to this incredible cause.

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.

YouTube Link – https://youtu.be/EenfDlbbCBk