Lincoln Tunnel 5K

Eastern Funding not only looks out for customers who are looking for financing plans to achieve their business goals, but the company also aims to help out the community in other ways.

One of these aid initiatives was through the Lincoln Tunnel 5K, a footrace through New York City’s Lincoln Tunnel. The race’s proceeds go to the Special Olympics, and 14 employees from Eastern Funding took part in it. In fact, the company paid for the entry fees for all of its workers who ran the race.

In the run up to the event, Eastern Funding selected its charity to be DonorsChoose, a non-profit that has teachers across the United States name projects that they need completed, but the school is unable to follow through with the request. The company then decided to select a local New York school where a teacher asked for Chromebooks to give their students with special needs.

"The runners donated, but they also solicited donations from family and friends," said one Eastern Funding employee. "We had some customers donate money, as well."

Many reasons for taking part
The decision to join the race was a first for many of the employees who entered. Runners traveled from New Jersey to New York City and back again, and there were multiple reasons to take up such a challenge.

Eastern Funding previously raised money for charities, but there was an interest in doing something local, and the mix of the 5K being in the Lincoln Tunnel, as well as the ability to select DonorsChoose allowed the employees to do just that.

"We all feel strongly about helping kids,"says Nancy Robles-Guess, Eastern Funding’s Vice President of Operations. "I specifically looked for a school that was in high poverty areas and with children who had special needs, because the feeling is that those are the people who need it the most and would benefit in the long term."

The company planned to match any donation that came in, and three customers chipped in $1,500. This helped bring the overall level to $3,700.

Even though many of the people involved in the race had never done it previously, there was a team-building aspect that also helped the employees make a difference in their local community. Additionally, the company wants to be more fitness conscious and promote healthy living, and this event helped make that possible.