On Sunday April 6th at 5:00 – 7:30 PM, Young Life of Central Fairfax will be hosting their annual Trivia Night. This fun event, with plenty of good food, is an opportunity to hear about Young Life of Central Fairfax’s impact on our community’s youth and raise money to continue the mission.
Joel was an active participant in Young Life and it no doubt had a major impact on him and his faith journey. In honor of Joel, the Young Life organization and everyone involved in YL, we are excited to say that LetGoodnessShine will be contributing to this year’s event.
In addition, and in an effort to encourage contributions, LetGoodnessShine will also be matching new recurring monthly donations up to $1000.
If you are interested in attending this fun event to see what Young Life Central Fairfax is about, or the difference it has made on the lives of our youth, please join by reserving your spot.
Additional Sponsorships Available: If you are interested in sponsoring this event and getting your organization exposed to the Robinson, Woodson, Lake Braddock, and West Springfield communities served by Central Fairfax Young Life, please click here.
Why Young Life
I have a deep sense of gratitude for the organizations and people that helped shape Joel’s life. Among other things, Joel was caring and selfless, athletic, funny, studious, and more. Much of this was impacted by his faith.
Joel’s faith was extraordinary for anyone, let alone a 15-year old boy. You only need to read the letter his friend Roberto wrote to us shortly after Joel’s passing.
Joel’s faith wasn’t an accident. And while parenting certainly has its role, what Joel demonstrated in Roberto’s letter goes far beyond anything parents can take credit for. I say that God used every tool in His arsenal to grow Joel’s faith. The mystery behind Joel’s death is matched only by the miracle of his faith journey. It’s an extraordinary journey that only can be explained through God’s divine authority and His orchestration of so many people and organizations: The Catholic Church, his soccer coaches, his youth pastor, his family, friends, teammates and so many more. Young Life was absolutely one of those organizations.
Joel got involved with Young Life starting with a week long summer camp before the 7th grade with his buddy Zach. Thank God Monica was able to secure them a spot with the Western Fairfax chapter even though Joel was aligned with Central.
I remember snapping a picture of the two of them before he shooed me away. We weren’t sure how he’d do at the camp. Would he like it? Could he be himself without being looked down upon? Would the teachings resonate with him? Were there enough activities and sports to keep him occupied? And of course, we were worried he’d get hurt.
Part of our anxiety was that Joel wasn’t going to change who he was to fit in. We absolutely encouraged this, but we knew sometimes there would be social consequences. He didn’t want to be someone that “pretended to be cool”. Basically his way of saying your actions should reflect who you actually are. Or “you do you” as he’d say. Upon his return, we were so happy, relieved, and a little surprised to hear that he absolutely loved it.
He went again to camp the next year as a rising 8th grader. As a freshmen, he participated in a couple of YL activities in the fall with Central Fairfax. One was a “color war”. I distinctly remember dropping him off at the event. He was skeptical he’d he’d know anyone at the event. One of his friends that was thinking about going couldn’t. Joel was going solo and that made him a little apprehensive. It certainly made me. I was so protective of him. Like a fragile family heirloom. A number of times during the course of his childhood, I said to Monica that I wanted to “wrap him in bubble wrap”. Both physically and emotionally. At this event where he didn’t know anyone, I didn’t want him to feel rejected or slighted in the least bit. Looking back at my text messages from that night I said to him, “Walk up to someone and introduce yourself and shake their hand”. His immediate reply was, “I already did that.” Proud dad moment right there. Then I offered to wait close by in case it was too uncomfortable for him. “Na it’s alright” he replied. I drove off slowly, probably with a tear from being so proud of him. When he came home, he was covered in paint and a smile.
Later in the fall, Joel was invited to go with the group to a basketball game and Capital One Arena. For transportation, a few of the leaders each offered to drive with about 3-4 people per car. I remember asking him if he showered after football practice, or at least brought deodorant. It was a no to both :). Once again, I’m nervous for him because I don’t want the others being critical of him because he might not smell so great. This wasn’t the case at all. After Joel passed, a couple others in the car with him that night shared with me the experience. He had people laughing and it was clear Joel was able to be Joel. It was once again another positive experience.
Young Life was a great blessing for Joel. He could be himself; funny, quirky, inquisitive and have a good time with great company. Beyond that, Young Life was an opportunity for him to have these experiences while learning more about the Bible and the life of Jesus. .
As the father of a son who died, I say confidently that nothing will ever justify losing him. I can also confidently say that I am so thankful that his journey prepared him, It provides me with a senses of peace that today I cannot fully comprehend.
To those that helped shape Joel’s journey, I am so grateful for you. Words do it no justice. Thank you so much Young Life. Thank you Chelsea, Kevin, Jennifer, Griff, Jay, Jon, Jenny, Jody. Thank you to the dozens of leaders and participants in those Young One camps and events. You all work so tirelessly. It’s truly inspiring and I wish every family in the Central and Western Fairfax communities could know what I know. Special thanks to the people in the car with Joel that night :). And thank you Zach for going with Joel to those camps and being his friend.
I love you all
Call for Sponsors
Another plug… Additional sponsorships are still available. It is a great way to support a local organization that is having meaningful and lasting change on today’s youth. It’s also a great way to get your organization’s name out to the Robinson, Woodson, Lake Braddock, and West Springfield communities served by Central Fairfax Young Life.
The sponsorship options are below. To sign up as a sponsor, or to register for the event, please visit the Trivia Night Registration Page.
