The Coach CJ Celebration: Fun for a cause

The community is invited to the annual Coach CJ Celebration, a fundraiser for college scholarships.

The event is March 9 at the Annandale Volunteer Fire Department’s social hall, 7138 Columbia Pike, 7-10 p.m.

There will be a DJ, dancing, a silent auction, catered food, beer and wine, and games for kids. The auction will include children’s toys, wine baskets, and much more.

This year’s theme is St. Patrick’s Day, so guests are encouraged to wear green.

The event is organized by Nancy and Kristin Joyner in honor of their son and brother, Clayton Joyner, a popular swimming coach at Falls Church High School and the Holmes Run pool who died in 2014.  

The event is $25 per person, which includes food and two drink tickets.

The Coach CJ Celebration raises funds for the Team Joyner Foundation, a tax-exempt nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization. The foundation awards $1,000 or $2,000 scholarships to Northern Virginia Community College to worthy high school students with financial need and academic promise. All students who apply automatically receive $200 deposited directly into their NVCC account.  

Donations to the foundation can be made through PayPal at [email protected]. The tax ID number is 47-3747973.

Checks can also be made out to the Team Joyner Foundation and sent to the foundation at P.O. Box 2614, Merrifield, VA 22115.

To date, the Team Joyner Foundation has awarded more than $92,000 in scholarships to 47 students. Some of the scholarship recipients were unable to access federal financial aid, as their parents were undocumented.

The Coach CJ Celebration is an all-volunteer enterprise. A sponsor is taking care of the catering and drinks, so nearly all the proceeds will be used for scholarships.

Since this year is the 10th anniversary of Clayton Joyner’s death, Nancy Joyner expects many of his former friends will show up for a mini-reunion.

“The Coach CJ Celebration is a family-friendly event,” Nancy says. “We want people to have fun. Clayton was a fun guy. He liked to party, and that’s what I want – a fun party.”