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Not Your Average Joe!

by Ben Weber

His name is Joe Petrella of Purcellville and he will turn four years old this year, and he, his family and a lot of friends could not be happier. As the title implies, Joe is not your average child; according to his family and his friends, he is a little blond wonder.

Joe was born 12 weeks early and weighed only 1.5lbs...that is smaller than your average Big Gulp. According to his father, Denny Petrella, owner of Cheers Sports, if it was not for the dedicated staff of the Inova Fairfax Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), Joe would not be here today. For 104 days, Joe and his new family prayed, sat vigil and lived their lives at the hospital, waiting and hoping. According to Petrella, they soon learned the names of all the nurses, doctors and some of the other families and their newborns. The Petrellas and their friends knew that when Joe got home, they would work to help those who helped them.

Thus the birth of Team Joe, a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to helping the Inova Fairfax NICU unit. For three years running, Team Joe has raised upwards of $75,000. These funds have been given to upgrade the nurses' breakroom, pay for a new washer and dryer in the unit, and a host of other items that not only help the families, but the staff who watches over their young patients for hours and hours. Petrella, with a smile, said, "Every single dollar we raise goes right to the NICU. Without their support, Joe would not be with us today to celebrate, we are eternally grateful."

Team Joe hosts an annual golf tournament at WestPark in Leesburg. This year's tournament will be held on Friday, October 1st. "We have one of the best fundraisers around," said Petrella, "last year we gave away over $20,000 in door prizes, all the while charging only $100 per golfer which included golfing, carts, sodas and adult beverages and three meals." Steve Jacobus, a Board Member of Team Joe and past participant in the tournament, said that folks have a wonderful time. According to both men, the tournament this year will help raise funds to build and furnish a room for families with children in the NICU. "There is just no place to go as a family to relax when you are at the NICU; you are either in the room with your child or you are in the main lobby, which does not have that much privacy," said Petrella, "we want to create a room that is close to their child and allows the family to sit privately together, to talk, relax or even cry."

In order to reach their $200,000 goal, Team Joe is seeking sponsorships. They range from a Team Joe Founder for $5000 or Friend of Joe for as little as $100. The Founder offers many benefits, too many to list. "We have a several people and businesses who have signed on to help sponsor this year's tournament, but we could always use more," said Petrella. It was clear that Petrella has one mission, to give back to those who helped give his family their little Joe.

To find out how you can help Team Joe and the Inova NICU, visit www.TeamJoe.org or call Denny Petrella at 540-338-7000.