Joe Peoples said he believes in &uot;giving back to the community that gave so much to me when I was a boy.&uot;

Peoples, who has coached Dixie Youth baseball for eight years, is serving his first year as a board member of the league.

&uot;I played baseball and football while I was growing up in Natchez, and people like Blake Wadsworth, Charlie Yates and Pete Wilkerson instilled in me the kind of values that I’m trying to pass on to my child (14-year-old Brandon) and the rest of the children in our community,&uot;&160;Peoples said.

Peoples’ various duties as a volunteer for the Dixie Boys program are mowing the grass, repairing fences, dragging the dirt &uot; … just a standby handyman,&uot;&160;he said. &uot;(I) do it because (I) enjoy it.&uot;&160;

Peoples graduated from Adams County Christian School in 1971. He played baseball and football for the Rebels, and graduated from Copiah-Lincoln Community College and the Universtiy of Southern Mississippi.

Peoples’ role off the field is just as vital as his role on the field.

&uot;I try to make sure that the fans enjoy the game, and make sure that everyone understands it is just a game. Basically, if it gets rough outside the fence, I feel I’ve got to try to smooth things out,&uot; he said.

Peoples, who works at Donald Engine Service in Vidalia, La., will continue to serve as a board member for the next three years.

&uot;I’m commited for the next three years, and I’m going to continue to work towards the growth and development of the program,&uot;&160;he said.

No matter what happens in the future, Peoples said knows that everything he does will be worthwhile in the long run.

&uot;I’ll never feel like what we’re doing isn’t worth it, because we know it is. We know that what we’re doing is vital to the development of the children who play ball in Natchez, not only as players, but as young men as well,&uot;&160;Peoples said.