Henry Longfellow said, “The life of a man consists not in seeing visions and in dreaming dreams, but in active charity and in willing service.”

There are so many men who live their lives with mere visions or dreams of things that they hope come to life. However, they never take the next steps to ensure that their visions and dreams come to life.

Our brother, Jerry Roberts, was not such a man. He had a vision for the youth of the Miss-Lou and especially for Concordia Parish. It was his dream to build a field house to exemplify the dedication, pride, determination, athletic prowess and love for sports. He wanted the children of our area, who donate their time and skill to various sports activities, to understand that the community is proud of them and willing to make sure that they have a building that represents that pride.

Before Jerry’s untimely death in December of 2006, he, along with other members of our community, had begun to make his vision a reality. As a school board member for Concordia Parish, Jerry worked diligently until funds were allocated to construct the field house, now located on the campus of Vidalia High School. Although the field house has been built, it is not equipped on the inside.

Despite his passing, we refuse to allow Jerry’s vision and dreams to pass away as well. We have decided to rally around this worthy cause and make sure that the children of Vidalia benefit from his vision.

The second part of Jerry’s vision was to make sure that the field house was equipped with all of the amenities needed to have a grand area for our community athletes. Jerry’s son, Graham, has decided to take the lead baton and make sure that his dad’s vision becomes a reality. Just as Jerry was unable to begin the process alone, it will take the support of the entire Miss-Lou community to make the field house a reality for our kids.

This weekend the first “Go Deep” Flag Football Tournament, benefiting the Vidalia High School Field House Fund, in memory of Jerry Roberts, will be held, starting at 5 p.m. on Friday and 9 a.m. Saturday.

Teams from Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas will compete on the Vidalia High School football field and the Vidalia girls softball field to raise money for this worthy endeavor.

A first place trophy will be given in both men’s and women’s category. The style of play will be a 7-on-7 men’s non-contact and a 7-on-7 women’s non-contact. Anyone, age 15 and up, will be welcomed into the friendly competition, and no more than 16 players are allowed on each roster. The entry fee per team is $200.

Admission for spectators to this event is free. T-shirts and concessions will be sold at both fields. Donations will also be accepted at both fields.

The deadline for entry is Thursday. Registration will be held at Delta Bank in Vidalia from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Thursday. Forms can be completed at the bank or faxed to 601-445-4574. If you are interested in sponsoring a team please contact (601)431-5284.

We would like to thank our current sponsors Delta Bank, Concordia Bank & Trust, Jackie Johnston, Vidalia Apparel, 107.1 The River, Rhino Graphics, Jack McLemore, Callon Petroleum, Randy Maxwell, Natchez Coca-Cola, Cellular South, Vidalia Women’s Club and the ACCS Booster Club.

Jerry was a wonderful husband, father, son and brother. We have been blessed with many stories of how he brightened the lives of people around our area. He loved sports and was extremely active in all sports, both in Concordia Parish and Adams County. We want to cherish our brother’s vision and dreams to make sure that his memory is forever alive and burning bright. Please help Deanie, Karianna, Graham and us make his dreams of an equipped field house a reality.

For further information, contact Graham Roberts at 601-431-5284 or 318-336-9616 or by e-mail at streborg87@yahoo.com.

Cindy Thornton is the sister of Jerry Roberts. She is a Vidalia resident.