For Lake Nona resident BJ Jackson, the American flag, national anthem, and team sports go together like baseball, hot dogs, and apple pie. He has great childhood memories of standing with his teammates for the anthem, saluting the flag, and running onto the field at the start of the game, ready to play ball.
The flag and national anthem have also inspired Jackson’s vocation. After high school, he enlisted in the Iowa National Guard and served as an Army National Guard Specialist deployed to Iraq in 2003, where he sustained serious injuries and lost his legs. He continues to be inspired by love of country, serving as the international co-chair for the God, Flag & Country oratory competition as well as working with wounded veterans and developing nonprofits.
Jackson is also the vice president and co-director of football for Lake Nona Youth Sports, a not-for-profit organization offering more than 1,000 young athletes in southeast Orlando an opportunity to participate in community sports programs. The teams practice and play at Heroes Community Park, using its four fields and concession building, located near the Orlando Veterans’ Affairs Healthcare System.
Last fall, when the park opened, Jackson felt there was something valuable missing. Heroes Park didn’t have a flagpole. Without a flagpole, the American flag couldn’t fly during their games.
Coaches for Lake Nona Youth Sports wanted their young players to consider the flag as a symbol of pride, tradition, and inspiration, so they devised a portable makeshift flagpole and attached a flag that ended up being too small to see from the field. Jackson wanted a permanent solution that not only inspired the young players but provided some cheer to patients hospitalized in the nearby VA Healthcare System.
“I would tell the kids to face the direction of the hospital and give a wave or salute to those heroes who had a view of the fields to watch us play and practice,” he said. “But I thought how awesome it would be for our community to come together to give those great veterans an American flag that was big enough for them to see from their hospital windows.”
Jackson and the volunteer board members of Lake Nona Youth Sports created a GoFundMe page to raise $3,675 in donations for a commercial-grade flag and a 35-foot flagpole to be installed at Heroes Park.
“We received an amazing outpouring of support from the community, with an incredibly generous donation from the Briscoe family – Dr. Joshua, his wife, Jessica, and their two sons, who donated more than $2,000 to help us meet our goal,” Jackson said. “They moved to Lake Nona just a year ago and wanted to help us provide an American flag flying high over our fields for both the veterans to enjoy and the kids to be inspired by while playing the sports they love.”
Steven Mueller from Elite Construction & Maintenance in Merritt Island donated the installation of the flagpole, and Flag World donated the flag. Orlando City Commissioner Jim Gray and Michael Wilson with the City of Orlando Parks and Recreation also provided guidance and assistance with the installation process.
“When I was serving my country overseas, the sight of the American flag made me feel that the entire nation was with me in the fight for freedom,” Jackson described. “Today, I tell the young athletes I coach that the flag makes all Americans feel like we’re part of the same team.”
Lake Nona Youth Sports has been serving the Lake Nona community for more than 10 years. Dedicated to providing valuable life lessons through sports and community involvement, it is staffed by all volunteers to provide kids with the opportunity to participate, learn, and excel in sports.
Photo Courtesy of Lake Nona Youth Sports
