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Mitchell receives Community Service Award

| Staff Reporters
Edward Mitchell Jr., Crestview’s Citizen of the Year for 2024, received the Charlie Hill Community Service Award on Jan. 16 at the 39th Annual MLK Observance in Fort Walton Beach.
Edward Mitchell Jr. receives gifts from Crestview Mayor J.B. Whitten while being honored as the city’s 2024 Citizen of the Year in January 2024. Then-City Council members Cynthia Brown and Joe Blocker stand behind the dais. (Photo courtesy of the city of Crestview)

The award recognizes an individual in Okaloosa County who exemplifies Dr. Charlie Hill’s legacy through outstanding service to the community.

Hill was an African American educator, basketball coach, civic activist, and real estate investor in Fort Walton Beach. He served the Okaloosa County School District as a teacher, principal, and attendance coordinator, and he was the first black person to hold a political office in Fort Walton Beach.

Mitchell was recognized for his generous support of local citizens through his contributions to the Mobile Optometry program, his involvement with the Remote Area Medical program, his leadership in the local Lions Club, and his deep commitment to the Church of the Nazarene’s “Dinner with Dad,” a program he helped establish.

Having Mitchell receive this honor from the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. 2025 Celebration Committee not only brings credit to him but also makes the city of Crestview incredibly proud to have him as a citizen, city officials said in a news release.

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