'She’s a true Crestview-inite'

CRESTVIEW — Each year, a search committee names a dedicated resident Crestview's Citizen of the Year. This year the honor went to Raymonda “Rae” Schwartz.

“I am overwhelmed,” Schwartz said about winning the Mae Reatha Coleman Citizen of the Year award. “I have seen all the previous awardees, and they are people I have admired for a long time; they are an exceptional group of people. I am humbled to be chosen, and I am just thrilled.”

Schwartz, a New York City native, moved to Crestview in April 1989 and has since made an impact on the community by participating in various organizations.

She has served as a unit commissioner for Boy Scouts of America, a trainer for Okaloosa Volunteer Art Lessons, a member of Friends of the Arts and a member of Friends of the Library. She is a part of the Main Street Crestview Association and has served on the city's centennial committee, chaired the Crestview Area Chamber of Commerce’s Arts and Culture Committee, has volunteered with Okaloosa County schools’ art programs for 13 years, and leads a knitting group at Casbah Coffee Company.

“She may not have been raised here, but she’s a true Crestview-inite,” Councilman Shannon Hayes said.

Mayor David Cadle thanked Schwartz for her dedication to the city and specifically with Military Appreciation Recognition Celebrations, Inc., a nonprofit organization that raises money for an annual Armed Forces Day celebration in Crestview.

“You were in it from the beginning and took on numerous roles.” Cadle said. “Thanks for stepping up."

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: 'She’s a true Crestview-inite'