Chamber names Mark Fleetwood as 2022 Man of the Year

Kasmira Smith, The Moultrie Observer, Ga.
·3 min read

Mar. 31—MOULTRIE — The Moultrie-Colquitt County Chamber of Commerce presented its annual community awards Thursday, March 30 and named Mark Fleetwood as the 2021 Man of the Year during its banquet.

Mark Fleetwood, the husband to Connie Fleetwood, is described as having a "servant's heart."

His nomination packet was submitted in collaboration with the American Red Cross Colquitt County Chapter Former Director Helen Sewell, First Baptist Church Pastor Wayne Woods, John Mitchell III with the Georgia Farm Bureau of Moultrie, American Red Cross Southwest Georgia Chapter Executive Director Andy Brubaker, Perfect Simpson with Acceptance Insurance and Sarah Fleetwood-Weissman.

Fleetwood previously retired as a manager of the Georgia Farm Bureau of Moultrie after suffering a nearly fatal heart attack about a decade ago. But his work was far from done. Fleetwood has since dedicated his life to volunteering with the American Red Cross along with his wife of an ongoing 40 years, Connie.

"He threw himself into volunteerism in his trademark fashion. He was "All In," as he has been for all the work he's done in his life. He and his wife, Connie, are always on standby, ready to deploy to dangerous and chaotic disaster sites at a moment's notice. Whether it's a local house fire, or a region-destroying natural disaster, Mark is ready and willing to help," his nomination packet states.

Mitchell met Fleetwood in December of 2001 when he applied for a job with the Georgia Farm Bureau of Moultrie and then worked with him for eight years. The agency and district were regularly recognized for their production and service to the community while Fleetwood was the manager and Mitchell considers Fleetwood as a mentor.

In a nomination letter to the judging committee Mitchell wrote, "...he lives his life around this simple but powerful theory, and that is 'You can't go wrong by doing the right thing."

The Fleetwood's are members of First Baptist Church. Wood said the couple were assigned as shelter directors when the church served as a Red Cross Shelter for Hurricane Matthew evacuees.

Woods describes Fleetwood as, "a quiet and humble servant who simply goes about the task at hand with little concern for recognition."

Fleetwood and his wife also maintain the Red Cross's emergency response vehicle for Colquitt County. Sewell wrote, "Being a Red Cross volunteer for most of us is an occasional happening. For Mark and Connie it is a way of life. They respond to all house fires in the city and county helping those affected by meeting their immediate needs."

One of the several people the Fleetwoods have assisted was Perfect Simpson. She met Mark and Connie on April 6, 2013 — the day she lost her home and nearly her husband to a fire.

Simpson said, "When we returned home after our 22-day journey to recovery Mrs. Connie and Mr. Mark had delivered brooms, mops, cleaning products and all kinds of essentials to our temporary living space. If I had to sum up what Mrs. Connie and Mr. Mark did for me and my family in those moments, they were nothing short of miracle workers providing miracles through Christ Jesus."