FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
January 19, 2026

For More Information Contact:
Austin Miller
Communications Director
660.627.1224

Community and Economic Development Director Ashley Young recognized with community service award

(Kirksville, MO) - The City of Kirksville is happy to share that the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. State Celebration Commission of Missouri recognized Community and Economic Development Director Ashley Young as a Distinguished Community Service Awardee.

Four other Missourians were recognized with this award for service to their communities during the Commission’s 40th Anniversary Celebration in St. Louis on January 9.

In addition to his service through the City, Young has been an active member of Kiwanis – a volunteer organization focused on serving children – at the local, regional, and state level. In Kirksville, Young created and organizes the Kirksville Kiwanis Christmas Parade and the winter clothing drive connected to it, which provides warm children’s clothing for local students in need each year. He is also active at the local and state level in the Masonic fraternity, where he currently serves as a statewide officer and a Director of the Board for the nonprofit Masonic Home of Missouri. His past involvement has included the Kirksville Area Habitat for Humanity and the Kirksville Young Professionals.

Young is also part of the planning organization for Kirksville’s Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration events, as well as the Kirksville Diversity Festival.
 

###