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Youngstown marks Night Out

Event at pool honors all local first responders

By BEN DAVIS 2 min read
Correspondent photo / Ben Davis Visitors interact with members of different first responder agencies, and check out vehicles and equipment used by them at the Youngstown National Night Out on Tuesday evening at the North Side Pool on Belmont Avenue. It was one of about 17,000 National Night Out events across the nation.

YOUNGSTOWN -- A National Night Out event Tuesday at North Side Pool was a partnership between the religious organization NOW Youngstown and the city's Parks and Recreation Department.

National Night Out events take place across the country on the first Tuesday of August, and are meant to promote a healthy relationship with first responders and their communities.

"We're a group of different churches, different denominations that come together in the summer to serve the city," said Stephanie McKelvey, NOW Youngstown's president. "We do pop-up ministries throughout the city all summer. We partnered to organize this event just to honor first responders in the city to help build those relationships."

While some National Night Out events focus on police, the Youngstown event involved all first responders.

"We have the fire department here, the bomb squad's here and the health department's here," McKelvey said. "We honor all first responders."

McKelvey said National Night Out allows people to meet with first responders in a more positive setting as opposed to emergencies.

"It's an opportunity for the community to come out and engage with our officers in a manner that's not like you're calling them for an emergency," McKelvey said. "A lot of times the only time there's engagement with officers, fire department or EMTs is when they're coming for an emergency. So this just gives you an environment that's fun."

McKelvey also said the event can help people see past any misconceptions they may have regarding first responders by speaking with them.

"I think a lot of times people have misconceptions about our first responders," McKelvey said. "It just gives them an opportunity to meet them, and see that these are all people who live in our city.

"They care about the city, they're involved in the city and they care about the residents."

Other National Night Out events were hosted in Liberty, Newton Falls and Weathersfield. NOW Youngstown will host a Community Block Party at Kirwan Homes in Campbell on Aug. 11.

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