National Night Out at Chardon, OH
National Night Out at Chardon, OH
National Night Out
The "National Night Out" is an annual community-building event, held across the United States to promote police-community partnerships and camaraderie to make our neighborhoods safer and more caring places to live.
This year, we decided to visit Chardon City Square, to meet with safety officers, city service workers and firefighters to appreciate all their efforts in our communities. For the kids, it was great to see the trucks, machines and equipment up close that is used to keep our cities safe and clean.
Recognizing Service in the Community
From a broader perspective, it's helpful to understand how many people work "behind the scenes" when it comes to municipal jobs. It's easy to take for granted the fact that someone is always available to pick up your garbage, plow your road, fight fires and ensure streets are safe. These types of events allow us to get a different view of this work and humanize those who do it everyday.
This event held annually since 1984, takes place on the first Tuesday of August and is sponsored by the National Association of Town Watch in the US. Interestingly, the initiative started quite small, as individual communities would turn on their house lights after dark, and residents would sit on their porches, greeting each other. It quickly grew in popularity, as service providers used the opportunity to teach the community about drug prevention, neighborhood watch strategies and promote anti-crime efforts.
Support the Next National Night Out
It was awesome to spend time with these individuals, appreciate the challenges our communities face, support their efforts and teach the kids about it too.