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Youngstown Toastmasters club providing resources to friends in East Palestine

By Kelcey Norris
Mike Moss, 408 Toastmasters member who came up with the idea of giving water and Aaron Shope, East Palestine resident.
Mike Moss, 408 Toastmasters member who came up with the idea of giving water and Aaron Shope, East Palestine resident. Arthur Byrd, VP of Public Relations, Executive 408 Toastmasters Youngstown

One local club has transformed their desire to teach public speaking and leadership skills into acts of service.

Members of the branch of a club called Toastmasters in Youngstown are giving back to the East Palestine community.

Although politicians have said the water is safe to drink in East Palestine after the train derailment, some are avoiding drinking tap water out of an abundance of caution.

Why Toastmasters wanted to help a member from East Palestine

Leaders of Executive Toastmasters 408 Youngstown like Mike Moss felt called to help, especially since one of their fellow members is from East Palestine.

“I was in my office filling my water bottle that I drink at my desk all the day long,” said Moss, who has been with the Toastmasters club for four years. “[Someone] joking said ‘so, you filling that water bottle to take it to East Palestine?’ I said ‘no, it was for me and my office. But that gives me an idea. I have a friend who is in East Palestine and I am sure him or his family or friends could use some water and I ought bring some to him.’”

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Moss collected bottled water from members who attended the last meeting, then sent them to East Palestine with Aaron Shope, a Toastmasters member.

“It’s actually going to my neighbor,” Shope said. “He lives completely off the Leslie Run Creek. He doesn’t have any running water to his home. So, with the creek being polluted, he solely bathing and everything off of bottled water.”

The Toastmasters meet in Boardman on Mondays from 6:45-8:45 p.m.

“The water, you guys don’t have stuff like that. I appreciate that so much. I really do,” Shope said.

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This story was originally published March 14, 2023 at 5:00 AM.