Oh Wow Plans Event to Benefit Realty Tower Victims

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – Oh Wow! The Roger & Gloria Jones Children’s Center for Science & Technology will host a community day Saturday to benefit the victims of the May 28 explosion at Realty Tower, downtown.

General admission is $10 per person, and all proceeds will be donated to the United Way of Youngstown and the Mahoning Valley for its Downtown Recovery Relief Fund.

The event will run from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the center, 15 Central Square.

“The rallying cry in the downtown area of Youngstown, Ohio, has, in this past week, been one of strength and community,” the announcement from Oh Wow states. “Youngstown has, since its establishment in 1796, seen its share of devastation. Join us on June 29th as we come together as a community and support … those affected by the explosion that claimed the life of one and injured and displaced many others.”

Realty Tower residents haven’t been able to return to their homes since the explosion due to safety concerns. A structural engineer, hired by the city, determined the building is in imminent danger of collapse without modification. The International Towers, next to Realty, was evacuated earlier this month.

The Stambaugh Building, which houses the DoubleTree By Hilton and Bistro 1907, has been closed since the explosion.

Published by The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.