DAYTON — As the NATO PA delegates continue their discussion surrounding important topics of today, for many people in Dayton, this even is a chance to witness history.

What You Need To Know

  • By day NATO village might actually look a quiet, but behind the scenes there are pockets of volunteers

  • Lisa Martin is on a small team responsible for asking delegates, media, organizers and guests if they need a ride

  • Scarlet Coe and others are guiding visitors through exhibits in the courthouse

By day, NATO village might actually look a quiet, but behind the scenes there are pockets of volunteers and people who have stepped out of their regular roles to be a part of something bigger and a little part of Dayton’s history.

“Congressman Turner’s office mentioned it and we jumped on it,” said volunteer Lisa Martin as she drove a golf cart around NATO village.

Martin works downtown and has been on a small team responsible for asking delegates, media, organizers and guests if they need a ride around the footprint.

“I absolutely feel like I’m giving back. It’s a once in a lifetime experience and I want to be a part of it,” she said.

Across the street inside the International Peace Museum, intern Daniel Hutterer is enjoying his learning experiences and taking in the week-long event.  

“Just being exposed to a completely different culture in such a welcoming city is amazing,” Hutterer said.

 Hutterer is from Austria and has been interning for the past 10 months. 

“It’s very exciting to be in the middle of the world’s stage here in Dayton. I’ve seen the city transform from this normal stage a few weeks ago to now everything being fenced up. It’s amazing and you really feel the energy of everybody being here and working on those important problems of our time,” he said.

That energy is contagious.

You can even feel it steps away in the quiet corners of the historic courthouse where Scarlet Coe and others wait patiently and offer a listening ear and a guiding hand through the exhibits.  

“It’s really cool being in here, I’ve never seen it before and seeing it with the really cool exhibits and everything is really nice and it’s cool being in here to kind of see everybody come in,” she said.

Coe works at the Boonshoft Museum in the collections department and is from Dayton.

She wanted to get out, be a part of this event, and learn a little something about her own city.

“I didn’t know the history of the Dayton Accords or anything like that, so it was fun to kind of learn that part of Dayton’s history. It’s really important and I think it’s really exciting to be here and just kind of witness this really cool moment happening for Dayton,” she said.

Once the session is over, the fences come down, and the city goes back to normal. Volunteers will be left with lasting memories, a sense of giving back, and a story to share for years to come.