Truesdale and American Red Cross officials are exploring a future partnership where the MaryLou Center could be used in the aftermath of a natural disaster or other potential programs. 

Cannon said he met with Warren County Emergency Management Director Mike Thornton and Red Cross representative Chamar Steele recently to discuss using the MaryLou Center for a variety of activities related to first aid training, CPR and a variety of other activities.

“We want to use the building for all of those types of things,” Cannon said. “That is why it was built.”

Cannon said the facility could also be used for emergency training for city staff and volunteers.

“We are just exploring all of the possibilities,” he said. “This is the next level of what we can do at MaryLou.”

Cannon said his meeting with Thornton and Steele was an initial planning session to get the ball rolling. He said currently the plan is to do some training in the spring, with classes to be performed once a month.

Steele said that the meeting with Truesdale was part of a nationwide effort on the part of the Red Cross to reach out to its emergency management partners in preparation for the onset of tornado season in Missouri. He said the MaryLou Center is one of the preferred shelters in the region and the meeting was in order to begin mobilizing the community to prepare for the upcoming season.

“Part of the goal is to empower residents to be resilient and have plans for their local neighborhood,” Steele said. “Can you support your home and neighbors?”

He said the idea behind the training provided by the Red Cross is to get neighbors trained to open and staff an emergency center to fill gaps.

Steele said that during the meeting held in Truesdale it was discussed that local churches were stepping up to provide volunteers to help staff the MaryLou Center in case of an emergency. Steele said the initial training would focus on shelter training and would eventually move to other topics.

Chamar Steele said his role is to manage preparedness in 19 counties around St. Louis. His goal focuses on community education and preparedness from kids as young as pre-K all the way to adults. Reaching out to Truesdale was part of the effort to expand education opportunities for local communities.

Steele said there are no dates set yet for training exercises in Truesdale, but that the Red Cross is flexible when it comes to scheduling events.