Julie Saxton
President Kent Frankenfeld, Julie Saxton & Rotarian Sponsor Tom Hertz
 
On Monday, November 28th, the Rotary Club of Ames recognized 15 individuals who made, and are making, extraordinary contributions to our community. We recognized our “Heroes of the Community” with a Paul Harris Fellow.
 
Julie Saxton
Julie is a member of the Ames Police Department, serving as its Mental Health Advocate. Her role is unique in law enforcement and crucial to the citizens in our community impacted by mental health issues. 
Julie helps individuals and families experiencing a mental health crisis connect with services and assists in navigating a complicated mental health system to access what they need. 
She is also a certified Mental Health First Aid Trainer. Julie provides training and education on the signs and symptoms of mental illness and how to respond to someone in a crisis and get them help. 
 
During the pandemic, Julie saw a need to continue offering the training and did so over ZOOM. She returned to in-person training in the summer of 2021 to support the Ames City Council’s Mental Health Wellness, Recovery, and Resiliency initiative. Julie helped train over 100 individuals and continues training sessions for Mary Greeley Medical Center, Iowa State University, and other groups. 
Julie recently completed ‘train the trainer’ on “Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training” and is involved in the City’s series of Community Conversations about various mental health topics.
 
And that’s not all; Julie also works with police officers and local mental health agencies in serving individuals and families experiencing a mental health crisis. Her role is a “win-win.” She gets involved when someone needs help the most, allowing Officers to address other law enforcement calls.  
 
Julie's Rotarian sponsor is Tom Hertz.