Julie West is the founder of The Play for Jake Foundation and a member of LaPorte's City Council. She was a teacher for 25 years before venturing into the nonprofit space full-time to advance the work of Play for Jake. After losing her 17 year-old-son to sudden cardiac arrest on the football field on September 25, 2013, Julie found a new sense of purpose in her loss - to ensure no other family has to live their life without their child due to an undetected heart condition.

This resulted in the founding of The Play for Jake Foundation, an initiative that offers heart screenings in school settings, works to place automated external defibrillators in critical places throughout the community and offers CPR/AED classes on the 26th of every month. While Julie's life has changed in every way when she lost her son, she focuses on showing up each and every day to do her best to raise awareness and help save other lives.