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Congratulations to Ashley Anderson! On August 11, the Moorhead City Council and Mayor Shelly Carlson presented her with the MoorHeart award.

Ashley is committed to making our community a safer place! Ashley encourages everyone in Moorhead to take action in crisis, watching out for all members of our community. Below is her story.

On the afternoon of Saturday, June 21, Moorhead resident, Asarae Bartzatt, and her friend Denise were chatting about the hot weather. After a stressful morning, Denise offered to give Asarae some much-needed mom time by taking her children, including 11-year-old Jayce, to the neighborhood wading pool a few blocks away. That day, Ashley Anderson also brought her daughter to the same pool.

A while later, Asarae received a call. She later said she knew something was wrong before even answering the phone. While playing in the wading pool, Jayce had a seizure. What was initially thought to be him playing underwater was him unconscious. As Denise noticed this, she screamed and got Jayce out of the water. Ashley came running over and gave CPR while 911 was called. Asarae, on her way to the pool, saw the ambulance and followed them to the hospital, connecting with officers and letting them know her son was in the ambulance. She met her husband at Essentia and Jayce was later transferred to Sanford. 

On Sunday, as Jayce was being discharged, Asarae received a phone call from the responding officer, informing her that Ashley had offered to share her contact information if the family wanted to connect. Asarae immediately responded, "Absolutely." After exchanging a few texts, Asarae and Ashley and their families were able to meet up. They hit it off instantly and have since been arranging sleepovers and hanging out together. As Asarae said, "This is the best possible thing I could ever ask of someone. Ashley is not just a friend; she is now family."

Asarae shared that what could have been a tragedy has been a beautiful outcome and a great start to a relationship with Ashley and her family.

Sean Brandenburg wrote in Ashley’s nomination: Ashley’s ability to recognize the emergency, take immediate action, and perform life-saving measures exemplifies remarkable bravery and presence of mind. Her quick thinking, calm demeanor, and willingness to act in a critical moment directly contributed to a positive outcome in what could have been a tragic situation. Because of Ashley’s heroic response, this story has a happy ending. Her actions serve as a powerful reminder of the impact one individual can have and we are so fortunate to have individuals like her in our Moorhead community.

For all Ashley does for Moorhead – and especially for her remarkable and valiant act, efforts like these do not go unnoticed or without thanks – the MoorHeart selection committee chose Ashley to receive the MoorHeart Award. Ashley is a great example of the MoorHeart spirit. Congratulations to Ashley Anderson for her meaningful and inspiring act!

The MoorHeart award is an opportunity to recognize individuals who go above and beyond to demonstrate community within our City by their actions and service. A team of volunteers from city boards and commissions selects award recipients. The MoorHeart award is commemorated with a piece of art commissioned from local artist Dennis Krull especially for this purpose.

Information on nominating individuals/organizations for the MoorHeart award can be found at moorheadmn.gov. (Search for MoorHeart Award.) Contributions large and small are worthy of nomination!