One805Live! returned on Saturday with a star-studded event that featured performances by Good Charlotte, Trisha Yearwood, and The Fray.
A huge crowd gathered at the annual event in Summerland, where they were treated to live music, food trucks, and other entertainment.
In attendance were Oprah Winfrey, Maria Shriver, Cheryl Lowe, Rob Lowe, and Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, the duchess of Sussex.
Prince Harry joins firefighter Sam Dudley and his rescue dog, Rhonda, onstage. The prince presented Chief Mark Hartwig with the organization Heart of the Community for the Santa Barbara County Fire Department’s Peer-to-Peer mental health program. Credit: Daniel Green / Noozhawk photo
Also performing were Thelma Houston, Alan Parsons, Donavon Frankenreiter, Plastic Harpoons, DJ Bad Ash, Elliot Easton of The Cars, and John Kay of Steppenwolf.
Country star Trisha Yearwood was among the performers at Saturday’s One805Live! concert. Credit: Lily Chubb / Noozhawk photo
One805 began as an organization in 2018 in the aftermath of the Montecito debris flows.
Since then, the group has worked to raise funds for equipment and mental health support for local first responders.
Kirsten Cavendish Weston-Smith, the co-founder and CEO of One805, said the event is more than a concert, but an example of how the community can support its first responders.
“This year’s event was historic, not just for the music and the moments, but for the foundation it sets for long-term support of first responder mental health,” she said.
Richard Weston-Smith, COO of One805, announced that the organization has started a $10 million endowment fund to support mental health. Additionally, the organization has already received its first pledge of $1 million.
Speaking during the event was Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown.
He thanked the audience and One805 for the work they have done to support first responders. He added that in Santa Barbara County, mental health is one of their top priorities for their staff.
Sheriff Bill Brown presented the first of two Heart of the Community Awards to actor, Rob Lowe. Lowe is known for his support of local first responders. Credit: Daniel Green / Noozhawk photo
“Here in Santa Barbara County, our first responders stand ready to serve you every day through crises large and small,” Brown said. “Let’s stand by them by championing their mental health as well as physical wellness.”
Brown also announced that the organization had chosen to bestow its Heart of the Community Award on actor Rob Lowe for his support of first responders.
Brown said that the award is for people who are an intrinsic part of the community, and go above and beyond to help others.
During the 2017 Thomas Fire, Brown said, Lowe opened his home to firefighters who were stationed in the area to fight the flames. He also directed the documentary, “Madness in the Hills,” which described the aftermath of the Montecito debris flows.
Fire Chief Mark Hartwig with firefighter Sam Dudley. Credit: Lily Chubb / Noozhawk photo
The organization also gifted a Heart of the Community Award to the County Fire Department’s Peer-to-Peer mental health program, which provides mental health treatment to first responders.
The award was presented by Prince Harry to Chief Mark Hartwig of the Santa Barbara County Fire Department.
“The department doesn’t work without leadership like yours. You have managed to completely destroy any stigma that exists, and the leadership you’ve shown your team is exemplary,” he told Hartwig.
The concert was also free for local first responders to attend with their families.
One of the attendees was Melanie Kramer, who has worked at Cottage Hospital for 17 years. She was attending the event with her son, Blaine.
She said that first responders are a large family, and events like One805! help keep them going.
“It’s amazing,” Kramer said. “It means so much to so many people when we have hard days and hard tasks. We need something uplifting like this to keep us going to the next day and the next hard task at hand.”