Edhat Staff
By the edhat staff
Meghan Markle, Prince Harry, Oprah, and Ellen DeGeneres were among the attendees at a charity fundraiser hosted by actor Kevin Costner on his Summerland estate Friday.
The event, called One805LIVE!, took place on Costner’s 1.4-acre beachfront estate and aimed to support local first responders. The headline act for the evening was the popular band Maroon 5.
The fundraiser provides financial aid and mental health support to first responders. It was created in the aftermath of the Thomas fire and 1/9 Debris Flow. “One805” was created, hosting the largest non-profit event in Santa Barbara History – The Kick Ash Bash. It brought together actors, entertainers, singers, performers, and a community in a spirit of healing. Over $2 million was raised to provide counseling support to First Responders and purchase equipment to directly support victims of the tragedy.
Markle and Harry presented Costner with an honorary award. Photo: ONE805/INSTAGRAM
In his address to the attendees, Costner expressed his gratitude for their presence and emphasized the significance of supporting those who are the first to respond in times of crisis. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex presented him with an award at the fundraiser.
Oprah Winfrey was also present where she linked arms with first responder Sam Dudley and his service dog Rhonda. Winfrey commended the efforts of One805 in supporting the mental well-being of first responders, highlighting their significant accomplishments in counseling over 700 responders and preventing 24 suicides this year.
Oprah Winfrey with Sam Dudley and Rhonda (Photo: Patti Gutshall)
Edhat reader Patti Gutshall noted that local resident and comedian Ellen DeGeneres was in attendance as well. She joked that lead singer, Adam Levine, can’t count as there are six members in Maroon 5, but tonight they only had Maroon 3 for an acoustic set.
Levine delighted the crowd with the band’s hit song “This Love,” prompting the audience to join in singing along.
Maroon 5 (Photo: Patti Gutshall)
In addition to Maroon 5, the crowd was treated to sets by David Pack and Alan Parsons, Elliot Easton of The Cars, and Jeff “Skunk” Baxter, who has played extensively with both Steely Dan and The Doobie Brothers.
As part of the Fall One805 Live! Festival, the nonprofit has also launched an exclusive online auction, ideal for music and rock and roll enthusiasts, with items such as a guitar signed by Katy Perry, a drum signed by Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker, and a Depeche Mode VIP concert Experience. In addition, there are fun experiences such as a 10-day Caribbean cruise with luxury line Regent Seven Seas Cruises, a scenic flight over Santa Barbara and much more. The auction is still live for a few more days and can be found at www.one805.org.
The event served as a reminder of the importance of supporting first responders and their mental well-being. The funds raised will contribute to the crucial work carried out by One805 in aiding and counseling those who dedicate their lives to protecting communities and saving lives.
If you or someone you know is struggling with thoughts of suicide, please reach out to the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988, texting “STRENGTH” to the Crisis Text Line at 741741, or visiting 988lifeline.org.
Photo: Patti Gutshall
Photo: Patti Gutshall
Photo: Patti Gutshall
Photo: Patti Gutshall
Photo: Patti Gutshall
Ugh. Rich people don’t mind buying special relationships and cops and fire don’t mind accepting it. I suspect in future disasters these “celebrities” will get high priority in resource allocation to protect their multi million dollar estates. The rest of us can just get in line.
1:08 – I don’t know, that’s pretty cynical. I think in this area and due to the location of high end housing, it’s usually the rich peoples’ homes that are at higher risk being up in the hills. For that reason though, I’m glad to see how much they support those who save their homes on a yearly basis it seems!
This fundraiser was born out of the debris flow tragedy. What happened in Montecito was the worst disaster ( meaning the most casualties) ever in SB County. What those families and first responders went through cleaning it up was traumatic. Probably the most horrific event most had ever seen. We have excellent first responders in SB County. So stop with the boo rich people poor me attitude.
With the state mandating so much density response times will be impacted as well as ingress and egress into neighborhoods. That will truly cause resource adequacy issues. But I’m sure you’re all for another 50K residents
1:54 There have worst disasters (using your definition = more casualties) in Santa Barbara County. These include the maritime tragedies including the Conception and the Honda Point Disasters.
A-16, As someone that worked for three decades as a first responder and worked Jesusita, Gap, Thomas, the 1-9 Debris Flow, and plenty of other destructive incidents in Santa Barbara’s South Coast, I can tell you with no degree of uncertainty that you are completely incorrect in your suspicions that the celebrities will get priority treatment or protection.
The effort made throughout SB’s storied fire/disaster history, by not only your local fire departments, departments across the state, and agencies from all over the Western US has been selfless and beyond heroic. Those individuals put their lives on the line to save people, pets, property and land without any regard for who’s property it was. The fire service does not prioritize protection or response based on fame, fortune or political connection.
Furthermore, the money raised by One805 helps fund much needed mental health wellness (very often times critical PTSD counseling) for your first responders, who in the course of their daily duties and regular exposure to traumatic events suffer a terrible toll. The suicide rate among first responders is at least 10% higher than average, and it’s a direct result of what they see and deal with. Local tragic incidents like the Debris Flow impact responding law, fire, ems and health care personnel in ways they couldn’t imagine, and it became soon after that responders were affected and really needed professional help. One805 provides funding to get that desperately needed help to your first responders suffering with PTSD.
The PTSD counseling your first responders received through At Ease, funded by One805 has saved lives and helped many of us work through the mental health effects of a career of service. The contributions of celebrities and regular folk to One805 will help first responders get the mental health counseling they need far into the future, and has absolutely nothing to do with buying preferential treatment.
NICO – thank your for selfless service!
Wow though…… this site has gotten pretty troll-y. I got downvoted last week for wishing someone condolences on the loss of their pet (and saying nothing more) and now, a local first responder chimes in to reassure the naysayers that, contrary to conspiracy theories, emergency workers help all of us equally regardless of donations, etc, AND that this event went to help with mental health of those workers. Gross.
01:08 – You ever hear of a first responder dispatcher asking a caller if they were a celebrity, rich, poor or were in favor of funding or defunding police before they dispatched a needed responder? I haven’t either.
@Sac -from an objective POV, I wouldn’t necessarily say they site is troll-y. I think the downvotes sometimes are more about who is commenting rather than the content of the comment. No judgment here, but it’s not a secret that you’re a vocal commenter who has taken several other commenters to task (sometimes to the frustration of some of us infrequent commenters) so they’re probably just downvoting whatever you say.
1:51 – I agree, just think it’s pretty awful to downvote ANYone for wishing condolences. That’s just pure lameness.
Please note that “rich people” with expensive houses pay a lot in property taxes. Expensive houses tend to be in areas subject to mudslides, flooding and fires. I am not sure that they would get any preferential treatment in a disaster because they are rich. I know some people who inherited expensive houses in high risk zones and they are not rich.
Also, having benefit concert to raise money for first responders is a good thing, right?
I wouldn’t know for sure, but it seems logical that no one would downvote someone for expressing condolences. Might be they think you’re insincere , after all you do seem to spend most of your time here being unkind, and making ad hominem attacks on anyone who differs even slightly from your ideas.
Glad they raised some money. Did they obtain a conditional use permit for the event?
1:08 you have it exactly right. It’s a special favor bought by money. Lots of folks that have been around for a while will know that. Only rich folks can afford to buy their protection, and we pay plenty in taxes to fund basic emergency services. If nothing else, when you see this much money and celebrities turning out you gotta ask yourself a question or two. Just my 2 cents.
BASIC – wait, so are you saying only rich folks who donate will get protection? Is that sarcasm?
Yes, I am sure that the organizers/hosts of the event have direct cell phone numbers to first responders that most of us do not have, but the equipment and financial support for programs goes to everyone in need, not just the rich. For example, Montecito Fire has a special scanner paid for by the rich to ‘see” people trapped under earthquake rubble. That piece of equipment is there to save the life of anyone who needs it.
Montecito Fire “has a special scanner.” Does that mean that Santa Maria Fire doesn’t get one? Or Lompoc? Or Golelta? Don’t you get it: This event is about protecting these folks and not you and me.
Why so many downvotes for Edney’s sarcasm?
7:44 – not sure that is sarcasm. No doubt many, like Oprah, et al, have direct numbers to first responders, but that doesn’t mean, as BASIC maintains, that the rich pay for protection that is beyond what is provided for all of us.
Rich Democrats having a top time and raising money for 1st Responders, it’s all good…
COAST – it IS all good, yet here you are whining about it….
Rich Republicans raise money off phony election conspiracies to thwart the will of the people.
Hey Sac, ask everyone else who’s thinking the same thing, or ask yourself. Whatever you choose.
No, ma’am, I’m asking YOU since you said those words. Apparently, you’re not being sarcastic. So again, asking YOU, if only the rich get protection, how do you explain firefighters putting out house fires in Orcutt, lower West Side SB, mobile home parks, etc? How about, and this is in your realm, the Harbor Patrol? Do they only respond to yachts or do they also assist with 1978 Hobie Cats that have flipped or homeless people ODing on the beach?
LCP – have you visited any other website with users and comments on the internet? This is a national and global occurrence, not an Edhat occurrence.
LCP – not fighting at all, I apologized. Sheesh, I can’t do anything without complaints here.
Yin Yang. So correct. But you can’t expect that person not to fight you tooth and nail over being called out on it. Sadly the Edhat users have changed over the last few years and not for the better.
Sad we consider Megan markel a Celebrity.
She is not merely existing. If you want “merely existing” go interview some homeless person or someone working for $12 an hour washing dishes or someone who commutes sixty miles to work in Santa Barbara. This person is living the high life at a minimum.
@6:29 – my comment was not referencing her tax bracket but rather stating that all she has to do is breathe for people to criticize her. But thanks for your opinion.
Sad people choose to tear this woman down for merely existing.
Scratching my head here, these are all publicly funded (our taxes) agencies, why do they need so much more money? Do we need them to go buy another dozen ambulances behind our backs?
Not sure what “joke” you think you laid on me, but whatever. OK, cool. You think they shouldn’t get more funding. Lame, but that’s what you want to believe so I’m not going to change your mind. Some people…..
Should we really be so ignorant to think that these agencies do not already have such vast support networks to handle mental wellness? There’s a reason I moved but kept the handle here, so that those more misguided apparently than myself could tell me about my neighbors… jokes on you bud. But time and time again, the questions that others posed are not answered but instead, a new rant is started to personally attack them.
The answer to your question is no–local fire, law and ems agencies do not have the expertise to address serious mental health and wellness situations like PTSD in-house, nor do they have the funding for the required mental health support needed to handle what we’re just discovering is rampant job related PTSD. Agencies have always provided counseling via an Employee Assistance Program, however, that counseling is largely inadequate for severe PTSD, and involved a ton of red tape for the first responder desperately trying to get mental health help. One805-funded At Ease counseling made qualified, certified PTSD counselors available to first responders in need, free of charge, without the red tape that slowed the process of actually seeing the counselor dangerously slow.
I can tell you this with no degree of uncertainty, as during my three-decades firefighting career I sought help through the EAP multiple times, and benefited greatly when At Ease became available to us thanks to One805. I know for a fact that many firefighters in Santa Barbara County have benefited from this service.
Wow Cito guy….. maybe next time your neighbors’ (or your) homes are burning/flooding/being carried out to sea in a mudslide ask them why they need more money. Or hey, you could also just read the article if you really want to know what the funds are for. It’s right there in the words if you truly care.
Yeah, they’re publicly funded, but not correctly. They need funding for equipment, training, and mental health needs. These first responders along with teachers/schools should be getting anything they need! Forget Carbahial’s new division of government, again. Take care of our people that save us, educate our children, and this fucking homeless problem. Tired of my children getting assaulted going to work.