One805 announces $582,000 in grants for first responders

MONTECITO, Calif.-One805 hosted a reception at the Montecito Club that gave honorary board members and their guests a chance to mingle with police and fire chiefs from up and down the coast.

The annual reception is held to celebrate the money raised from the annual One805 concert and to entice people to buy VIP tickets for this year.

The last concert and event held on Keven Costner's property featured members of Maroon Five, John Fogerty, Alan Parsons OBE, Dishwalla and more.

Celebrities included Costner, Oprah, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, and Ellen DeGeneres.

One805 began after the Thomas Fire with a Kick Ash Bash featuring Katy Perry.

It served as a thank you to first responders who got free tickets.

When there was money left over they gave it to first responders to buy the things they needed to save lives and property.

Sheriff Bill Brown told the crowd that is how his department could afford a command post.

Now in its sixth year the concert will continue to be held on Costner's property.

"What I want people to know is what an extraordinary year this is because we have had incredible generosity from our donors and because of that we're going to give a huge amount of money and grants to our chiefs," said co-founder Kirsten Cavendish Weston-Smith.

Co-founder John Thyne, III said it is an all volunteer nonprofit so all the money is used to help first responders do thier jobs and stay healthy.

In 2023 they raised $582,000 in grants that will be used for a long list of items that include ;water rescue Jet Skis, drones, night vision goggles, defibrillators for each Santa Barbara Police patrol car, Jaws of Life for Ontare Fire Station and a therapy dog for Santa Maria Fire.

Santa Barbara Fire Chief Chris Mailes explained how $190,000 will be used for mental health care for all county fire department firefighters and their families.

During the reception one donor pledged $100,000 for a special VIP experience.

This year they plan to make sure there are more free tickets for first responders and more exclusive opportunities for supporters.

They won't be announcing the entertainers until the lineup is finalized later in the year.

They did tell people to expect the One805 concert to take place in late September.

In the meantime, they have an event coming up at Sunstone Winery on May 19th.

For more information visit https://www.One805.org