The Heart of the Community

I’m still a little stunned to have received the 2026 One805 Heart of the Community Award, and I’m very grateful for it.

I want to thank the people who made the September 25 event such a success, and to tell everyone in Santa Barbara who couldn’t be there what the award means to me.

Thank you to our host, Kevin Costner; Sheriff Bill Brown; our new Fire Chief, Brian Fallon; the event sponsors; the One805 team, especially Kirsten Cavendish Weston-Smith and Richard Weston-Smith; and the volunteers, artists and crew who worked behind the scenes. And now I can add one more name to the list: Flash, a German Shepherd who is One805’s newest K-9 first responder.

It meant a great deal to have Oprah, my friend of 40 years, introduce me. Thank you, Oprah. I love you! Everyone loves you! And I love my personal support team, my daughter Kristy, my grandson Trevor, and Eddie, my love.

When I learned I would receive the award, I realized I couldn’t accept it for myself. The heart of our community isn’t one person. It’s all of us who stand behind the men and women who have made protecting Santa Barbara their life’s work.

When we are hurt or frightened and don’t know what to do, we can count on our first responders to show up. They are our firefighters, sheriffs, police officers, EMTs, paramedics, 911 dispatchers, public works crews, law enforcement officers and emergency services staff, along with the mental health professionals who care for them.

They have stood with us through earthquakes, wildfires, the 1/8 Debris Flow, floods, and more emergencies than anyone can count, often running toward danger while the rest of us run from it. They will be there for the next one, too. But they need us to be there for them, and One805 gives us a way to do it.

One805 moves money fast, paying for urgent equipment and support that government budgets can’t always cover in time. That can mean rescue and medical gear, specialized vehicles and technology, operational help and training. It also pays for something harder to see. First responders don’t leave the job at the station when a shift ends. They carry what they’ve seen home with them, and they and their families may need confidential therapy, PTSD counseling, or peer support from people who have been through the same things. One805 funds that care as well.

So, I’m asking everyone in our community to turn gratitude into action and give generously all year long. This is about taking care of our own. When we support our first responders and our community, we strengthen the whole community, and all of our lives are better for it.

I give personally to four organizations that stand behind our first responders: One805, Cottage Rehabilitation Hospital, the Santa Barbara Police Foundation, and the Santa Barbara South Coast Firefighters Association.

That’s why this award doesn’t belong to me. It belongs to the first responders who put themselves in harm’s way, to their families, to the people who help them heal, to everyone they serve and protect, to the One805 team, volunteers, sponsors, artists and organizers, and to every person who chooses to give.

A community’s heart is its people showing up for one another. When the next call comes, and it will, I want the people racing toward that emergency to know without a doubt that their community is running toward them.

To our first responders: We see what you sacrifice. When you need us, we’ll be there.

Let’s give together and take care of the people who take care of all of us.  

With Love and Gratitude,

Nina Terzian