Community members are invited to gather on Jan. 6 at Waller Park in Orcutt for the Second Annual Joey De Anda Memorial 5K Fun Run celebrating the life of fallen Santa Barbara County firefighter/paramedic Joseph De Anda.
De Anda died Jan. 8, 2022 in an off-duty skiing accident at China Peak. He was a Central Coast native, graduating from Cal Poly in June 2018 while working simultaneously for San Luis Ambulance, AMR, Cal Fire, and the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office.
By August 2018, De Anda also started working for CalStar, fulfilling a dream
of working on the renowned helicopter ambulance on the Central Coast.
In 2020, he completed the fire academy for the Santa Barbara County Fire Department, proving that with heart and dedication, anything is possible.
De Anda hoped to one day combine his schooling and field experience to become the Santa Barbara County Fire Department’s public information officer.
Following the success of the inaugural memorial race in January 2023, the Joey De Anda Memorial Fun Run is expanding to raise funds for One805, the only local organization that allows people to help all of Santa Barbara County’s first responders with one donation.
“We are thrilled to be a part of the Second Annual Joey De Anda Memorial Fun Run, as Joey embodied the definition of a selfless leader in our community,” said said Kirsten Cavendish Weston-Smith, One805 co-founder/chairman/CEO.
“This fundraiser comes at a time when community support has become the only way to fill the gaps in the budgets of Santa Barbara County’s first responding agencies, providing them with everything from safety equipment to assistance to support their mental health,” she said.
Registration for the run is $35 for adults and $20 for children under age 12. The 5K race is open to all community members. Click here for the link to sign-up or donate.
Check-in for the run opens at 7:30 a.m., with a children’s race starting at 8:30 a.m., and the full race starting at 9 a.m. Parking inside Waller Park will be limited to emergency personnel.