Honoring Our Heroes: How the Coachella Valley Came Together for Its First Responders

On New Year’s Day, a paramedic brought a man back from cardiac arrest in a Palm Desert parking lot. Weeks later, a sheriff’s deputy talked a person in crisis back from the edge of an overpass.

These are the kinds of moments that define a community’s first responders. They happen every day, and they are rarely recognized.

On April 29, Coachella Valley set out to change that. Players gathered at Desert Willow Golf Resort in Palm Desert for the Inaugural Honoring Our Heroes Golf Tournament, presented by the McCune Law Group Charitable Foundation. After a day on one of California’s most celebrated championship courses, golfers moved into the ballroom for a silent auction, golf awards, and the true purpose of the evening: honoring two Coachella Valley first responders by name.

Lieutenant Nicholas Lingle of the Riverside County Sheriff’s Thermal Station took the podium first. He introduced Deputy Larissa Olivares and told the story that led her to Honoring Our Heroes.

On February 12, 2026, Deputy Olivares responded to a call at the Avenue 48 and Dillon Road overpass. A person in crisis had climbed over the bridge security fence and was preparing to jump. She had been with the Sheriff’s Office for barely 15 months. What she did next is the kind of work that rarely gets witnessed. She talked to the individual. She listened, calm and unhurried, until trust built. With patience and steady communication, she guided the individual away from the edge and back to safety. When the individual’s family arrived, she stayed, helping to process a crisis that had touched each of them deeply.

Deputy Olivares addressed the room after being introduced. “Moments like these remind us to always show empathy,” she said, “because you never know when it will truly make a difference.”

Battalion Chief Jeremy Ware of CAL FIRE/Riverside County Fire Department then introduced Firefighter Paramedic Owen Bubion.

On January 1, 2026, Bubion and his crew on Medic 69 responded to a cardiac arrest at a Palm Desert PetSmart. The patient had no pulse. Bubion led the resuscitation, initiated advanced life support, and achieved return of spontaneous circulation. By the time the patient arrived at Eisenhower Medical Center, he was awake and speaking. “This incident is just one of many that exemplifies Owen’s ability to make a meaningful difference every day,” said Ware.

Both honorees received $10,000 to use however they chose.

The tournament raised $50,000 for the Riverside County Deputy Sheriff Relief Foundation, represented at the event by President Jose Santos, and $50,000 for the Riverside County Professional Firefighters Benevolent Fund, represented by Philip Bardos and Bill Wiser. These organizations provide direct support to first responders and their families when they need it most.

“This is our first,” said McCune Law Group founder Rich McCune of the event. “It will not be our last.”

The Honoring Our Heroes Golf Tournament returns in 2027. For information on sponsorship, player spots, or partnership opportunities, visit Honoring Our Heroes Golf Tournament or call (760) 334-9382.