Their music of love and friendship is purely authentic, just like the men themselves.

BY ROBERT IRVINE

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Robert Irvine Foundation, but I’ve been in the charity world for much more than a decade. For all that time, it’s been a labor of love more fulfilling than anything I could have ever dreamed up. The people I’ve helped—and the people I get to work with—have enriched my life in countless ways.

For my purposes here, I want to talk about the second part of that contingent—the people I get to work with. Because at this point in my life, I’ve crossed paths with so many people raising money for various charities that it’s easier to make a list of the folks in this world that I haven’t worked with. The great thing about these folks is that all of them are trying to help. Their hearts are always in the right place and they’ve put their money where their mouths are, committing valuable time and energy to improve the lives of others.

Having a charitable heart comes in many forms; people give what they can, and whatever they can give is precious, if it’s a few dollars or a few hours. We all have too much to do and too little time on our hands. So with the caveat that I think that anyone who gives is a kindred spirit of mine and always welcome at my table, I also want to say I would be remiss if I didn’t reserve a special place at the very top of my list for the people who go above and beyond. People who, each year, find a way to dig a little deeper and commit even further. It’s simply not possible to go this extra mile unless you are compelled on a spiritual level.

Which brings me to O.A.R. When Marc Roberge performed for the virtual Beats N Eats fundraiser in 2020, I was honored. When he came back for the live show the following year with bandmate Richard On, I was moved. When the full band showed up the next two years, playing longer and longer sets each time and becoming more intimately entwined with the mission of the Robert Irvine Foundation, well, I was speechless, which is a rare position for me to be in. Just this summer, the full band showed up for a RIF Breaking Bread With Heroes event, rolling up their sleeves, donning aprons, and serving hot meals to our veterans and first responders. (See photo at the top of this page)

If you are a fan of O.A.R., you’ve encountered this generosity of spirit in their music; it is joyful, soulful, and accessible, always seeming to find something beautiful and universal to say about the human condition. When you get to know the men behind that music, it all makes sense.

My hope with this special issue is that you get to know them a little bit more like I do right now. In our massive COVER FEATURE, you’ll get a sense of the band’s history, what motivates and moves them as artists and philanthropists, and what the future holds. The band gave us unprecedented access to their creative process and provided a series of candid interviews, committing, yet again, even more of their precious time and energy. I’m incredibly proud of the package we put together here, and I urge you to take it all in. If you love it half as much as I do, you’re going to get a hell of a kick out of it.

Lastly, I encourage you to keep an eye on liveoar.com and sign up for touring updates. If they come anywhere near your area, you can’t miss the opportunity to see them play live. It is, as so many of their die-hard fans already know, a spiritual experience. They’ve certainly moved me, and made my life all the richer. To them, I say thank you. It has been an honor and I can’t wait to see where this partnership takes us.

To you, I say enjoy the issue and remember the words I live by:

Nothing is Impossible.