Oprah Winfrey has turned her donations toward the Santa Barbara community with almost $1.5 million to two organizations.
The Unity Telethon fundraising effort was boosted Dec. 23 when the Montecito resident pledged a $465,000 matching contribution.
The Unity Telethon’s goal to reach $1 million to cover one-third of the charity’s annual budget fell short due to the faltering economy.
Winfrey donated $1 million to help rebuild Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital. The donation is comes at the close of the not-for-profit hospital’s largest fundraising effort ever — a five-year drive to raise $100 million to support the remodeling of the building.