Next Issue – Rebel With a Cause
Three weeks before 9/11, Ryan Sawtelle landed in Hollywood chasing a dream of comedic acting, armed with little more than raw ambition and a sagging air mattress.
Then the world changed. A call from a friend back east, “The country is under attack”, sent him wandering down Sunset Boulevard into the old All American Burger, where he joined a room full of strangers locked in silence as the Twin Towers crumbled on the TV.
In a city where eye contact is rare and conversation rarer, something extraordinary happened: people began talking, connecting, holding onto each other in the chaos. That fleeting unity—later dubbed by Chris Pratt as “The 9/11 Effect”, branded itself into Sawtelle’s psyche, setting him on a path he never expected.
What started as a Hollywood hustle evolved into something far greater.
In 2008, Sawtelle planted Wave of Flags on the hillsides of Pepperdine, a stunning tribute of thousands of flags to honor lives lost on 9/11. The tribute gave rise to Ride to the Flags, a roaring display of patriotism that brought bikers, veterans, and civilians together in a force of unity and remembrance. By 2011, Sawtelle transformed that movement into the White Heart Foundation, where, as founder and executive director, he carved out a mission not just to honor, but to heal. White Heart doesn’t settle for vague gestures, it goes straight to the heart of the matter, funding mental health support for veterans and first responders carrying invisible scars.
His Hollywood story may have begun with a dream of laughter, but what he’s built instead is a legacy of resilience, grit, and purpose.
Read more about Ryan Sawtelle’s journey in the new issue of Cali Mag releasing February 18th.
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