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I Want to Do Something About That — Global Outreach from the Heart of Laguna -- Fr. Will Crist and Barbara Van Gaasbeek, December 17, 2025
Description
From Siberia to Sudan: how one lay leader turns compassion into action—and invites Laguna to go bigger. What happens when a lifelong “can-do” spirit meets real human need?
This week on The Heart of Laguna, Father Will Crist welcomes Barbara Van Gaasbeek, Chair of Outreach at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church in Laguna Beach. Barbara’s story is a masterclass in compassionate leadership—starting with her years leading national sustainability and green building programs at Honda, and continuing into “retirement,” where she’s helped mobilize St. Mary’s for bold, practical service locally and around the world.
From sending humanitarian aid to radiation-impacted communities in Siberia, to funding a deep-sea fishing boat after the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, to supporting clean water, shoes, and mobility solutions—Barbara keeps coming back to one phrase: “I’m going to do something about that.”
The conversation also turns to Laguna Beach’s unique potential: the creativity, expertise, and resources already here—and the possibility of bringing together the wider community (faith-based or not) for big, “outrageous” projects that restore purpose and save lives.
Featured current focus: Sudan and South Sudan, where famine is devastating communities. Barbara shares St. Mary’s effort to fund Plumpy’Nut, a life-saving therapeutic food that can restore a starving child in about two weeks.
If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed by the world’s problems, this episode offers a different path: move from “ain’t it awful” to “let’s do it.”
Show notes
Guest: Barbara Van Gaasbeek — Chair of Outreach, St. Mary’s Episcopal Church (Laguna Beach); former Honda national administrator for green building programs.
In this episode:
About the Show
The Heart of Laguna is a weekly conversation from KXFM in Laguna Beach. Each episode explores what holds us together when the world feels like it’s coming apart—through stories, spirit, and service from the soul of the city.🎙 New episodes every Wednesday morning on KXFM at 8:00.
From Siberia to Sudan: how one lay leader turns compassion into action—and invites Laguna to go bigger. What happens when a lifelong “can-do” spirit meets real human need?
This week on The Heart of Laguna, Father Will Crist welcomes Barbara Van Gaasbeek, Chair of Outreach at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church in Laguna Beach. Barbara’s story is a masterclass in compassionate leadership—starting with her years leading national sustainability and green building programs at Honda, and continuing into “retirement,” where she’s helped mobilize St. Mary’s for bold, practical service locally and around the world.
From sending humanitarian aid to radiation-impacted communities in Siberia, to funding a deep-sea fishing boat after the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, to supporting clean water, shoes, and mobility solutions—Barbara keeps coming back to one phrase: “I’m going to do something about that.”
The conversation also turns to Laguna Beach’s unique potential: the creativity, expertise, and resources already here—and the possibility of bringing together the wider community (faith-based or not) for big, “outrageous” projects that restore purpose and save lives.
Featured current focus: Sudan and South Sudan, where famine is devastating communities. Barbara shares St. Mary’s effort to fund Plumpy’Nut, a life-saving therapeutic food that can restore a starving child in about two weeks.
If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed by the world’s problems, this episode offers a different path: move from “ain’t it awful” to “let’s do it.”
Show notes
Guest: Barbara Van Gaasbeek — Chair of Outreach, St. Mary’s Episcopal Church (Laguna Beach); former Honda national administrator for green building programs.
In this episode:
- Barbara’s path from corporate sustainability leadership to community outreach
- Responding to a crisis in Siberia/Chelyabinsk with humanitarian aid (three 40-foot containers)
- Post-tsunami rebuilding: funding a deep-sea fishing boat to restore livelihoods
- Practical innovations that save lives: LifeStraw, The Shoe That Grows, and more
- Local service in Laguna Beach: pantry support, Thanksgiving produce in-gathering, community partnerships
- The big question: why logistics fail the poor while commerce moves luxury with ease
- A challenge to Laguna: gather leaders and creatives for larger “city-sized” projects
- Current urgent focus: Sudan & South Sudan famine relief
- St. Mary’s goal: $4,000 to save 80 lives
- Funding Plumpy’Nut through trusted relief partners
About the Show
The Heart of Laguna is a weekly conversation from KXFM in Laguna Beach. Each episode explores what holds us together when the world feels like it’s coming apart—through stories, spirit, and service from the soul of the city.🎙 New episodes every Wednesday morning on KXFM at 8:00.
View all episodes
By William CristDescription
From Siberia to Sudan: how one lay leader turns compassion into action—and invites Laguna to go bigger. What happens when a lifelong “can-do” spirit meets real human need?
This week on The Heart of Laguna, Father Will Crist welcomes Barbara Van Gaasbeek, Chair of Outreach at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church in Laguna Beach. Barbara’s story is a masterclass in compassionate leadership—starting with her years leading national sustainability and green building programs at Honda, and continuing into “retirement,” where she’s helped mobilize St. Mary’s for bold, practical service locally and around the world.
From sending humanitarian aid to radiation-impacted communities in Siberia, to funding a deep-sea fishing boat after the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, to supporting clean water, shoes, and mobility solutions—Barbara keeps coming back to one phrase: “I’m going to do something about that.”
The conversation also turns to Laguna Beach’s unique potential: the creativity, expertise, and resources already here—and the possibility of bringing together the wider community (faith-based or not) for big, “outrageous” projects that restore purpose and save lives.
Featured current focus: Sudan and South Sudan, where famine is devastating communities. Barbara shares St. Mary’s effort to fund Plumpy’Nut, a life-saving therapeutic food that can restore a starving child in about two weeks.
If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed by the world’s problems, this episode offers a different path: move from “ain’t it awful” to “let’s do it.”
Show notes
Guest: Barbara Van Gaasbeek — Chair of Outreach, St. Mary’s Episcopal Church (Laguna Beach); former Honda national administrator for green building programs.
In this episode:
About the Show
The Heart of Laguna is a weekly conversation from KXFM in Laguna Beach. Each episode explores what holds us together when the world feels like it’s coming apart—through stories, spirit, and service from the soul of the city.🎙 New episodes every Wednesday morning on KXFM at 8:00.
From Siberia to Sudan: how one lay leader turns compassion into action—and invites Laguna to go bigger. What happens when a lifelong “can-do” spirit meets real human need?
This week on The Heart of Laguna, Father Will Crist welcomes Barbara Van Gaasbeek, Chair of Outreach at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church in Laguna Beach. Barbara’s story is a masterclass in compassionate leadership—starting with her years leading national sustainability and green building programs at Honda, and continuing into “retirement,” where she’s helped mobilize St. Mary’s for bold, practical service locally and around the world.
From sending humanitarian aid to radiation-impacted communities in Siberia, to funding a deep-sea fishing boat after the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, to supporting clean water, shoes, and mobility solutions—Barbara keeps coming back to one phrase: “I’m going to do something about that.”
The conversation also turns to Laguna Beach’s unique potential: the creativity, expertise, and resources already here—and the possibility of bringing together the wider community (faith-based or not) for big, “outrageous” projects that restore purpose and save lives.
Featured current focus: Sudan and South Sudan, where famine is devastating communities. Barbara shares St. Mary’s effort to fund Plumpy’Nut, a life-saving therapeutic food that can restore a starving child in about two weeks.
If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed by the world’s problems, this episode offers a different path: move from “ain’t it awful” to “let’s do it.”
Show notes
Guest: Barbara Van Gaasbeek — Chair of Outreach, St. Mary’s Episcopal Church (Laguna Beach); former Honda national administrator for green building programs.
In this episode:
- Barbara’s path from corporate sustainability leadership to community outreach
- Responding to a crisis in Siberia/Chelyabinsk with humanitarian aid (three 40-foot containers)
- Post-tsunami rebuilding: funding a deep-sea fishing boat to restore livelihoods
- Practical innovations that save lives: LifeStraw, The Shoe That Grows, and more
- Local service in Laguna Beach: pantry support, Thanksgiving produce in-gathering, community partnerships
- The big question: why logistics fail the poor while commerce moves luxury with ease
- A challenge to Laguna: gather leaders and creatives for larger “city-sized” projects
- Current urgent focus: Sudan & South Sudan famine relief
- St. Mary’s goal: $4,000 to save 80 lives
- Funding Plumpy’Nut through trusted relief partners
About the Show
The Heart of Laguna is a weekly conversation from KXFM in Laguna Beach. Each episode explores what holds us together when the world feels like it’s coming apart—through stories, spirit, and service from the soul of the city.🎙 New episodes every Wednesday morning on KXFM at 8:00.