Gary Cason does not describe himself as an activist, a philanthropist, or a humanitarian.
What he is, more precisely, is someone who lost his wife, Becca, in the summer of 2022. He spent eighteen months struggling and trying to find his footing, then eventually decided that the best way to honor his late wife Rebecca was to do something she would have done herself: find ways to help people who needed it.
That decision led him, a few weeks before this conversation, to a small community of D’Maria in Northern Samar Province in the Philippines, carrying three LifeStraw Community purifiers in boxes he had hauled across four commercial flights.
Rebecca Naldo Cason was a long tenured registered nurse who, with the support of her family, thrived in her studies and in her career. She was also an entrepreneur. Becca founded a coffee company with Gary's name on it, which brought him the biggest smile when he saw the packaging. She invested in property, always helped family members when they fell on hard times, and donated to support people living in poverty. She lit up rooms when she walked in. Everyone loved her.
Rebecca succumbed to an undiagnosed heart condition. it was sudden and nothing has been the same since that day.
Gary remembers waking up on day 366 after Becca’s passing, the day that well-meaning people had told him would feel like a turning point. His first thought was that nothing felt different. He describes the first couple of years after as a time when he did his best to remember what he was like ‘before’: going to work, seeing people, getting through the day. All the while he was deeply burdened by a crippling grief that didn't follow anyone's timeline. Time with loved ones, the day at work where he had a shared mission with his colleagues, and keeping up with his daily exercise regimen were so needed. For him, the vacant time could bring profound pain and unprecedented sadness. Gary is eternally grateful for the love and support of so many people in his life, those who have passed and those who are still there for him today.
The overcast cover of grief began to shift during a volunteer mission that Gary made to Manila about a year after Rebecca passed away. In her name, he volunteered for more than forty hours and began to see more clearly what communities without safe water were navigating day to day. The idea for what would become a philanthropic foundation came from that trip.
"What would Becca want me to do?" he asks, recounting the question he eventually put to himself. The answer, from everyone who knew her, was not to stay in that place of grief. She would have wanted him to help people. The Rebecca Naldo Cason Foundation was built from that experience.
Gary was introduced to the wonderful people of D’Maria by his partner agency, Samar Crusade Against Poverty, Inc. At the time, the members of the community were sourcing their water from two places: small retail shops selling bottled water and community wells that were contaminated. Residents were boiling the well water, which takes time, energy, and doesn't always happen - especially when someone is in a rush.
Gary assembled the three LifeStraw Community units with his partners from SCPI and the town's leadership. When it was time for the first pour, they asked if he'd like them to fill the units with ‘distilled water.’
He said no.
With confidence in his partners at LifeStraw, Gary affirmed to the people nearby that the LifeStraw Community would readily handle whatever harmful substance was in the water. Then he drank about sixteen ounces himself to make the point. He could do that because he knew exactly what the technology behind him was capable of.
What surprised him wasn't the technology. It was the community. Before he arrived, the local leadership had already worked out where to put the units: one at the school, one at the medical office, one at the barangay hall. Three distribution points so that everyone had access. They had figured out the logistics before he got there.
More than 600 people in D’Maria now have clean water. The shop owners Gary spoke with were unconcerned about selling less bottled water. They said they would find other things to sell. And Gary smiled a little thinking "maybe an opportunity to sell flavored electrolyte packets."
Gary is aware that his foundation is still forming and it's a small-scale operation. He knows large international organizations do this work at significant scale, and he is not dismissive of that. He thinks those organizations are essential. He also thinks there is a "starfish" logic to what he is doing.
He tells the story about the boy throwing starfish back into the ocean while a man tells him it won't make a difference. The boy picks up another one. "It makes a difference to the ones that I help," he says.
D’Maria is not on any major distribution list. It is a small town in Northern Samar that required four flights and a ninety-minute drive to reach. Gary showed up anyway, with boxes that exceeded every reasonable definition of carry-on luggage.
The LifeStraw Community purifier Gary carried to D’Maria is the same technology that sits at the center of the LifeStraw Give Back program - the high-volume purifier distributed to schools in Kenya, Ethiopia, Venezuela, and Haiti. The Give Back Program funds the supply chain, follow-up visits, local staff, and the partnerships that make it possible for kids around the world to trust the water they get at school. He said as much himself: he could drink that water with confidence because he trusted the technology and the organization behind the filter.
Like many people, Gary is busy with work, family, and the challenges of starting something new. He carried three units to the Philippines. Now he knows he can do it, and he has additional goals in mind. His first is to ship 30 units to The Philippines by February 2027. And his next is to bring his son Teddy on one of those trips.
Further down the road, he envisions building community centers in the Philippines. He already has the name for his first picked out: The Rebecca Naldo Cason Community Center. He envisions Becca’s picture at the front desk when you walk in an air-conditioned gathering space with an exercise room, and a quiet space for yoga and meditation. He envisions a place where people can hold events and hear talks on malaria prevention and other relevant matters for the community. For now, though: water.
Gary talks about the children attending school and how difficult it is when they get sick from the water they drink. But for the kids in D’Maria, the students are now able to focus on their studies. Because they have safe water, they do not get sick from waterborne illnesses. Because they do not get sick, they stay in school. And because they are able to stay in school, focused on their studies, they can grow up to do something that helps their community. It is not just about the water, it is everything that comes after.
Gary is not someone who claims to have a roadmap. He says the foundation is still a work in progress, but he is unequivocal about one thing: he is not building this to hand it off to someone else down the road. This is just what his life looks like now.
When asked what he would say to someone inspired to channel their own loss into something meaningful, he does not offer a framework. He talks about grief being different for each person and about how the timeline and severity is different for everyone. He believes in seeking out friends and loved ones, seeking professional therapy, and taking care of yourself as best you can each day. He says that your loved one would want the best for you - so live your life as best you can.
"When you're at a place where you're looking for that next step," he says, "helping others is a huge way."
It does not have to be water filtration in the Philippines. It could be tutoring a kid who is struggling in school. It does not have to be big. It just has to be something.
The Rebecca Naldo Cason Foundation is dedicated to bringing safe water to underserved communities throughout the Philippines. Through its partnership with LifeStraw, the foundation works to provide sustainable, life-changing clean water solutions to communities in need. Founded in loving memory of Becca, whose compassion, kindness, and spirit touched countless lives during her short time on earth, the organization carries forward her legacy of hope, service, and love for others.
To support the Rebecca Naldo Cason Foundation and their work in Northern Samar, visit their page on every.org.
