[Noozhawk’s note: One in a series on the Santa Ynez Valley Foundation’s 2025 Champions of the Valley who will be honored for their volunteerism and community service Oct. 12 at Rancho Carmina in Los Olivos. Click here for more information, or click here to purchase tickets online.]
There’s no phone book entry for “Guardian Angel of Los Alamos,” but if there were, it would list Laura Beas-Díaz’s number.
When your heating dies on a winter night, when you’re out of medication with no way to the pharmacy, when there’s no food in the house and no car to get it — the advice in Los Alamos is always the same: Call Laura.
This unwavering dedication to her community has earned Beas-Diaz recognition as a Santa Ynez Valley Foundation 2025 Champion of the Valley, an honor that celebrates her as the unofficial safety net for an entire town.
The irony isn’t lost on her.
Twenty years ago, Beas-Díaz and her husband, Joel Díaz, were the ones making those desperate calls, reaching out to friends, churches and food banks as a young couple struggling to make ends meet.
The help they received came with a promise they made to each other: when things got better, they would give back.
They’ve kept that promise in extraordinary ways.
Beas-Díaz has become the person Los Alamos calls when everything else falls through.
Need someone to drive your elderly mother to a doctor’s appointment and translate? Call Laura.
Organizing a fundraiser but don’t know where to start? Call Laura.
Christmas lights need hanging but you can’t afford help? Call Laura and she’ll call Joel, and he’ll be there.
“If there was one thing I tried to teach Laura back when she worked for me, it was how to say NO!” wrote her nominator for the Champion of the Valley award.
“She still hasn’t really gotten the hang of that.”
Beas-Díaz juggles a full-time job as a resources instructional assistant in the special education department at Los Alamos’ Olga Reed School — the same school where she graduated eighth grade in 2000.
She serves on the school’s PTSA board, volunteers as a community outreach coordinator for the Los Alamos Foundation, and delivers meals for Feed the Valley to local seniors and low-income families.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, all 2-1-1 emergency assistance calls in the Los Alamos area were routed to her phone.
The requests ranged from basic toiletries and space heaters to medication pickups, grocery needs, even showers and yard work.
Her response was consistent: if she could help, she would.
Perhaps her most treasured role involves “Wish Upon A Star,” a Christmas gift program she’s helped Shirley Williams organize for five years through the Los Alamos Valley Men’s Club.
“It doesn’t matter if she already knows you or not, she’ll be there to do whatever she can.”
Nomination Letter
The program provides gifts to local low-income families, creating what Beas-Díaz calls “priceless smiles” that remind her why community service matters.
“The best ever,” she said of witnessing families receive unexpected generosity. “So many people are giving and have kind hearts.”
Her bilingual skills are her secret weapon, allowing her to move seamlessly between English- and Spanish-speaking communities.
But her real strength lies in something harder to quantify: an inability to walk away from someone in need.
“It doesn’t matter if she already knows you or not, she’ll be there to do whatever she can,” her nominator explained.
Whether sourcing backpacks for students, finding furniture for families or connecting people to social services, Beas-Díaz has become Los Alamos’ unofficial social safety coordinator.
She credits her family for making it all possible. Joel and their children, 18-year-old Martin and 12-year-old Janilen, regularly find themselves “volunteered” for various community projects.
“I constantly sign them up and volunteer them for whatever project is going on,” Beas-Díaz admitted with a laugh.
“I just tell them where to go and what to do, and they do it without complaint.”
Through her actions, she’s teaching the next generation that service isn’t about grand gestures — it’s about showing up consistently for your neighbors.
“While I may not have additional financial resources to contribute, I am able to utilize my language skills in English and Spanish to facilitate connections between individuals and organizations as needed,” she explained.
“My actions are guided by a commitment to kindness, and I do not anticipate reciprocation for my efforts.”
In Los Alamos, when someone needs help, the answer remains simple: Call Laura.
It’s a responsibility she’s carried for years, and one that has transformed an entire community’s understanding of what it means to be a neighbor.
Champions of the Valley
Since 1995, the Santa Ynez Valley Foundation has been honoring exceptional local volunteers whose tireless community commitment enriches the Santa Ynez Valley and Los Alamos, their residents and a wide range of local organizations.
This year’s honorees for the 30th Annual Champions of the Valley are Laura Beas-Díaz, Mike Brady, Terry Delaney and Doug Riedy.
Youth Community Champions are Kacy Caplan and Adrian Garcia.
Becky Barieau will be honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award.
The awards will be presented at 4 p.m. Oct. 12 at Rancho Carmina in Los Olivos. Click here for more information, or click here to purchase tickets online.
The Champions of the Valley celebration is sponsored by U.S. Bank Private Wealth Management, Kiani Preserve, the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians, Rio Vista Chevrolet, the Ann Jackson Family Foundation, Flying Z Ranch-Betty and Ron Ziegler, Rancho Carmina-Hayley Firestone, Women Winemakers & Culinarians Foundation, Noozhawk, The Landsby, Manchester Capital Management, the Nagler Family Fund, Allan Hancock College, Barbara Anderson, Linda Stafford Burrows, the Grenier Family, Hometown Insurance Services-Debbie and Randy Jones, Montecito Bank & Trust, Santa Barbara Foundation, Santa Ynez General-Turnbull Family, Town and Ranch Properties-Michael Nicola and Gabriel Bustamante, Urquidez Building Corp.-Laura and Chris Urquidez, Visit the Santa Ynez Valley.
The honorees were chosen by a panel of foundation board members and former honorees, based on nominations made by the community.
The honorees each receive a $1,000 grant to support a nonprofit organization of their choice. The Youth Community Champions each receive a $1,000 scholarship to further their education.
Santa Ynez Valley Foundation
The Santa Ynez Valley Foundation is dedicated to a mission centered around grant-making, extending financial support and resources to a diverse array of local organizations and initiatives in the Santa Ynez and Los Alamos valleys.
The grants are strategically channeled into key sectors, including food security, health and human services, support for seniors, arts and culture, youth development, and education.
The foundation also administers a robust College Scholarship Program designed to empower ambitious college-bound local students.
Currently, 50 students are beneficiaries of this program, receiving scholarships to facilitate their pursuit of higher education and, in turn, contributing to the overall advancement of the community.
