NEWS HERO OF THE MONTH
Val Lopez is a Healer and Mender of Hope BY ERIN BLOODGOOD
V
al Lopez has always been one to take care of others and now as an occupational therapist at the Healing Intergenerational Roots (HIR) Wellness Institute, she truly puts her heart into her work. Lopez helps people who have mental health problems, disabilities, and other impairments participate in their communities by teaching them rehabilitation exercises, job readiness and other everyday life skills. Building a trusted connection with her patients and making them feel safe is her first step in finding a path for healing. For many people, the story of how they found their way to their professional career starts with their schooling, but Lopez’s story starts with her
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mother. A strong loving woman who raised eight children on her own, her mother taught her children the importance of treating others with respect and dignity. Lopez took her mother’s lessons to heart and from a young age, she found a passion in caring for others. The oldest of her eight siblings, Lopez chose to push back her college education and instead work full time to help her mother support the family. Later she got married and had two children and when her daughter was two years old, she started her part-time college career while continuing to work a full-time job.
Photo by Erin Bloodgood.
