“I’m not naive, I know I can’t fix the world, I don’t do it for that, I do it to at least fix what we see at that moment, in the present,” she says convinced. (Photo Lizzie Lopez)
Lizzie Lopez remembers those moments when her father, Juan José, would announce to their family that they were going to a swap meet to buy clothes and whatever else they could. They had a trip coming up to Guadalajara, Mexico, their homeland, and they would take the opportunity to bring some help to those in need.
Through it, Lizzie assimilated his desire to help, to be able to serve people in need. Lizzie Lopez is the founder and CEO of Journey of Love and Hope, a non-profit organization that organizes campaigns to help centers, orphanages, and people in need. Her impact has been felt in orphanages in Ensenada, Mexico, in the homeless population in Skid Row, and in many other places through food donations.
“That feeling of helping grew naturally in me. I saw it at home, I grew up with it, and I made it part of my life. If, on our trips when I was a child, we saw people in a restaurant who couldn’t afford to eat, my dad would tell us to buy food for them and take it to them,” says Lizzie.
She was born in Palm Springs, at the age of ten, she moved with her sibling and parents to Paramount. Her father worked for a construction company, her mother, Rosa, after having some businesses of her own, preferred to stay at home to be with her children.
“One of my father’s projects was the construction of the Blue Line, he supervised part of the work,” she says proudly, although she confesses that she has only ridden the train once.
“My dad, who through his example taught me the wonder of helping, confessed it to me once. ‘Daughter, I never worry about you, you will always be fine,’ he said. (Photo Lizzie Lopez)
She grew up in a typical Guadalajara family, they went to mass together, to the beach, and had a rule of sitting together at dinner and sharing the experiences they had had during their day.
“Yes, I made my Primera Comunión in white and my Confirmación in Guadalajara, I had a happy childhood, I am a person of great faith. I didn’t dream of ‘dolls’ or being a model or any other profession, what I wanted was to have my own company, not depend on a schedule or a boss.
“My mother always taught me that I had to be independent. She taught me to wash my clothes, do my chores, she always told me, ‘you have to do it yourself, no one will do things for you’,” she adds.
Lizzie Lopez was heading towards what would be her life, building her profession, but also her commitment to society.
“My teenage life, already in Los Angeles, was very fun, my brother was very party-loving, very friendly, he always liked to have people over, go dancing. We were inseparable, I liked hanging out with him a lot, it was also the only way to go out partying,” she says.
“My parents never hit me, if my dad raised his voice at me I felt bad, it was the worst feeling I could have. On the other hand, I was an excellent student, so much so that I received a full scholarship to UCLA. In the summer, before starting university, I started working at a Real Estate agency, just in the summer I earned 65 thousand dollars, at 18 years old. I didn’t hesitate, I called UCLA and requested a year off to resume my studies, they accepted, but I never returned, I was doing very well in my job and it would have been very difficult to leave it,” she adds.
“I started taking my daughter Samantha to Skid Row when she was six years old. I knew it’s not a place for kids. There’s drugs, prostitution, violence. But I wanted her to see the real world,” she says. (Photo Lizzie Lopez)
During those years, her philanthropic commitment had been part of her life. For her, one of the most important reasons is linked to children. She volunteered at Children’s Hospital and years later, she would start her trips to orphanages in Ensenada.
“I’m not naive, I know I can’t fix the world, I don’t do it for that, I do it to at least fix what we see at that moment, in the present,” she says convinced.
“In my thirties, a friend told me that if I helped sponsor some children in an orphanage in Ensenada, that her aunt went there once a year and took them clothes and other things that could help them. I told her I would sponsor 20 kids, I liked the initiative so much and I asked if I could accompany them, that was my first experience, a few days later I decided to go back in a few months, I thought of organizing the foundation, so the donations that people give could be deducted from their taxes,” she adds.
She later expanded her work to Skid Row, organized food donations, clothing, whatever she could. Sometimes there are enough volunteers or donors, other times she has to pay for it herself.
“I wish more people would get involved. I’m not going to tell them what to do with their time. But I’ve realized that it’s a very complicated terrain. I can tell you that the people who have the least are the ones who cooperate the most. People who have a lot of money say they want to help, but I haven’t seen them write a check supporting the events,” Lizzie Lopez mentions.
Although Journey of Love and Hope might seem like an organization with numerous volunteers, it’s actually a “one woman show”.
“People ask me, ‘how many people work with you?’. They are surprised when I tell them it’s just me, I organize, ask for donations, update social media, among other things. Oh, and I have my full-time job.
Not all experiences have been happy, on one occasion, they asked her to bring shoes to give on her trip, but she doesn’t have a warehouse. So she had to sotore them at her house.
“Mi casa olÃa a patas (My house smelled like smelly feet),” she says laughing. “But I managed to gather what was necessary, that fills me with satisfaction.
Another thing she feels is positive is the example she can instill in youth, in the new generations.
“I started taking my daughter Samantha to Skid Row when she was six years old. I knew it’s not a place for kids, let’s say. There’s drugs, prostitution, violence. But I wanted her to see the real world, to see what exists, and also to see that little by little we can make a difference,” she says.
Lizzie thinks that thinking positively is one of the most important things we have to put into practice.
“We have to be thankful for the day we’ve had, food, home, health. But we also have to wake up with the conviction that if we set ourselves a goal, we have to fulfill it, put in our effort and not get defeated,” she says.
On one occasion, they told her about the orphanage, they said they urgently needed underwear and bras for the girls, they were growing. She went to Downtown LA and bought $500 worth of those items. And she went to Ensenada. When she crossed the border, she was stopped by Mexican Customs. She explained that they were for the girls at the orphanage, they questioned her, they were going to confiscate all the merchandise on suspicion of wanting to sell them, they asked her for $800, more than what her purchase had cost.
“That day I arrived at my house very angry, sad and disappointed, thinking that I was tired and needed a break. And then I received a call offering me help with some things. I hung up and realized that my faith is greater than my tiredness, my anger, my sadness, and my disappointment. I have no doubt that I am one of God’s favorites, He always helps me. It’s as if He’s saying, ‘I will always continue to help you.’ And then new strength comes to me and I move forward,” she adds.
“My dad, who through his example taught me the wonder of helping, confessed it to me once. ‘Daughter, I never worry about you, you will always be fine,’ he said.
“When I heard that I said to myself, ‘¡Qué chingón que diga eso!'” she concludes.
TOMORROW: Journey of Love and Hope, a profile.
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