Dreams for Kids
Lilia Lopez
Title: Mexico Projects Directorr and Global Ambassador To Hispanic Communities
Childhood Dream: I dreamed of having a cash register of my own and punching away for ever. When I became a young girl, the typical dreams I had come to mind - to be successful, live in a beautiful home, drive a nice car, have a great husband, etc.
In March of 1969,Lilia Lopez, born as Lilia Gonzalez Medina, came in to this world in her grandmother’s house, located outside a small town at the foot of the mountains in Durango, Mexico. She was born as the only girl next to six brothers. Her father, as many others in Mexico, crossed the U.S. border in pursuit of work to support his large family before she was born. At the age of 6, to put an end to the struggles of life in a town where people lived off their land without electricity or running water, her father came home and traveled back to the U.S. with his family and successfully settled in their new home in Chicago, IL.
At the age of 19, Lilia was a wife, mother, worked two and three jobs, and attended college part-time for years to come. Not letting any opportunity pass her by, her hard work paid off and she achieved her own American Dream when she settled in her first home with her family in Naperville, IL at the age of 25. She had a successful 9 year career in Human Resources that eventually had its happy ending. In the year 2000, she became a successful entrepreneur in multiple businesses and continues to do so today. Her marriage at the age of 18 also came to its happy ending after16 years. With her only daughter away at college and time on her side, Lilia continues to follow her dreams. As a teen, among her wild and scattered dreams, she envisioned herself with children in an orphanage in Mexico on more than one occasion. Throughout the years, it remained that: a dream.
It was in May of 2008 when her dream of building an orphanage in Mexico was declared as a real possibility and the project “Home for Lily’s Kids” was created. Dreams for Kids President Tom Tuohy, witnessed this declaration and a new partnership was born. The project was expanded to include the young at heart as well as the young, bringing seniors and children together, to share their love and each other. As the new Global Ambassador for Hispanic Communities for Dreams for Kids, Lilia has made it her mission to lead and complete the “House for Lily’s Kids” project in Durango, Mexico, and to bring Dreams for Kids programs to Hispanic communities throughout the world.
Email: lilia@dreamsforkids.org