Ray Lopez
Revson Fellow 2008-2009
Environmental Program Manager
Little Sisters of the Assumption Family Health Service Inc.
Ray López is the Environmental Program Manager at LSA Family Health Service, Inc., a non-profit organization in East Harlem.
His Family Asthma Program works within the households of severe asthmatic children to identify and safely reduce indoor asthma triggers through “hands-on” instruction. His program has helped to reduce the burden of asthma for almost 400 severe asthmatics.
The Family Asthma Program was awarded a U.S. EPA Region 2 Environmental Quality Award in 2005 for protecting and enhancing environmental quality.
His Environmental Consultation Program assists others with conditions that affect health and quality of life, such as severe mold growth or bed bug infestations.
He has produced 2 instructional films concerning mold: Learning About Mold http://www.littlesistersfamily.org/mold.htm and Mold Clean-Up Guidance for New Orleans Area Residents Affected by Hurricane Katrina http://www.centerforhealthyhousing.org/html/katrina_video.htm.
Coming at a time when my nonprofit organization was on the verge of extinction, the Fellowship enabled me to cobble together a strategy for survival, while acquiring the skills, credentials, and self-confidence to begin the transformation of the National Federation of Community Development Credit Unions. Three years later, a New York State Community Development Financial Institutions Fund was established through my organization’s efforts. The fellowship year marked a turning point in my professional life; today, in the rear-view mirror, it remains a very prominent landmark and point of orientation.
