Originally from Argentina, Fran Lozano has worked in film and television as a producer, documentarian, and director. Her own projects include a travel series following her journey to visit all 50 states before turning fifty. For almost six years, she has also volunteered with Our House Grief Support Center.

Fran discovered Our House during the pandemic. When she learned the organization needed Spanish-speaking volunteers, she knew she could help. She began facilitating groups online, later met with participants in person, and now leads groups remotely in Spanish. “I notice people are slightly lighter after group,” she says. “It makes me feel good that I can help, even a tiny little bit.”

In the Spanish Community Program, Fran supports people grieving many kinds of loss. Some mourn loved ones who died in their countries of origin, far from where they now live, and could not be with them during their illness or after their deaths. Fran understands that distance adds another dimension to grief.

Her own experience of loss began at seven, when a car accident killed her father and grandmother. She started therapy soon afterward. As she grew older, she found that grief changed with her: she came to see the accident through the eyes of the adults affected by it, including her grandfather, who witnessed it from another car.

Fran also discovered how much it can mean simply to stay beside someone in a difficult moment. When a close friend was diagnosed with cancer, Fran drove her to appointments and sat with her through procedures. Others helped her recognize that this willingness to be present was a gift she could share.

Years later, a routine question from a chiropractor unexpectedly brought Fran back to the accident. After she said she had been in a crash as a child, he paused to ask whether everyone else in the car was okay. His attention to the people behind her answer stayed with her. It reflects the care she brings to her work at Our House:

“When people show their vulnerability, it’s a huge responsibility. To be in touch with the truly human side of people is an absolute privilege.”

Fran was surprised to receive this honor because helping others feels ordinary to her. The connections she sees in her groups give her hope: people can keep living through profound loss with one another’s support. She reminds participants that no one needs to measure their pain against someone else’s. “The worst grief that exists is your own,” she says. “Everyone is entitled to be here.”

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Born and raised in Mexico City, Liora Pier moved to Los Angeles in 1985 with her husband, Mauricio. After working in private banking and raising their two daughters, she earned a Master of Arts in Education and taught Spanish for 15 years. She then turned her focus to volunteer service. For more than a decade, she has volunteered with Our House Grief Support Center, first facilitating English-speaking grief groups and later finding her calling in the Spanish Community Program.

“I was taught values of community, volunteer work, and giving back,” Liora says. Those values continue to shape her life as a mother, grandmother to two grandsons, and volunteer committed to working with immigrants and grieving families.

Liora’s service is also rooted in personal loss. When her mother died, she experienced sadness, anger, and anxiety but felt she had to manage them on her own. After her father’s death years later, she realized she was still carrying grief. Her training and work at Our House helped her understand it differently. “I keep learning about grief,” she says. “It’s an evolving process that never ends.”

Liora has watched the Spanish Community Program grow from a small effort into one reaching families across Los Angeles County. She takes pride in seeing participants share what they learn through their churches and communities, helping others find support.

She also sees change within the groups. As participants become more comfortable, smiles and humor return. Liora especially treasures the final gathering, which she calls the “sweet goodbye.” In the Spanish group, people may bring food and colorful decorations, hug one another, and celebrate how far they have come. “That closing program compared to the darkness of session one is one of the most rewarding images I can see,” she says.

To Liora, grief crosses every boundary of nationality, race, and income. She wants participants to know they can acknowledge their loss and still enjoy life. Receiving this gala honor leaves her “tremendously honored and humbled,” though she sees herself as one volunteer among many.

Her hope comes from the relationships around her: family, friends, colleagues, and community. Those connections are what she hopes people find at Our House.

Download Liora’s Full Profile (PDF)