Teresa Lopez de Ocanas has spent years turning her Ashland home into a bridge between Hanover County and its growing Spanish-speaking community. This fall, that work — alongside the Hanover Community Support Services nonprofit — was recognized with the 2025 Jean C. Harris Award for Excellence. 

The county-issued award honors leaders making outstanding contributions to mental health, substance abuse support and community well-being in Hanover. It honors Harris, a founding member of the Hanover County Community Services Board. 

HCSS was honored for its continued collaboration with the board’s financial assistance program for vehicle repairs, housing needs and more. In 2025, HCSS doubled its annual support to the community board from $5,000 to $10,000. Since 2017, the organization has donated more than $60,000 for mental health programs, more than $30,000 for summer camps and $23,000 for college scholarships. 

Lopez owns Los Regios Tienda Latina — “The Regal Latin Store” — a grocery store and food truck that has become an epicenter for the Ashland community since the physical storefront opened in 2022. Around Ashland, she is more known for colorful YouTube videos and translation services that connect the broader community. 

She was honored for her commitment to advocacy in the county, though her dedication to friends and neighbors did not start in the town. 

It began 22 years ago when she and her husband moved to the U.S. from Monterrey in the Mexican state of Nuevo León. Lopez’s family lived in Chesterfield County before moving to Ashland in 2010. 

“Here in Ashland, you can be more impactful in the community,” she said. “And that’s something that I really enjoy.” 

Lopez began her translation service to fill a need she witnessed — Spanish-speaking families having trouble navigating the public school system. 

“There were not a lot of people who were able to translate or to help someone whose first language was Spanish, so I started helping.” 

Her work with the schools connected her with parents who shared similar language barriers. As vice president of the local PTA, Lopez helped connect some of the parents “to make sure that they were able to understand some of the paperwork the schools were sending.” 

From working after school to working as a health navigator at the YMCA of Greater Richmond, Lopez recognized the need for Hanover’s public institutions to connect with a community that had been, historically, at least partially overlooked. 

“The Latino community is not easy to gain their trust,” she said. “I think when they see a familiar face and they see me doing other things, they know that they can trust me and we’ve been able to bring a lot of resources to them.” 

That philosophy now drives her broader public health work, as Lopez partners with Hanover agencies to translate and distribute information about behavioral health and substance abuse prevention. 

This year, Lopez also expanded her reach by partnering with the county CSB’s Behavioral Health Wellness Team. Through social media and community events, she helped connect Spanish speakers with behavioral health services and brought important conversations into spaces where families feel comfortable. 

“Teresa promoted opioid awareness and prevention, including hosting Rapid Revive sessions in Spanish, creating educational content and interviewing community members affected by addiction and recovery,” said Amanda Bishop, chair of the CSB’s Community Engagement Committee. “All content was translated or subtitled in Spanish and shared widely.” 

Over time, Lopez has become known as someone who listens first and responds to real needs, filling a gap within Hanover. 

“I always see me as a bridge, that I’m connecting people that maybe are in need,” Lopez said. “I’m always saying that the information is power.”