By day, Arthur works full-time as an ethics attorney for the U.S. Government in Washington, D.C. At night, Lopez fights crime in his community of Fairfax County by giving kids the opportunity to get off the streets and into the pool. Arthur Lopez has impacted hundreds of young swimmers and their families through the swimming program he founded in 2004, Nadar Por Vida. Most of the kids who belong to Nadar Por Vida are first generation swimmers. Most don’t have the economic resources to participate in athletics, and nearly all of them are potentially “at-risk”—not only at-risk of drowning, but at-risk of falling behind in school, becoming obese or joining local gangs.
Nadar Por Vida teaches kids to swim, and encourages them to stay involved in competition. Practices are held on Saturday nights, when kids are most likely to find trouble on the streets. Lopez infuses his swim lessons with life lessons—stay in school, set goals, work hard and achieve success.
See Coach Lopez's IU Maurer School of Law alumni profile.
