Award winning San Francisco broadcaster, Ysabel Duron, has launched another venture to continue to raise cancer awareness in the Latino community nationwide.
Latinas Contra Cancer, in the tradition of the Silicon Valley startup, expects to fill the void in culturally and linguistically sensitive breast and other cancer related health services (support groups and education awareness programs) in the Latino community.
The need became apparent when Ysabel Duron co-founded a successful non-profit in San Jose, California, Las Isabelas (May 2000) and started receiving requests from around the country for help.
2 years after her own battle with cancer {Hodgkins Lymphoma}, Ysabel Duron, helped start Las Isabelas, becoming president of the board and then Executive Director. The San Jose, California organization provides support services to Latinas with breast cancer, targeting low-income Spanish speaking women.
In August 2001, Las Isabelas launched a new outreach education project, Casa a Casa, which takes breast health education to Latina homes, schools and workplaces.
The project trains breast cancer survivors to become health educators, improving their self-esteem and leadership skills. They earn stipends that are welcome additions in homes where the average yearly income is less than $15,000.
The innovative program earned Duron a 2002 Excellence in Innovative Health Services Award from the California Association of Non-Profits. In 2003 Duron stepped down as Executive Director, and launched the new agency, Latinas Contra Cancer, Building Better Systems to Enhance Community Health.
Duron, a television journalist for over 32 years, was honored in 2003 for her meritorious work as a journalist and as an advocate for Latinas with breast cancer, with the Janet Gray Hayes Award. The award is named after the 1st woman mayor of San Jose.
In October she will receive the prestigious Juliette Gordon Low Award from the Santa Clara County Girl Scouts for her community leadership. The Low Award, named after the Founder of the Girl Scouts, is the highest honor given by the agency. Former Mayor Susan Hammer and soccer Olympian Brandi Chastain are among past recipients.
Duron came to work for San Francisco's KRON TV in 1990, and was based in its San Jose bureau. But she first began covering news stories in the county in the 1970's when the current Secretary of Transportation, Norm Mineta, was Mayor.
Duron also sits on the National Hispanic/Latina Advisory Council of the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation of Dallas, Texas.
A native of Salinas, California, Duron received a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from San Jose State University. The multi award-winning journalist was named one of America's top 100 Hispanic Women in Communications by Hispanic USA Magazine.
She's a long time board member of the International Women's Media Foundation of Washington, D.C, which networks and trains women journalists around the world.
Duron is also a member of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ), and the National Hispana Leadership Institute (NHLI).
Duron also served on the board of Ballet San Jose Silicon Valley, {1994-2003} working to increase outreach to children of color for its ballet school.
In 1998 Duron was a Visiting Professor at the University of Southern California at the Annenberg School. She also taught broadcast journalism at San Francisco State University.