San Antonio native and Fox Tech graduate, Amelia Jimenez Duran, is the
co-owner of La Prensa de San Antonio. Every time Amelia saw people reading
English newspapers she wondered what it would be like if San Antonio’s
Hispanic community had its own publication to meet their needs. So she asked
her husband, Tino Duran, to bring back to San Antonio the Spanish newspaper
where her father and uncles had worked as typesetters and printers in the 1920’s
thru 1950’s. In 1989 her wish was granted, La Prensa, after its 27-year
hiatus was back on the newsstands.
Just six years later after La Prensa’s resurrection, Amelia officially
established the La Prensa Foundation, once again, with the help of her husband.
However, her generosity began well before the formal foundation. Since reinitiating
the paper, Amelia always made certain La Prensa Newspaper gave back to the
community by helping with projects, sponsorships, donations, scholarships,
and feeding the homeless that gather underneath a downtown bridge. Whenever
there was a great community need, Amelia made certain La
Prensa participated.
And if that weren’t enough, long before Amelia became co-owner of La
Prensa, her love for children resulted in her fostering a total of 38 kids,
which included neglected and abused neighborhood youth that were destitute.
Amelia’s philanthropic labor has not gone unseen. Among many awards
and recognitions, such as the 1999 Hometown Hero Award presented by Time Warner
Cable, the Business Journal’s Women’s Leadership Award in 2004,
and the LULAC Recognition Award in 1996, to name a few, in 1998 she received
the Yellow Rose of Texas award presented by then Governor George W. Bush.
Amelia Duran’s faith has given her the strength to become a survivor
of cancer and multiple sclerosis. Her strength has given her the ability to
help others and to accomplish her objectives. For Amelia, it’s a dream
come true to be able to help so many students through La Prensa Foundation.