More Helpful Links

Lydia Alejandro 
2005 Estrella Winner

A Fremont woman whose life has been devoted to advocacy in the Latino community has been named the recipient of the 2005 Estrella “Our Shining Star” Award from Terra Community College. 

Lydia Alejandro, who was born and raised in Millersville and is a Lakota High School graduate, will be honored at a recognition event in November. The Estrella award was established to honor an area individual for outstanding character, citizenship and community service.

Alejandro has been active in the Latino community since she was in her twenties. She began in legal services for ABLE and served as a paralegal in Migrant Farm Worker Unit. She helped develop legal programs to protect the rights of migrant farm workers in various legal issues including wages, terms of employment, education and public benefits.

Later, Alejandro began working in inner city Toledo and its Latino communities through agencies of Adelante Inc. and the Cordelia Martin Health Center. She facilitated alcohol and drug prevention sessions in the Toledo schools and at the agency. She worked with pregnant women suffering with crack addiction, battered women and at-risk Latino youth. She conducted outreach efforts and facilitated support groups. For eight years, she was also a grant writer for the agency.

“I helped develop a lot of programs for Latino youth and women that are still there,” Alejandro said. “That’s where I felt I could make an impact in someone’s life. You can see the problems and then you do something about it.”

Since 1999, she and two other women have developed and grown the Ohio Latino Health Coalition.

“We saw the problems – language barriers, no health insurance, cultural differences and health issues like diabetes, cancer and heart disease,” said Alejandro, who lost her 46-year-old sister to cancer four years ago.

“My sister’s memory is one of the motivating factors for me in working to close the gap in health disparity for Latino families.”

The coalition has developed a Latino aerobic video that emphasizes the importance of exercise in the prevention of some health issues. The group has also tried to educate the Latino community about early detection screenings in such diseases as cancer, diabetes and heart problems. And they have developed bilingual cookbooks including traditional Latinos recipes with high fat ingredients replaced by more healthy alternatives.

Alejandro and her group are currently planning the third annual Latino Health Disparity Conference schedule. There will be events beginning Oct. 28 in Toledo, Dayton and Cleveland. All Latino-based organizations and community advocates are encouraged to attend as well as healthcare, hospital and university representatives.

Last year, the coalition completed a state-wide Latino Health Needs Survey of 2,000 Latinos. It resulted in a 214-page comprehensive report and a 15-page executive summary.

“The survey is significant because there was no data on Latino health disparity,” Alejandro said. “One of the many reasons for this is that Latinos are not a race, we are an ethnic group, and not identified as Latinos in the studies or surveys that are conducted.

“Now we have some baseline data that shows the needs and the prevalent health conditions in the Latino population in Ohio.”

One of Alejandro’s newest ventures is working on the Clean Indoor Air Campaign in Cleveland. She has helped collect more than 2,000 signatures in the Latino community on a petition calling for smoke-free public places.

With all of her advocacy activities, Alejandro also is a full-time student at Terra Community College. She plans to graduate in the spring of 2006 with an associate’s degree in social work. She is currently organizing a Latino Student Union at Terra.

“We’re excited about it,” she said. “I think it makes the Latino students feel like they have some ownership and support at Terra.”

The Estrella award is given annually to celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month which is Sept. 15 through Oct. 15. Terra usually has an Estrella event, but canceled this year’s dinner due to a lack of reservations.

 The previous winners of the Estrella Award are:

2000 – Narciso Rodriguez, Fremont

2001 – Juan Salvador Olalde, Port Clinton

2002 – Maria Guadalupe “Lupe” Lopez (posthumously), Fostoria

2003 - Jesus “Jesse” Zambrano, Fremont

2004 – Felipe “Felipito” Perez, Findlay

Alejandro said she was surprised to hear she won the award.

“I’m honored to be among the others who have won the Estrella,” she said. “They are the pioneers and the mentors because of their leadership. I hope this recognition helps to raise awareness about Latino health disparity so that others can support our Coalition efforts.

Alejandro will be among those honored at a recognition event Nov. 17 at the college. Distinguished alumni, scholarship winners and donors will also be recognized during the ceremony which will be from 7 to 9 p.m. in Building B, Room 101.