Personal Biography for David M., Board President devotes time as President of the Board to The Pro- Latino group of San Jose. David had volunteered with the ProLatino since 1998 with a goal of gaining extensive training in the prevention of sexually transmitted diseases as well as HIV/AIDS. In 2001 David was nominated President of the Board of ProLatino, which allows him to continue his experiences in working with advocacy and to provide prevention education to the Latino Community in Santa Clara County. David Manuel Castro was born in, Mexico and migrated to the United States at age 11. Having lived in San Jose, California and Tucson, Arizona, he s held a long career as Chemical Engineer with IBM Corp., and is now retired. In his retirement he has chosen to return to school and achieve his Ph. D. in Psychology. Along with a full-time school schedule, David As an Executive Director/Board President, David has established relationships and served as liaison with local collaborating organizations and health centers. His Hispanic roots and upbringing provide him with the opportunity to utilize his fluency in the Spanish language to translate the needs of the Latino community for grant access toward health care services in Santa Clara County, as well as other culturally competent providers and local community health centers. David, with the collaborative assistance of the ProLatino board members, has facilitated many new opportunities for ProLatino in becoming a prevention education and advocacy 1
agency. David s additional volunteer endeavors include outreach work, serving as Chief Financial Officer for The Living Center of San Jose, providing translation services for the HIV/AIDS testing and counseling program for Santa Clara County s Health Department, and assisting the local Needle Exchange program by coordinating culturally appropriate services to diverse communities through trainings and technical assistance. David does not miss any opportunity to speak at public events and share his knowledge of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender related issues. In his spare time, David is takes interest in genealogy research for Mexican and Spanish ancestry and is currently group administrator for DNA testing for his Gallardo surname through Family Tree DNA David s achievements include: Board of Supervisors Award (May, 2004) District One: Ken Yeager of Santa Clara County George Gonzales Community Leader Award(May 13, 2005) Miguel Perez Community Leadership award from ProLatino(May,2003) History of ProLatino Organization On February 1992 a group of seven individuals led by a young man named Jaime Alejandro Campos met for the first time to meet the needs of the Latino Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender (GLBT) Community of the South Bay. Such community lacked the representation of an organization which would understand its socio-cultural needs and who would adequately provide them. During the first two weeks such group had a name and it was ProLatino. Its Board of Directors was led by Jaime Alejandro as President and Omar Núñez as Vice President. Omar continues with ProLatino as Program Coordinator.The group grew rapidly and continued to meet every two weeks as a social support group. Gradually, with the assistance of volunteers, ProLatino began to integrate educational, cultural and prevention elements dealing with HIV and AIDS. Additionally, from the beginning ProLatino implemented outreach services. ProLatino created a prestigious ethical allegiance without match with various organizations and agencies. During the year 2000, ProLatino officially became a 501c3 non-profit organization, which allowed to reinforce its importance amongst our community and to expand its service programs which it currently offers.
ProLatino Annual Retreat 2007 Every year ProLatino has a very well attended retreat for the LGBT community. This is where we have a great opportunity to work directly with community members in developing their HIV prevention skills, and also in empowering them to have healthier lives over all. There are several topics covered at these events which include: safer sex, emotional support, cultural awareness, drug and alcohol prevention, disclosing sexuality to family, immigrant rights, legal workshops and many other very valuable workshops. This year marked the biggest retreat ever. We partnered with several Bay Area Latino LGBT based organizations in order to maximize the consistency of the messages we carry. The retreat was attended by close to 100 LGBT individuals from throughout the Bay Area this year! We would like to thank everyone in attendance and also our partnering organizations for a very successful 2007 retreat! San Francisco Pride 2007 2007 marked a very special and exciting San Francisco Gay Pride Parade. This year was the first time that all Latino based organizations participating from the Bay Area marched together as one contingent. ProLatino is very proud to have been a part of such a monumental and collaborative march. Gloria Trevi joined us this year and performed her latest songs. So, the attention was definitely on us this year! Please join us for next year s parade! San Jose Walk for AIDS 2007 ProLatino has been one of the recipients of funds raised at the Walk for AIDS for several years now. We re happy to volunteer our time to this event as it brings many dedicated community members and organizations committed to stopping AIDS. This year ProLatino volunteered by having an information booth and also providing entertainment for the walkers. The Aztec Dancers added a great feeling of culture and inspired walkers to keep going in their fight against AIDS. HIV Prevention and Education ProLatino has responded to the emerging health crisis in our communiy by offering preventive and educational programs to combat the spread of HIV,AIDS and STD s. Outreach teams target difficult to reach populations and make information accessible regarding infection, health promotion, health screening and service referrals HIV / AIDS Prevention Services Community
Outreach Workshops. HIV/STD Counselling & Testing Referrals. Individual and Group Support. Syringe Exchange Referrals. Prevention Presentation of HIV/STD s. HIV/AIDS Prevention Programs Entre Hombres (Bilingual Support group) Latino Transgender (Monolingual and Bilingual group) ProLatino group meetings( Spanish Monolingual group ) Nosotros HIV+ Support program Youth de Ambiente (Monolingual/Bilingual Prevention group) ProLatino educators and Latino community stand together Advocacy and Referral Services Dental Services Eye Care Services Food Distribution Housing Assistance Legal Assistance Medical Treatment Self Help Skills Building Education Support Group Precription Drug Assistance One on One Peer Support Translation And Interpretation Mental Health Counseling Case Management LGBT General Services Individual /One on one Support Group Discussions Communiy Outreach Recreational Services ITOTIANNI Aztec Dance Group MAGAY Folkloric Dance Group ProLatino Volleyball Tea Retreats Social & Cultural Events Useful Links These are the important links where you can find more information about AIDS and about AIDS Legal Services. AIDS Legal Services AIDS-Coalition Silicon Valley Resource List Donate Now! T hank you for supporting ProLatino. Your donation and dollars directly impact our student sponsorship program and improve the health
status of low and moderate-income LGBT communities. We accept donations in the form of personal checks. Please send your donation directly to : ProLatino P. O. Box 59684 San Jose, CA 95159 Credit Card payment option is coming soon. Contact Information P rolatino P. O. Box 59684 San Jose, CA 95159 For more inquiries, please contact us by phone: 408-271-6984 You can email us for future correspondence Meeting Place You are welcome to join us in celebrating our pride and friendship at ProLatino meetings. Our meetings are conducted in Spanish meeting place It is held on every 1st, 3rd, and 5th Monday of the month. Time: 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm