Juan Marichal Pierce Sr. beams as he discusses the Health Education Award he accepted from the Richmond Branch NAACP at its annual Freedom Fund banquet last month.

“For me, it was the equivalent to earning a lifetime achievement award for continuing to promote one of the most important civil rights known to mankind — the right to health care access regardless of race, ethnicity, social status, economics, gender or sexual identity,” he says.

Mr. Pierce was honored for serving as the executive director of the Minority Health Consortium Inc., which provides life-saving health education in the Richmond, Petersburg, Hopewell, Emporia and other areas.

Mr. Pierce founded the organization in 1987, and it was incorporated in 1998.

He says he started the group in response to the Report of the Secretary’s Task Force on Black and Minority Health issued by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

The report identified health problems that disproportionately cause death in minority communities. That includes HIV/AIDS, cancer, diabetes, infant mortality, homicide, suicide, chemical dependency, cardiovascular diseases and stroke.

“That prompted a number of people in the Richmond community to come together to identify and implement minority-influenced solutions to the devastating problems that precipitated the negative health outcomes documented in the Secretary’s Task Force Report,” Mr. Pierce says.

The group uses an array of strategies to reach underserved communities, such as “street outreach, social media, social networking technology, peer-to-peer outreach, outreach in non-traditional settings during non-traditional hours, Spanish language outreach and strategic organizational collaborations,” he adds.

The group serves a diverse at-risk population, including African-Americans, Latinos, the LGBT community, high-risk heterosexuals, people who inject drugs and inmates.

“The black and Latino communities make up a small portion of Virginia’s population, but they are highly impacted by the real weapons of mass destruction,” Mr. Pierce says.

He gives high praise to his staff of 24 part-time workers.

“I’m extremely proud to be the leader of one of the most loved, most talked about, most requested, most dedicated, most loyal, highly trained, highly effective community engagement and mobilization teams in the world,” he says.

When he’s not on the job, Mr. Pierce says he enjoys cooking on Sundays for his sister and his two sons, Juan Marichal Jr. and Tuchili Juan, and watching movies.

He unwinds by spending time with his sons “and laughing at their comical antics.”

Meet this week’s Personality, Juan M. Pierce Sr.:

Occupation: Executive director of the Minority Health Consortium Inc.

Date and place of birth: May 16 in Richmond.

Current home: Richmond.

Education: Black AIDS Institute, African American HIV University Science and Treatment College, University of California, Los Angeles, July 2014; Black AIDS Institute, African American HIV University Community Mobilization College, February 2012; Centers for Disease Control and American Schools of Public Health Institute for HIV Prevention Leadership, 2003; Virginia University of Lynchburg; and Virginia Union University.

Family: Sons Juan Marichal Pierce Jr., 26, and Tuchili Juan Pierce, 9.

Minority Health Consortium’s mission: With the involvement of the community, public and professional organizations and interested citizens, to raise the general level of health of minority persons in the Richmond Metropolitan area through participatory strategies, which enhance healthier lifestyles.

Our services are needed because: We have to continue to raise awareness, promote linkage to medical care, retention in care and adherence to treatment and lifestyle changes to build a healthier community.

Services we provide include: Free rapid HIV testing and linkage to HIV care services; gonorrhea and chlamydia testing, Hepatitis C rapid testing; syphilis screening; Project Strapped, a free condom distribution program partnering with the Virginia Department of Health, Richmond City and Petersburg health departments, local businesses, restaurants, barbershops, libraries, motels, law enforcement and churches. We offer effective behavior interventions and educational sessions, forums, stigma-reduction activities and support groups for HIV-positive persons. We host the H.E.L.P. Community Advisory Board and HELP Drop-In After Hours Clinic every Wednesday night from 6 p.m. to midnight in Richmond. We service the Petersburg Men’s Sexual Health Clinic at 301 Halifax St. the second and fourth Mondays of every month from 5 to 8 p.m.

Our financial support comes from: A variety of grants and awards from federal, state and local initiatives, along with contributions, from businesses and individuals.

Size of budget: $317,000.

Number of staff: One full-time and 24 part-time staff.

Communities in which MHC operates: Richmond, Petersburg, Hopewell, Dinwiddie, Ettrick, Surry, Sussex, Waverly, Brunswick County, Alberta, Keysville, Emporia, Greensville, Prince George, Henrico County, Riverside Regional Jail, Petersburg Jail, Richmond Justice Center, Virginia Union University, Virginia State University and Southside Community College of Virginia.

Number of people served by MHC: We reach more than 5,000 people yearly and provide HIV/STD testing to more than 2,000 yearly.

We could do more if: We were able to raise more money from nongovernmental agencies or community members to expand our services to impact other health disparities or social determinates of health that affect the minority communities in our service area. Of course, we always welcome volunteers to increase our capacity to serve.

Best late-night snack: Anything chocolate.

I am most motivated by: The fact that God allowed me to live a little bit longer and asked me to do all I could not to let MHC die.

What people think when they first meet me: That I am resilient and resourcefully awesome and that they wish they could clone me.

The one thing that I can’t stand: Stigmatization of anyone because of their condition or way of life.

The person who influenced me the most: Mrs. Ora M. Lomax, my Richmond NAACP youth council adviser and mentor, who I affectionately call “Ma.”

The best thing my parents ever taught me was: To be humble and remember that people may not remember everything I say or do, but that they will always remember how I made them feel when in my presence.

If I had more time, I would: Write a book about my journey through life and the people I met along the way.

The book that influenced me the most: “The Alchemist” by Paulo Coelho.

What I’m reading now: “Smart but Scattered: The Revolutionary ‘Executive Skills’ Approach to Helping Kids Reach Their Potential” by Peg Dawson and Richard Guare.

My next goal: To continue developing the Richmond/Petersburg BTAN (Black Treatment Advocates Network). It promotes treatment education, patient education, disclosure and advocacy to educate the community about treatment as prevention and the availability of pre-exposure prophylaxis as a tool to reduce new HIV transmissions.