LifeChanger of the Year Nominee Profile

Ronald Castro was nominated by his spouse, Ashley Castro.

"My husband is very humble," said Mrs. Castro. "He spends most of his waking time thinking about how to help others. This probably comes with lots of practice. After every year and project, he is always thinking about his next project to help more people."

As a school teacher in at-risk schools for the last 15 years, Mr. Castro has sponsored a volunteer group. He and his group of kids help so many people. His Humanitarians are pretty awesome. He leverages their ability to help with their labor to help other needy groups, and they, in turn, help the students. For example, he is a member of the local Veterans of Foreign Wars. He takes the students to help with their special dinners, and the group, in turn, sponsors the students. The students learn responsibility and kindness. The veterans then have young people around to serve and clean up. It works out for everyone. They are the keys to most significant events at the VFW as well. They set up, serve, and clean up for the Blue Star/ Gold Star dinner and the annual Veteran Appreciation Dinner. Over 500 guests depend on Mr. Castro to coordinate with his students.

The students are always on the go, supporting various nonprofits around the city. He partners with the Travis Manion Foundation to bring character workshops to his students. He partners with all levels of elected officials to get the students recognized for their work in the community. He wants them to get scholarships and college acceptance. He manually tracks every student and every hour. He partners with the American Legion to teach the students to sew pillows and blankets. He partners with Kids Meals Inc to decorate lunch bags for at-risk youth. He partners with the City of Houston to plant trees in the spring. He is partnering with the big Dia De Los Muertos Parade to bring cultural projects to his school, and he and his students will teach others about this holiday. They pass out turkeys to the elderly, helping out with Operation Turkey to feed over 5000 people. During Christmas, you can find him either wrapping gifts or giving them away with Navidad en el Barrio. He was recently recognized with the Presidential Volunteer Service Award for his volunteering, but that wasn't enough. He made sure his students were also recognized for their work.

This school year, he moved districts and schools, but he still visits with his former students to ensure they don't feel left out. He personally started raising funds to provide steak dinners to homeless and at-risk veterans on Veterans Day. His calendar is full of meetings and brainstorming sessions with various groups. Not only is he a member of the VFW, but also a post and district officer. He meets with the Holocaust Museum Latino Advisory Board. He was the volunteer director for the Houston Millennials. 

"This summer, we moved and are now blessed with a pool," said Mrs. Castro. "He took it upon himself to ensure our nieces and nephews learned to swim. Ronald loves his family and always includes our nieces and nephews whenever possible. He loves our dogs, painting murals, and helping around our house in his spare time. He is a whirlwind of planning and activity. And then the cycle starts all over with the coming and ending of every school year. Back to school mean back to brainstorming and attending as many back-to-school drives as possible."

"I don't know how he does all this while teaching AP Government, AP Psychology, AP Economics, and the on-level courses, too. Sometimes he is overwhelmed, but he enjoys it. He says that the kids are worth it daily," said Mrs. Castro.