博士. 約翰·大衛·阿諾德出生在'賓州荷蘭國'的一個小農場附近的Doylestown在雄鹿縣. 他已故的父親的家族可以追溯到早期的1600年代是一個作家和發明家, 誰寫墨西哥的Triple A及大眾機械雜誌第一電機導遊在1950年的. 他的母親是一個藝術家, 雕塑家, 和Grayce的禮品店在巴塔哥尼亞微企業主, 亞利桑那直到年齡 97. 博士. 阿諾德有兩個姐姐, 珍妮 & 伊萊恩. 博士. 阿諾德一直是亞利桑那州的居民超過五十年，目前居住在這兩個圖森和巴塔哥尼亞, 亞利桑那. 博士. 阿諾德是一個有三個女兒和一個繼子單親; LOREE, 雷納托, (出生於利馬, 秘魯) 查斯卡, 19 和提卡, 16. 所有四個出席並擅長在傳統和公立特許學校. 博士. 阿諾德搬到瓜達拉哈拉, 墨西哥與他的家人時，他六歲, 並出席在科萊焦塞萬提斯小學. 他搬到諾加利斯, 亞利桑那州後在瓜達拉哈拉5年. 他的家人則搬到圖森的南側大約 1958 在那裡他參加了韋克菲爾德初中和鎮高中. 後來, 博士. 阿諾德從亞利桑那大學畢業, 具有學士學位，西班牙語和社會學, 兩個碩士學位的管理和教育, (M. 和) 具有博士. 在相同的字段. 在年齡 12, 因為他講西班牙語，他邀請他的教會的事工巴士去到短工農場工人營地當翻譯. 在年齡 16, 他開著他自己的教會總線，並建立了農民部委在聖克魯斯谷, Rillito, 和馬拉納, 亞利桑那. 在年齡 18, 他被規定和牧養第一美南浸信會教堂卡塔利娜, 亞利桑那. 他的教學和執教生涯是在私立學校，他組織了亞利桑那州獨立高中運動協會. 他的籃球, 足球, 田徑棒球隊都贏得了州冠軍 1966.
在 1967, while working for the Head Start Program, 博士. Arnold wrote the first PPEP, 公司. grant proposal submitted to the Tucson War on Poverty Program, which was initiated by the Presidents Kennedy/Johnson Administrations. The initial funding was for $19,000, from which he bought a 48 乘客 1957 Chevrolet school bus known as “La Tortuga” (the tortoise). 博士. Arnold was the driver, mechanic and school teacher imparting practical educational teachings to help the Bracero farmworkers prepare themselves to be productive in our society. 經住在墨西哥, he understood first-hand what it was to live and study in an unfamiliar society with a different language and culture.
From PPEP’s humble beginnings aboard La Tortuga 49 years ago, 博士. Arnold, the PPEP Board of Directors and dedicated staff have sought to carry out the dreams to “improve the quality of life” of the farmworkers and rural poor whom visited the bus in those formative years. His work has been cited as national models 10 times in U.S. Congressional Records, including citations by U.S. Congressmen Udall, Kolbe, Pastor, Grijalva, Giffords, and Senators: DeConcini, McCain, Kyl and Enzi of Wyoming. His programs have been honored twice at the White House, among numerous other recognitions nationally and internationally. US Congressman, Ed Pastor wrote “It is your vision and energy that transformed ‘La Tortuga’ into a major force for ‘Improving the quality of life in Arizona and the world”. US Senator, Mike Enzi wrote, “you may be the most innovative person I know. It’s always fascinating to learn of your new and intriguing advances, plus being a voice for the migrant farmworker and their kids.” Senator McCain stated “Ultimately much of our future depends on programs such as PPEP” www.ppep.org.
博士. Arnold served on the Tucson Metropolitan Education Council for ten years (1990 至 2000). He has been instrumental in establishing 11 farmworker, rural and inner city PPEP TEC charter high schools, which have graduated 3,500 at- risk students with full high school diplomas. 在 2003, PPEP partnered with K-12 Inc. and established the ArizonaVirtualAcademy. This is a K – 12 grade on-line instructional programs with over 4,000 students (https://azva.k12.com/). 在 2007, a partnership with Insight affiliated with the University of Phoenix has opened virtual charter high schools in California and Idaho. Insight Arizona in 2012. 在 1985 博士. Arnold organized one of the first micro business programs in the US with a model imported from Mexico. To date, this program has lent over 22 million dollars to micro business located primarily on the US Mexico border region. 博士. Arnold has also served on the National Farmworker Advisory Council for the U.S. Department of Labor under three US Secretaries, providing consultation. 最近，, he has been active in the formation of The Bi National Trade Council promoting import and export and expositions of microbusiness products which has been called the “Mini or Micro NAFTA.” In 1990, a donation of $5,000 was made to FAI de Sonora to capitalize their rural micro loan fund which presently is one of the largest in Mexico, based in Ciudad Obregon, Sonora. There a farmworker Hall of Fame was named for his efforts. Mot recently participated with Tucson Mexico Sister Cities project. 在 2007 he organized a major humanitarian relief effort among the Yaqui and Mayo tribes’ victims of Mexico’s Hurricane Henriette this coupled with similar efforts in the Tabasco and Jimena disasters. 在 2008, LULAC created a National Humanitarian Award in his name. Moreover, he negotiated 3.25 million in scholarships benefiting 100 Latino students with University of Phoenix.
Today the legacy of the “La Tortuga” school bus lives on through the over 550 employees in 35 field and job training offices statewide. Furthermore, PPEP Inc. has been recognized the 92nd largest employer in Southern Arizona. PPEP provides pass- through funds to farmworker grass roots affordable housing programs in the Rocky Mountain States and Hawaii. PPEP’s largest program, which has a special place in Dr. Arnold heart, 為發育障礙人士提供服務. PPEP has established 18 group homes, residential, and work sites across rural Arizona. The Arizona Star Editorial stated “ Arnold is a wizard at stretching money from government and private sources to get the most out of them and aid the rural needy as well as give them dignity in their lives, “that is the best service money can buy.” The Maui Connection was a term given to PPEP’s migration of dozens Hispanic farmworkers to the Island of Maui to work the pineapple and cane fields in 1990’s. Later, a micro loan program was established there, which now covers all the islands.
The U.S. Department of Education awarded PPEP the High School Equivalency Program (HEP), a second five-year contract to assist adult migrant farmworkers to obtain their GED certification. To date, some 1,000 farmworker adults have graduated from the HEP program in Yuma County alone. The HUD funded Youth Build Program has served 158 drop outs with construction skills and jobs building and rehabilitating over 120 and built 30 new farmworker homes in San Luis and Somerton, 亞利桑那. In the mid 1980’s PPEP, 公司. was the Navajo Nation’s largest sub-contractor in job training, affordable housing and computer training schools. 在 2000, he organized the Farmworker LULAC Council #1088, which was the nation’s largest adult council. Furthermore, he organized dozens of LULAC Youth, LULAC KIDZ, and adult LULAC councils, mostly among Arizona’s farmworker and rural regions. 在 2013 , the LULAC National President Margaret Moran re-appointed Dr. Arnold as both LULAC National Chair of Education and Chair of International Relations for a seventh terms, which are among the League of United Latin America Citizens highest priorities. 在 2007, 博士. Arnold organized LULAC’s first international council in Hermosillo, 墨西哥, later, followed by India and Africa. 博士. Arnold manages on the weekends in Patagonia, 亞利桑那, Grayce’s Gift and Candle Shop as well as the Dia de Los Muertos Museum which the Smithsonian Institute has recognized as the “first of its kind in North America” www.grayces.com. At PPEP, 公司. the old bus “La Tortuga” has been restored and placed in the Farmworker Hall of Fame also recognized by the Smithsonian with visitors worldwide. Between 2010 和 2012, he conducted seminars along with Dr. Gabriel Cousens on the natural cure of Diabetes/sustainable organic farming Ghana, 尼日利亞, and Ethiopia and December 2013 in Cameroon.
在 2005, he organized the Hurricanes Katrina/Rita Farmworker Relief partnership that included World Care, LULAC, and Mississippi Delta Council that NBC News called “the largest non-governmental, interstate relief effort of its kind, ever.” This relief effort was documented in five pages of the US Congressional Record. Also in 2008, 博士. Arnold established Africa’s first three micro credit/cooperative “Hybrid” loan funds in Nigeria and Ghana. www.ghanaoldbaika.org. 在 2011 he established the West African Rural Empowerment Society that oversees schools economic development, nutrition and cultural projects. www.africawaresdonate.org. These efforts were reported in the West African Daily Sun News; “Philanthropy with a Difference; How an American Touched the Lives of Millions.” He met with His Holiness the Dalai Lama at his residence in Dharamsala, India met with the President of Ethiopia 2011. Also in 2012, he established nutrition, micro credit, sustainable farming projects in Cameroon and Ethiopia. 在 2010, two ballads one in English and one in Spanish were composed recorded on his life pathway. Coined the motivational sayings; Si Se Pudo y Si se Podrá!
