SAMPLE LETTER TO LOCAL BUSINESSES

[Recipient Name]
[Title]
[Company Name]
[Street Address]
[City, ST ZIP Code]
[Date]

Dear [Recipient Name ]:

Help ensure the sustainability of your community by joining the National Latino AIDS Awareness Day 2011 campaign.

The devastating impact of the HIV/AIDS epidemic among Hispanics/Latinos in the United States and territoriescontinues to put Hispanics/Latinos in a severe state of emergency. Hispanics/Latinos are highly vulnerable when it comes to HIV/AIDS prevention and care.  As the epidemic continues to penetrate our communities, the very livelihood of our cultures and of our communities are put at risk. In 2008, Hispanics/Latinos comprised 16% of the U.S. population; however, they accounted for 18% of new HIV diagnoses and 18% of all persons living with HIV/AIDS in the United States. Limited access to prevention and care, cultural barriers, language barriers, and immigration status continues to contribute to this disparity.

In commemoration of the last day of Hispanic Heritage Month and the first in what has become an annual observance in the fight against HIV/AIDS for Latinos/Hispanics, National Latino AIDS Awareness Day (NLAAD) was established in 2003. NLAAD is a community mobilizing and social marketing campaign which fosters a diverse network, implemented at the local, regional and national level, aimed at educating and mobilizing Latino/Hispanic communities to increase their knowledge on the impact of HIV/AIDS and health related safety practices.

Every year on October 15th, participating members and organizations sponsor testing events, health and cultural fairs, candle light vigils, street outreaches, educational workshops, trainings, etc., that speak to the impact of HIV/AIDS in their specific communities. In 2010 NLAAD solidified support from 450 partners who together organized 350 events in 45 states across the U.S., Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. NLAAD efforts were covered by more than 4,000 media outlets and social networking sites such as Facebook, MTVThink, Twitter, MySpace, LinkedIn, and the NLAAD website www.nlaad.org.

We are asking for your support to help put an end to the HIV/AIDS epidemic, which is greatly affecting Hispanic/Latino communities by participating in the NLAAD campaign. There are a number of ways in which you can get involved *type in specific things they can help with (e.g. advertising, posting advertisements in newsletters, sponsoring an event, etc)*. By supporting NLAAD, you can help to galvanize the public to take action and respond to the HIV/AIDS crisis in the Hispanic/Latino community.

Thank you, in advance, for your support
Sincerely,