History
As a Mattel, Inc. executive, Joe Cristina’s professional life has centered on children for more than 22 years. In 1993, Joe was faced with a dilemma—his health had been deteriorating due to HIV, he had lost two life partners to AIDS, and he was contemplating a quiet disability leave.
But his boss, Jill Barad (then President of Mattel), proposed instead to Joe that he take a few weeks off to think about what he wanted to do with the rest of his life and trust that his friends and business colleagues would be there to support him. Joe decided to publicly disclose his HIV+ status, and he was overwhelmed by the enormous outpouring of support he received. The response from everyone was the same: “What can I do to help?”
Joe realized that he was being faced with a once in a lifetime opportunity to help make a difference in the world. The encouragement and support that he received from those at Mattel and throughout the children’s industry inspired him. That inspiration, along with an improvement in his health due to the advent of “HIV cocktail therapy”, convinced him to stay at Mattel and find a way to mobilize this network of diverse resources to make a positive difference in the lives of children affected by HIV/AIDS. Hence, the Children Affected by AIDS Foundation was born. Through Joe’s vision and leadership, the Foundation has raised more than $33 million since its inception. In 2007, Joe’s health again began to falter due to the long term effects of HIV coupled with medication side effects, and it became necessary for him to go on an extended medical leave from Mattel. Joe now focuses all of his time and energy on taking care of his health and continuing to help children affected by HIV/AIDS. Mattel, Inc. continues to provide major funding and support to the Foundation.
Joe Cristina currently serves as the Board Chair for CAAF.
Read more about this topic: Children Affected By AIDS Foundation
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