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JORGE ESTEBAN
If you’ve been to the Toy Party or Backpack in the Park, then you’ve got an idea of why Jorge Esteban is on this list. Esteban is president of For the Kid in All of Us, and he and the rest of the dedicated members are responsible for putting on the immensely successful fundraisers every year.
Mark your calendars for December 5th—Esteban and For the Kid are gearing up for an even more spectacular Toy Party at Americas Mart 3!
How would you define your role in Atlanta’s LGBT community?
I have always felt a need to give back to my community. Many of us are so blessed in life with good jobs, good friends, loving families and there are so many out there that don’t have any of those things. As President of For the Kid in All of Us, my drive and my passion is to make a difference in the life of children in need. Our Board of Directors, an all volunteer Board, is an amazing group of caring people whom we all share a common goal, which is to brighten the life of a child in need. We have an amazing track record as we plan our 8th Toy Party (to be held December 5th!) and just this summer held our 5th Backpack in the Park event. We have donated more than $450,000 back to our communities, in addition to donating over 27,000 toys and gift cards and 5,100 backpacks!
What do you forecast for Atlanta’s LGBT community in the next 5 to 10 years?
With time you find strength. I have seen the transformation of our LGBT community in Atlanta the past 15 years. There is a stronger sense of community. I see ourselves growing stronger and making a bigger impact in the communities we live in, play in and work in. One of the biggest areas where I see our growth is in the political arena. Having openly gay or lesbian elected officials will one day develop to be the norm and hopefully not even a blip on the radar screen during their campaigns. I see it with the younger generations now where being out and being proud is become more widely accepted.
We learn from all our experiences, both good and bad. Tell us about a negative life experience you’ve had that you learned a valuable lesson from.
As a first generation American, my family immigrated to the USA back in 1959 from Cuba after Castro took over the political scene. My family struggled but persevered. One of my biggest challenges was fitting in and learning the language. I was picked on at school for not fitting in…too tall and not very coordinated at sports, couldn’t speak the language, ugh, those days! We take for granted so many things in life but when you have worked hard to achieve your dreams, I think it makes it all the sweeter to achieve them. My parents are my role models, with my Dad eventually owning his business and my Mom working for a company whom she retired from after nearly 30 years of service.
How has being LGBT shaped your outlook on life?
Having been married to my high school sweetheart for 7 years and father to 2 amazing sons, I was faced as a “late bloomer” to make a fateful decision. Little did I know that I would meet the man of my dreams…caring, accomplished, loving, hard working, devoted, cute, funny as heck, faithful…he was my 7 year itch! Well I’m still scratching as we just celebrated our 21st year together!
Tell us a little more about yourself. What are your hobbies? What are your goals?
I’ve worked for AT&T for 30 years! I used to make fun of my Mom for working at the same company for so many years but she’s having the last laugh! One of the great things about working for a large corporation is that you can work in so many different areas and develop your skills without having to leave the company. In my career, I’ve worked in Accounting, IT, Product Mgmt, Project Mgmt, Billing, Network Services and now currently in Engineering! I’ve lived through (and survived) mergers, buy-outs, transformations, acquisitions, branding changes, company names changes, re-designs, re-engineering…you name it!
My hobby aside from playing volleyball and running is working as a mock interview coach for young women competing in pageants! I have met some of the most amazing young women in this journey. Not to brag (but I will), this past year I had the 1st runner-up to Miss USA, 5 placements in the top 15 at Miss Teen USA (including the winner!) and most recently coached the young lady who won Miss Florida USA 2011. My goals are to retire soon and continue to work on my pageant coaching business and also become an advocate for the elderly. I’d also love to work perhaps as an Executive Director at a non-profit.
If you were stranded on a desert island, what’s the one book you would want with you?
I’m not a big reader but I would probably bring a book of special photographs of my kids, my partner, travels, family and friends. In our 21 years together, we now have close to 60 photo albums of trips, events, parties, milestone celebrations, etc. I’m so old school when it comes to pictures…I still print them and put them in a book, for whatever reason I just do not get the same enjoyment from having them stored in a computer!
