Making A Difference
by Diana Kunde
Holiday/Winter Issue 2007-2008

A love for children and a miraculous birth led to the creation of the Andrea-Mennen Family Foundation, a benefactor to organizations that promote the welfare of children.

Theirs was a second marriage for Rudy Andrea and Christina Mennen Andrea of Plano. The couple had three children between them.

"Christina had been told that she wouldn't be able to have kids," Rudy Andrea said. "And then she got pregnant."

Not long after their son Adam was born in 1994, Christina approached her husband about finding a way to give back in gratitude. The foundation was the ultimate result of their ideas.

"Never in my wildest dreams did I think I'd be in the charity business," Mr. Andrea said. "I was in sales and finance; I'd always been driven to make money."

He said the change has been very rewarding. His wife is the more active volunteer, while he manages the couple's investments. Both are unpaid officers of the family foundation. The couple's three older children all serve on its board.

Mrs. Andrea is a major benefactor to the Northeast Texas Chapter of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, where Mr. Andrea is chapter board president, and recently gave $200,000 to Children's Medical Center.

"Not only have they been very good to us financially, but they go out of their way to assist us in every way possible," said Sila Grogan, regional director of a three-state area for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

The family foundation also recently matched the money raised by Kohl's department stores during the Cystic Fibrosis Foudation's Great Strides Walk.

Cystic Fibrosis is a genetic disease that attacks the lungs and digestive system. Children with the disease now live to a median of 37 years, according to the CFF.

"This is the disease that I feel will be cured in our lifetime," Mr. Andrea said. "I want a heritage for our children, to feel that our foundation was part of that."