Andrea Katz, Vice President, Tikun Olam

I am a third-generation member of Holy Blossom Temple with my mother and grandparents having joined when they moved to the neighbourhood in 1948.  I have celebrated many life cycle events at Temple, having my consecration, bat mitzvah and confirmation.  It was my interest in joining the Israel trip and receiving a temple scholarship after confirmation that brought me to my first volunteer experience at Temple working in the religious school.  I continued to work as a teacher in the religious school for many years.

My mother had a lifelong commitment to Temple life and was the President of Holy Blossom Sisterhood in the 1980s. She was integral in the origination of the Out of the Cold Program and helped lead the Mondays at the Temple Seniors Program when she became a senior. My sister and I joined her in the Out of the Cold endeavour and we were part of the Holy Blossom contingent that volunteered at an Out of the Cold at St Andrew’s Church for a year to learn before launching our program.

More recently, I have spent the last 5 years as a Co-Chair of the Out of the Cold Program which aligns with my personal commitment to helping those less fortunate in our community.  I am proud that Holy Blossom has continued to be a leader in Tikkun Olam, and I am honoured to take on the role of Vice President, Tikun Olam for this mandate and help move it forward.

Professionally I am a Financial Services Executive with a breadth of experience across multiple businesses and mandates including Project Management, Transformation and developing and executing business strategies, and leading Transformational change.