Dedicated supporters honored at Atlanta Chapter’s 50th anniversary celebration
Volunteers Dick and Jeanie Katz took center stage at the Atlanta Chapter’s 50th anniversary luncheon celebration on Oct. 8, when nearly 100 supporters recognized the couple’s years of dedication to City of Hope. The featured guest speaker at the Buckhead, Ga., event was Bill Nigut, regional director of the Anti-Defamation League.
The Katz family’s involvement with the Atlanta Chapter is far-reaching: Dick Katz’s late mother, Hazel, helped found it. Her unwavering support is recognized on signage across City of Hope’s Duarte, Calif., campus.
photo: JOAN WIZNERDick and Jeanie Katz
The 76-year old Katz cites his mother’s longtime involvement with City of Hope as inspiration for furthering his family’s legacy. “We are definitely charity givers, but it is my mother’s involvement with City of Hope that has stayed with me,” he said. The fact that both of the Katz’s previous spouses died from the same type of cancer also spurred them to support City of Hope’s cancer research efforts.
Acting on the inspiration they felt at the 2007 National Convention, the Katzes committed to a $100,000 pledge to the institution there. “Aristotle said the most important question is not whether to give, but to whom, when and how,” said Dick Katz.
“Had I known how much satisfaction I would receive through philanthropy, I would have worked a lot harder to make more money,” he added with a grin.
The Katzes reside in Atlanta, just 50 miles away from their horse farm, the Plantation of Jefferson, an officially recognized national historical site. Dick Katz owns Republic Land & Investment, a local real estate and financing company. The Katzes have two children, Will and Wendy, four grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
The Atlanta Chapter has proven to be a formidable fundraising force. Since its inception in 1957, the group has raised more than $1 million for research, treatment and education efforts at City of Hope.