Marjorie B. Blankstein, (

née The birth name is the name of the person given upon their birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name or to the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a births registe ...

Rady; born 1929) is a fundraiser, community activist and volunteer. Through her mother Rose, she is a member of the wealthy

Bronfman family The Bronfman family is a Canadian family, known for its extensive business holdings. It owes its initial fame to Samuel Bronfman (1889–1971), the most influential Canadian Jew of the mid-20th century, who made a fortune in the alcoholic distill ...

and a niece of Samuel Bronfman. Blankstein was born in

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Manitoba. It is centred on the confluence of the Red River of the North, Red and Assiniboine River, Assiniboine rivers. , Winnipeg h ...

Manitoba Manitoba is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population ...

. She attended Grosvenor, Robert H. Smith and Kelvin High schools. She graduated from the

University of Manitoba The University of Manitoba (U of M, UManitoba, or UM) is a public research university in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Founded in 1877, it is the first university of Western Canada. Both by total student enrolment and campus area, the University of ...

with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1950. She obtained her Master of Social Work degree in 1952. After her graduation, she married

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs, and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

Morley Blankstein. She has three sons, two daughters and seven grandchildren. She has been very active in the community, and currently serves as a board member of the Rady Jewish Community Centre and the Mauro Centre for Peace and Justice. She also serves as a member of the Capital Campaign Advisory Council for Friends of the Ralph Connor House Inc. She was the Honorary Co-Chair of the Words and Deeds Leadership Award Dinner honouring the Richardson family in October 2007. She was among five honourees at the first Spirit of Leadership awards luncheon held in Winnipeg on March 14, 2008. In the past, she has been involved with over 30 different community organizations, ranging from Jewish Child and Family Service, Age and Opportunity Centre Inc.,

Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra The Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra (WSO) is a Canadian orchestra based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Founded in 1947, the orchestra plays most of its concerts at the Centennial Concert Hall. Including travelling performances, the WSO presents an average of ...

LEAF A leaf (: leaves) is a principal appendage of the plant stem, stem of a vascular plant, usually borne laterally above ground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leav ...

to the

United Way United Way is an international network of over 1,800 local nonprofit organization, nonprofit fundraising affiliates. Prior to 2015, United Way was the largest nonprofit organization in the United States by donations from the public. Individual Un ...

of Winnipeg. She became a Member of the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada () is a Canadian state order, national order and the second-highest Award, honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the Canadian Centennial, ce ...

in 1982. She is also an honorary life member of Jewish Child and Family Service and was the first recipient of the Sol Kanee Distinguished Community Service Medal from the Winnipeg Jewish Community Council. She has been honoured with the Queen's Silver Jubilee and 125th Anniversary of Confederation Commemorative medals and has been recognized as the YM/

YWCA The Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) is a nonprofit organization with a focus on empowerment, leadership, and rights of women, young women, and girls in more than 100 countries. The World office is currently based in Geneva, Swit ...

Woman of the Year (Community Service category) in 1978, Volunteer of the Year (by the Association of Fundraising Professionals of Manitoba) in 2000 and with a Distinguished Service Award from the

in 2003. Blankstein has continued to receive recognition throughout the 21st Century, including receiving an honorary degree from the University of Manitoba in 2014 and honors at the Rady JCC Sports Dinner in 2019.Rady JCC - Post (20 March 2019) @Facebook.com
Retrieved 14 October 2023.

References

University of Manitoba Distinguished Graduates information
(accessed March 15, 2008) * Heather Johnson, "Spirit of Leadership: Celebrating Legacies of Vision & Action" (March 2008) Rady family Bronfman family 1929 births Living people University of Manitoba alumni Members of the Order of Canada Members of the Order of Manitoba Activists from Winnipeg {{Canada-activist-stub