Giving back to the community is important for Matthew Klatsky and his wife, Lindsay. The couple has been heavily involved in Jewish Baltimore since settling in Baltimore 10 years ago. Recently, Matthew has been bringing his passion and focus to The Associated: Jewish Community Federation of Baltimore to help guide families on charitable funding.
Tell me a little about yourself and what you do. I am originally from New Jersey and went to University of Maryland. Following college, my wife and I lived in Manhattan for about ten years until we moved here to raise our two children, Jordan (11) and Madison (8).
My team, The Frank and Klatsky Wealth Management Group of Wells Fargo Advisors, is run by my partner, David Frank, and myself. I am a wealth manager and my focus is on generational preservation and transfer of wealth.
What brought you to The Associated? When we moved to Maryland, The Associated was an immediate outlet for my family both professionally and personally as we were getting involved in the community. I got more and more involved and I haven’t looked back since.
Recently my focus has been via donor-advised funds. The donor-advised funds have been an area for me to be help people realize efficiency in their charitable giving.
I understand you went on the Men’s Mission to Israel last March. I had never been to Israel before, but knew it was a great group of people and an experience that I could not pass up. It wasn’t your typical Israel trip. We did a lot of volunteer work, such as picking produce at a farm which donates all the harvested food to Project Leket, the National Food Bank in Israel.
In Tel Aviv we met Hagal Sheli which is funded via a grant from The Jewish Agency for Israel (JAFI). They run a program to help disadvantaged teens living on the streets. The program uses surfing as a vehicle for personal growth and advancement. We spent the day with the organization and surfed with the teens and learned how the program is helping them to make a difference in their community.
We also spent an entire day in Ashkelon, our sister city. While we saw a lot, there is still so much more to see and I know it won’t take me 41 years to return.
