Born in Shanghai, Irene Chu grew up in Hong Kong. She came to Canada in 1963 and stayed. Irene has been active as a volunteer in many sectors of society, including fundraising, health care, academia, finance, media and communications. She was a Canadian Citizenship Judge and a member of the Appeals Division of the Canada Immigration Appeals and Refugee Board. Irene also worked as a producer of the 20-episode television drama series “Once Upon A Time in Toronto” and was the author of a book entitled: “RARE BREED: A Chinese Jewish Quest ”. She is currently working on a new manuscript about her childhood life in Shanghai.