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Goal for Joel
A s a volunteer, a son has found a special way to honor his father and his family. Mike Schnitzer,
our donor for this issue’s profile, is a young man new to the Chapter, whose volunteerism is
having a direct impact on the Chapter’s ability to carry out its programs and services. He is a
founder of the 2009 Memory Walk Team, “Goal for Joel,” which at the time
of this writing was ranked team number five in dollars raised — remarkable
under any circumstances but particularly notable for a first time effort.
Mike is the only son and youngest child in a family of five. Growing
up in Westchester County, New York, Mike and his father, Joel, were very
close. Joel was Mike’s Cub Scout leader, baseball coach and enthusiastic
supporter of all his other school activities, and he and Mike remain close
to this day. Mike and Joel have many interests in common but they share a
particular love for baseball and for one team in particular — the New York
Mets. Mike’s father grew up a Brooklyn Dodgers fan and gravitated to
the Mets at his son’s urging. Through the years Mike and his dad attended
many games together, strengthening the bond between father and son.
Mike went to college upstate where he majored in history with a
criminal justice minor, and as with many new graduates Mike’s first job
was not in his field — he started in the mail room of an insurance company
where he worked his way up to the accounts receivable department. Not
happy where his career track was taking him, Mike returned to his first love,
computers. A math wiz like his father, Mike graduated Pace University with a Masters of Science
in Information Systems and was offered a position at Bloomberg LP, where he has worked for
the past thirteen years in various positions in the Information Technology Department. Today
Mike is a Project Manager and the liaison with Bloomberg’s Sustainability
Group, finding ways to make Bloomberg more environmentally friendly.
 In August of this year, Mike took a personal step forward in his fight to
eradicate Alzheimer’s disease by becoming involved in our Memory Walk.
His sister Lynne found out about the Chapter’s Memory Walk while doing
research on the internet, and Mike, Lynne, and Mike’s girlfriend, Kristen,
formed team “Goal for Joel.”
Mike’s dad was diagnosed three years ago with dementia and last year
with Alzheimer’s disease. Competitive by nature and comfortable with
technology — Twitter, Facebook, etc. — Mike has found raising funds
for Memory Walk his calling. When asked what he has learned from this
fundraising experience, his response was ”People have been much more
generous than I ever imagined — co-workers, relatives, friends from home,
and acquaintances. I have heard from many people that they, too, have a personal connection to
this disease and want to help.” Bloomberg LP has played an important role in Mike’s team. Both
the Chairman and President of the company have personally supported Mike and the company’s
matching gift of $5,000 was a boost to the team, helping them to raise over $15,500.
Mike particularly wants our newsletter readers to know that raising funds for Memory Walk,
though not always easy, made him proud — proud of his sister, his girlfriend, and of himself for
finding a way to thank and pay tribute to his parents. Mike’s volunteerism with the Chapter is
just starting — he is now exploring our Junior Committee and advocacy programs.
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