St. Mary's Schneider raises money for Autism Speaks

WEST PALM BEACH – Dr. Andrew Schneider, a member of the staff at St. Mary’s Medical Center, recently raised about $6,000 in support of Autism Speaks, a charity that supports scientific research into the diagnosis, causes, treatments and potential cures of autism disorders.

Dr. Schneider personally raised the funds through his participation in the New York City Marathon on November 1. St. Mary’s also contributed $500 to Dr. Schneider, who is the immediate past chief of the division of surgery and current chairman of the performance improvement steering council at the hospital.

This was the 11th marathon for Dr. Schneider, and ninth time running in the NYC Marathon. He completed the race in 4:36:07, having trained for about six months during the evenings.

This was the fourth consecutive year that he has participated in the NYC Marathon for a charitable cause, and he plans to continue the tradition in 2010. 

In addition to research, Autism Speaks also promotes national outreach and support services for affected children, families and adults. It has been shown that the national incidence of autism has increased, and is currently estimated at 1 in 91 children and 1 in 57 males. Along with Dr. Schneider 125 NYC Marathon participants ran for Team Autism Speaks and raised more than $450,000 for the organization.