Evening of Hope- Mardi Gras supporting Crohn's & Colitis Foundation - Philadelphia Delaware Valley Chapter
Michael Trager
The Founder’s Award is given to an incredible individual who has made a dynamic impact on the work of the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation as we work toward finding cures and providing hope and support to those living with Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.
Michael Trager
The Founder’s Award is given to an incredible individual who has made a dynamic impact on the work of the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation as we work toward finding cures and providing hope and support to those living with Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.
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Michael Trager has been a Crohn’s patient since he was 17 years old. After two surgeries in two years he was directed to Dr. Henry Bockus, one of the fathers of gastroenterology, who helped bring the disease under control with diet and medication. He has lived with the disease for over 50 years and feels fortunate that the worst he gets is the occasional flare up. Even more fortunate is the fact that his children have not inherited the disease.
When first diagnosed with Crohn’s, Michael went to a few meetings of the fore runner of the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation, where he found that he was not alone in struggling with the disease. As life got in the way he ceased attending the meetings. Michael met Lawrence Finkelstein through business networking. Larry was on the Board of the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation (previously Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America) and suggested he become involved with the Foundation. Michael began as a Board Member, served as Treasurer of the Board, and went on to be President of the Board. Michael serves on the Nominating and Volunteer Committee which recruits new Board members and Foundation volunteers, has sponsored a team at Take Steps every year since joining the Board, and attended the Evening of Hope each year. Through his business and personal connections Mike has brought attention to the public about the work of the Foundation and garnered financial support for the mission.
Michael received a Degree in Accounting and Financial Management from Sheffield University in Sheffield, England and a Masters of Taxation degree from Villanova University. He is a Certified Public Accountant and has worked in public accounting his entire adult life mostly serving small and mid-sized businesses as well as providing services to the lending community. He has been a partner at BDO, RSM and now at Brinker Simpson and Company LLC. “The best part of working in public accounting is the ability to act as a business advisor to my clients.” Many clients have been working with Michael for over 35 years, some as far back as when he started in the field.
Michael’s wife, Sarah Loughran, has been highly supportive in both his work efforts and his charitable efforts, without which this award would not have been possible. Sarah has served on the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation’s Evening of Hope Auction Committee.
Michael’s son, John, 49, is a software engineer in Long Beach California and proudly worked as a rocket scientist on NASA projects.
Michael’s daughter, Sarah Ridge, 46, has a PhD in Biomechanics and teaches at the University of Hartford. She is mother to his two grandchildren, Benjamin and Joshua.
Michael’s stepdaughter, Klea Armstrong, 43, is a micro influencer in the golf industry and shares his passion for golf. Together they have competed in the Father Daughter Golf Tournament held annually in Waterville, Ireland.