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| Student reaches goals with donors' generous help Jeffrey Ehrhard (pictured below right examining an injured high school athlete under the supervision of Dr. John Drawbert) is a second-year graduate student in UW-Eau Claire’s master of education — professional development program and a graduate assistant athletic trainer at Eau Claire North High School. He received his bachelor's degree in kinesiology from UW-Eau Claire in 2001. A portion of Jeffrey's athletic trainer stipend is paid by the UW-Eau Claire Foundation through gifts from John and Helen Drawbert, Altoona.
How donors’ generosity has made a difference in my life: Through the generous gifts to the Foundation by John and Helen Drawbert, I have been able to pursue my master’s degree, which I probably would not have been able to do otherwise due to lack of financial resources. A master’s degree in athletic training is almost mandatory to get a good job. For me to pursue a career working at a university I will need to have a master’s degree, so it was not a hard decision to make to go back to school. I will also be the first person in my family to receive a master’s degree, so that is very special for both me and my family. My postgraduation goals: After graduation I would love to get a job as a clinical athletic trainer. This would allow me to assist an orthopedic doctor in the morning and then go see high school students in the afternoon. My second career choice would be to work at a university as an athletic trainer. I was motivated to pursue a career as an athletic trainer because of my background in participating in athletics and my love of watching athletics. I was a three-year letter winner in cross-country and four-year letter winner in track during my high school career. I suffered some injuries during those seasons, and that is what really got me thinking about athletic training. I love to participate and watch athletics, so athletic training seemed to be the perfect profession for me — and it is. What I’d like to tell
my benefactors: Because of the contributions I have received
from the Foundation, I am able to work at North High School as the
graduate assistant athletic trainer. Working at North gives me great
pride because it is where I went to high school, and it is a way
for me to give something in return for the wonderful education I
received there. There is a real need for athletic trainers in high
schools. I can help to return an athlete to play in a safe and timely
manner and leave the coach to do the coaching. High school and college
athletics are a great tool in the education process, and I feel
blessed that I can help these athletes get the most out of their
athletics experience. There is no way that I could work with these
athletes at North without the support of those who give to
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