Eric Schaer

Charity and helping others are important to Eric Schaer. As a teenager, he relied on assistance from grants, scholarships and loans in order to go to college. He graduated with honors, while working full time at the university bookstore. He spent his time out of classes shelving books and helping other students find the books they needed for their classes. After graduation, Eric Schaer decided the most important thing for him to do would be to give back to others. He knew he could never repay the people who helped him attend college, but he thought he could 'pay it forward,' help others attend school and make their lives better through education. After the 2010-2011 school year ended, Eric Schaer got right to work. He knew he wanted to help plan a school supplies drive and recruited local companies to help. A local grocery store chain gave him permission to put a school supply drop box in their stores and he recruited media outlets like radio and television stations to get the word out. The drive was an overwhelming success. Eric Schaer's efforts paid off and he gathered enough school supplies to fill 200 backpacks for area children. The week before school started, Eric Schaer held a community event where children could fill each backpack with crayons, markers, folders, pencils, and more. The look on each child's face gave Eric Schaer all the thanks he needed and he's already planning on how he can make next year's even bigger and better.