Blugold Giving Week
May 11 - 17
Blugold Giving Week 2026 has ended, but you can still make an impact! Support the next generation of Blugolds.
That's a wrap on Blugold Giving Week 2026
Thanks to the incredible generosity of the Blugold community, we surpassed our $60,000 goal, with more than 170 alumni and friends coming together to support scholarships for future Blugolds.
A special thank you to JoAnne Brandes ’75 and Gary Withers ’79 and Lori Withers for providing a matching challenge that helped make this success possible.
About Blugold Giving Week
As we celebrate this year's newest UW-Eau Claire graduates, we're investing in the next generation of Blugolds. Blugold Giving Week focuses on support for the Dollars for Blugold Scholars Fund, providing critical scholarships at the moment affordability matters most. Your gift helps remove financial barriers so incoming students can take their first steps to begin their own Blugold journey.
Your Impact
Hear from students who are impacted by scholarship donations. Your gift to the Dollars for Blugold Scholars Fund helps others like them.
Our Matching Donors
JoAnne Brandes '75
JoAnne Brandes '75 is providing a $20,000 match in honor of her brother, Dr. James Brandes '81, celebrating his UW-Eau Claire Alumni Distinguished Achievement Award.
Dr. Brandes has built a distinguished career spanning both medicine and higher education, first as a world-renowned nephrologist and CEO of Midwest Nephrology Associates in Milwaukee, then as Program Director of Physician Assistant Studies at Carroll University. A prolific speaker and published expert in his field, he is also part of a proud Blugold family: his wife Deborah '81 and two of his four children, John '12 and Elizabeth '16, are fellow UW-Eau Claire alumni.
Gary Withers '79 and Lori Withers
A generous $10,000 dollar-for-dollar match for the Dollars for Blugold Scholars Fund is provided by Gary and Lori, whose dedication to UW-Eau Claire has made them steadfast champions of our students and university.
Gary and Lori have stepped up as matching donors across many of our campaigns, using their generosity to inspire others to invest in the future of UWEC. Their continued commitment reflects their belief in the power of a Blugold education.
Gary built a 40+ year career in the lighting industry with Eiko Global LLC. It began as a family business in 1978 in their home and expanded to a global business with locations in the USA, Canada, Europe, and Asia.