We come across various good and bad people in our life. Some teach us lessons for life while some change it for the better. One such angel, who is making people’s lives better with his hard-earned savings years after his death is a carpenter, Dale Schroeder.
Born in 1919, he worked as a carpenter for 67 years in Des Moines. He lived an extremely simple life with only two pairs of jeans, one for work and other for the church. He did not get married and so has no living descendants.
He once walked to his lawyer friend Steve Nielsen’s office and said that he wants to start a scholarship for students. He said that he had never had a chance to fulfill his dreams of getting highly educated due to the financial crisis and so wished to sponsor the education of underprivileged students so that they can get an education.
This man sent 33 strangers to college using his life savings from working at the same job as a carpenter for 67 years https://t.co/BqCgEEEH9U pic.twitter.com/tjF4zfNQGV
— CNN (@CNN) July 21, 2019
“Schroeder was that kind of a blue-collar, lunch pail kind of a guy. Went to work every day, worked really hard, was frugal like a lot of Iowans,” Nielsen told CNN.
He died in 2005 and the saving of almost Rs 20 crores that he had amassed all his life was doled out to 3reports CNN.
“Dale’s Kids” who had received the scholarship met for dinner recently to catch up on each other’s lives and to honor the man who made their dreams possible. They were seated around Schroeder’s lunch pail and shared updates on their lives. Many of them are now doctors, teachers and therapists.
Conard is the last person to have received his scholarship. She wished to become a therapist.
“For a man that would never meet me to give me basically a full ride to college, that’s incredible. That doesn’t happen,” she said.
Though Schroeder has left us legacy continues to shine in the form of “Dale’s Kids’ who are making their mark in the world. “All we ask is that you pay it forward,” Nielsen said. “You can remember him, and you can emulate him,” he added.
What a selfless act of kindness it is! People like Schroeder restore our faith in humanity. Our world certainly needs more people like Schroeder!