Man from Iowa, who works as a carpenter, sent 33 Strangers to College.

With a $3 Million Savings, Carpenter sent 33 Strangers to College

Having owned two pairs of jeans and a rusty Chevrolet truck, a man from Iowa was able to send 33 strangers to college following his passing in 2005. Dale Schroeder worked as a carpenter for 67 years. After accumulating $3 million in savings, he set up a fund for students in Iowa who did not have enough money for tuition. 

Schroeder grew up poor and was not able to go to college.

Growing up poor, Schroeder was not able to go to college. He was not married and had no children. Before he passed away in 2005, he approached his friend and lawyer, Steve Nielsen, to discuss what to do with his life savings.

Schroeder wanted to help kids that were like him that wouldn’t have an opportunity to go to college.

According to Nielsen, Schroeder wanted to help kids that were like him that wouldn’t have an opportunity to go to college. When he learned how much savings Dale had, he nearly fell out of his chair.

One caveat of accepting the scholarship is to pay it forward.

The majority of the money went to Dale's scholarship fund. The 33 beneficiaries, who refer to themselves as "Dale's Kids," have promised to pay it forward — which was the one caveat of accepting the scholarship.

“The love, kindnesses, and value we have given authentically to others will be our remaining treasures at the end of life.”

-    Steve Brunkhorst