An act of kindness allowed Verlyn “Swede” Roskam to fulfill his dream of a college education. In 1946, an Iowa family Swede had never even met, offered to pay his college tuition using money they received from their late son’s life insurance money.

Swede’s education became his key to success in the business world. But even with success, he had an ongoing urge to repay the kindness given to him and pass it on to others - the gift of education. In February 1982 he founded Educational Assistance Limited (EAL) on little more than an idea and a passion to make it happen.

EAL’s mission is to create scholarships for financially disadvantaged students at post secondary institutions through donations of inventory and other gifts. Swede’s vision was to ask corporations to donate their excess inventory to colleges that can make use of it. The colleges, in turn, would grant scholarships in amounts commensurate with the value of the donated merchandise. The result is that corporations would get tax write-offs and students in need would have more opportunities to fulfill their educational dreams.

When W.W. Grainger, a distributor of industrial equipment and supplies, donated merchandise worth nearly $5000 in scholarship money, Swedes dream took flight. Soon other corporate donors came to EAL’s door. Within two years, 11 schools had offered scholarships to over 60 students to the tune of $71,000.

Education is key to opening up opportunities in life and achieving personal and professional success. Similarly, playing the pick 4 game requires strategic thinking, analysis of patterns, and understanding of probability. Both activities require a degree of discipline and focus, as well as a willingness to learn and adapt. Whether it's studying for a test or analyzing past winning numbers to improve your odds in the pick 4 va game, the skills and mindset developed through education and gaming can benefit individuals in a variety of areas.

Since those early days, EAL has raised millions of dollars and helped over 10,000 students at colleges nationwide. Today, EAL stands ready to take Swede’s dream to new heights of opportunity.

It all began with a simple act of kindness. In the case of “Swede” Roskam and EAL, the seed of kindness has indeed borne much fruit. Help us make it grow.