It started with a letter. Not just any letter.

June 23, 2022

One day while he was a student at Asbury, Neal Schultz ’03, an accounting major at the time, made his way to CPO, fished a letter out of his box and opened it. In it was a check for $500 and a note from a family friend, someone Schultz barely knew. The note read, in part, “God placed you on my heart…One day, you’ll have a chance to do something for someone else. When that opportunity comes, take it.”

Schultz, who now lives in Plymouth, Mich., with his wife Jessica and sons Jackson, 9, and Carter, 7, never forgot about that check, or the note.

“That really left an impression on me, that someone who really had no vested interest in my success as a college student would invest in me,” Schultz said.

He said he never would have been able to attend or remain at Asbury without financial help and though he might never be in a position to be a multi-million-dollar donor, he continues to make a difference in the lives of Asbury students.

“I’ve made giving a habit and grew into being able to give at higher levels,” Schultz said. “I could never give back to Asbury what it has given to me, and I would love to give that opportunity to someone else.”

Schultz, who played soccer at Asbury and currently sits on the University’s Board of Trustees, has given to a variety of projects. He is excited about helping with the funding of the new outdoor athletics venue and has also funded a variety of scholarships including one in honor of retired Asbury professor Dr. Ken Pickerill, with whom Schultz lived during high school at Lexington Christian Academy. Schultz was friends with the Pickerills’ son, Andrew ’03.

“I can’t say enough about the Pickerills,” Shultz said. “They’ve opened their home to a lot of people over the years and I wanted to honor them and the commitment the Lord has placed on their hearts.”

Schultz said he has a passion for encouraging alums to give back and he feels obligated to “pay it forward.”

“I wouldn’t have been able to get through Asbury without help,” he said. “Giving is a chance to help someone else.”