Folds of Honor offers scholarships to families of fallen or disabled military and first responders

Joining the military wasn't the initial path for Stephen Schroeder.

"I started off as a Lutheran minister originally, and I decided at some point I want to try something different, ended up liking it and made a career for 20 years out of it. I served in the U.S. Army as a both military intelligence and as a Blackhawk pilot," said Schroeder.

But in 2017, his service and his world were upended during a training mission.

READ: Bay Area veteran remembers those killed in Blackhawk helicopter crash that severely injured him

Stephen Schroeder served in the U.S. Army.

Stephen Schroeder served in the U.S. Army for about 20 years.

"Our helicopter ended up crashing and rolling over, started on fire. And then the next thing I know, I'm outside the aircraft. And at that point, I realized I couldn't feel my legs. It was just a miracle that my entire crew survived that day," recalled Schroeder.

He now uses a wheelchair. At the time of the accident he had concerns beyond his own health.

"Well, at that point, I was the one that was working. And so I didn't know really at that point what was going to go on after this. I could no longer do my job. I no longer had a job to do. And so, therefore, the livelihood that we were facing was a lot more uncertain at that time," shared Schroeder.

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"Everything turned upside down and just yeah, it was a tough time," said Schroeder's wife, Sarah.

The non-profit Folds of Honor was able to take one worry off the family's plate.

The organization provides educational scholarships to the children of wounded and fallen service members as well as first responders.

"Every day that's a blessing right. That's all I want to do is help change these lives with these scholarships. To me the most important thing we can give back to these families after their sacrifice for us is education. It's the most important thing that we can give anybody," said Larry Robinson, the Vice-President of Development with Folds of Honor.

After being injured while in the military, Stephen Schroeder received help from Folds of Honor.

After being injured while in the military, Stephen Schroeder received help for his family from Folds of Honor.

And the Schroders could not be more grateful.

"By helping us pay their tuition, that takes a burden off of our family finances. It's just the peace of mind that we can still make this work and that we're able to give our kids the best education that we can," explained Sarah.

"It's just basically a port in the storm. When this happened to Sarah and I, we were left reeling as far as where does our life go from here and what resources. The generosity of Folds of Honor and charities like that, foundations like that is such a huge benefit to service members and their families," shared Stephen.

For more information about Folds of Honor click here.