An amazing story garnering national media attention (including from the likes of ABC News) has been developing at Dwight Township High School throughout the past week, although in actuality, it has been developing for over three years.

On March 4, 2013, Wayne Herter was in Dwight in the midst of trying to walk from Chicago to Springfield to visit his dying father. Caught in a swirling blizzard, he was aided by Dwight Township student-athletes Luke Arnold (top right) and Ryan Kodat (bottom right) that fateful afternoon

Herter, who was homeless at the time, experienced an amazing reversal of fortune and never forgot the kindness he received from the two students. He mailed the school a $10,000 check last week, which will be used for a scholarship fund for students who "pay it forward."

Read the full details of the amazing story from the Bloomington Pantagraph below:


An unexpected letter recently came across the desk of Dwight Township High School Principal Dan Kaiser.

He unfolded the handwritten note to find a $10,000 check made out to the school.

"I thought, ‘This has to be a joke,’” said Kaiser.

It was no prank. The donation came from Wade Herter of Los Angeles as a token of appreciation for two boys in Dwight who left an impression on him three years ago.

In 2013, Herter was homeless and living in Chicago. He slept in portable restrooms and on bus stop benches.

“I lost all of my money taking care of my dad’s medical bills,” Herter said.

He began the trek, mostly on foot, from Chicago to visit his dying father, Warren, at a nursing home in Springfield.

On Herter's birthday, March 5, 2013, he was walking through Dwight after a heavy snowstorm.

Click here to finish the story on the Pantagraph website