In April 2012, I was comtemplating setting up a non-profit for a website called payoffthemortgage.org. I wanted to help provide assistance to home owners that are in a distressed situations, poor and underprivledged (middle class). As I was explaining to my wife, Laura, that I wanted to help support the American dream of home ownership, she said, "What about the American dream of a college education?". I was taken aback for a moment, wives tend to do that to their husbands though. She had a point though. When we graduated from college(we both attended Washington State University-Go Cougs!), we had over $50,000 in student loans. It took us something like 6-7 yrs to pay off the loan, many of the student loans our parents obtained but we were responsible for paying. Don't get me wrong we took on those loans and made things work. We definitely did not live high on the hog at all for years after college. Graduating college was the realization of the American dream for my wife and myself. What if life could have been different? How would a having helping hand in paying off those student loans made life different? I don't have those answers but I know it would have been appreciated. College tuition has risen so much over the years though. The burden on graduates and their families are rising all the time. Now that I have grown up a bit and have kids going to school. I know that I want my kids teacher to be concentrating on teaching and not on her finances. A teacher, police officer, city engineer, grad-school doctor worrying about their student loans and how they are going to feed themselves are not the burdens we want these young adults starting out. Building America's Foundation will use donations made toward student loan recipients to pay directly to the financial institutions holding those student loans in an effort to pay the loans down or completely in many circumstances. Together, we can create a new path for college students. We can give these young adults and their families real tangible relief. Americans do have two dreams: College education and Home Ownership. Let's make the dreams achievable again, Todd Schuerman Founder and CEO Building America's Foundation