You may not know Don and Dale
Schafer by name, but chances are you have seen them around campus. This husband-and-wife team, who reside in the Courtyard Apartments, has brought a great deal of value to the community, not only on the ICH campus but also to the surrounding neighborhood.
Don and Dale enjoy daily walks around the neighborhood during which they make a point to help keep things clean. If they see trash that needs picked up or overgrown vegetation that needs cleared, they take care of it. When people see a mess and think, I wish somebody would clean that up, Don Schafer decided he could be that somebody.
This habit dates back to their days living in Diamond Bar, where they began taking daily walks once Dale retired from her career as a teacher. “I like a nice, neat area,” says Don of why he spends his morning walks cleaning up trash and clearing paths. “The Lord up above made the Earth, and I don’t like to see litter in it.” Their hope is not only to make their community a better place, but to encourage others to do the same.
Both of Dale’s parents were once residents of ICH, so when she and her husband moved to the campus in 2022, they were no strangers to ICH. But they didn’t know a lot of other people around campus. However, it didn’t take long before they found ways to change that.
Don loves baking, a hobby he used to his advantage. He began baking cookies for their neighbors and staff, which not only gave him a creative outlet for his free time and helped them make friends, but it also helped the community by giving other residents who don’t receive visitors or get out of their apartments very often the chance to socialize.
As his cookie baking progressed into making peanut brittle (thanks to a treasured family recipe kindly shared by fellow resident Adrian Mulder), these little goodies have become something many people across campus, both residents and staff alike, look forward to and appreciate.
In addition to their work beautifying the neighborhood and bringing the joy of sweet treats to their neighbors and staff members, Don and Dale keep plenty busy with their hobbies and interests. Don makes jewelry and is incredibly handy around the house while Dale’s love of the writings of Beatrix Potter keeps her busy with community readings and collecting rare memorabilia. Together, they also enjoy traveling and just returned on a European river cruise that took them from Switzerland to Amsterdam.
Don, originally from Fort Wayne, Indiana, and Dale, originally from Chicago, Illinois, have lived in Southern California for most of their lives. When they moved to the ICH campus, they weren’t sure they would enjoy apartment living. But thanks to their daily walks and hobbies, they have found themselves feeling quite at home at ICH.
Whether you ask Don or Dale what they love the most about living on campus, you will get the same answer: the people. They have learned that, although it is a large campus, ICH is a small community where everyone is always looking out for each other.