Fullerton Couple Pledges To Put An Entire Kindergarten Class Through College

Instead of buying their dream sailboat, a couple from Fullerton, Ca,decided to use the money they saved up for a more worthy cause. They offered to pay the college education of an entire kindergarten class.

Marty Burbank, a 51-year-old lawyer, told PEOPLE that he and his wife Seon Chun-Burbank, have been saving up to buy the sailboat of their dreams. He said that sailing has been a part of his life. He met, proposed, and married his wife on a boat.

However, Marty said that the dream of owning a sailboat suddenly lost its appeal when he heard a pastor's sermon about sacrifice. "At that point, I really felt like buying myself a boat was a very selfish thing," he shared.

Marty added that he and his wife agreed to do something extraordinary instead of buying a boat. They decided to allocate their savings for the college tuition of an entire kindergarten class in Rio Vista Elementary School. The class is composed of 26 students.

"I've pretty much canceled the boat plans until these kids get educated and if I win the lottery, maybe I'll buy a boat," Marty stated. He added that they picked the school because they were impressed by its emphasis on higher education.

Agreeing to her husband, Seon said that college would give a lot of opportunities to the kids. "I hope to give the [students] some comfort in knowing if they want to go to college, there's a way."

Seon disclosed that sailing is really valuable to Marty and it has a lot of personal meaning to them. "Then he decided to give that up and I think we both agree this is more meaningful. We can always rent a boat," she added.

According to The Orange County Register, it was estimated that the cost to put the students through college is about $1 million. The Burbanks required the parents to keep them updated of the children's academic progress. They also asked the students to send each year a drawing or essay about what graduating from college will mean to them.