"If I have been able to make someone's day pleasant, then I am a happy person. Family, friends, fellow villagers, or the people at Zorgtuinderij PLUK. Celebrating life together with genuine attention for each other: that's what gets me out of bed every day with great pleasure.
I grew up in a warm family with my parents and three sisters. My youngest sister has an intellectual disability, and that taught me from a young age how valuable it is to be able to care for someone else. I saw how my sister blossomed when she connected with her caregivers. Or how happy she was when she had a nice day at the day care. I wanted to be able to do that for someone too!
This led me to choose the Social Work program. In the third year of the program, I got the opportunity to switch from a BOL to a BBL program: working four days and going to school one day. I started working at an activity center in disability care and completed my education early. After that, I started working full-time for my employer and had the chance to experience the start-up of a new location. Here, I was able to use my hospitality experience and was able to set up, do, and achieve a lot together with the clients. Until the coronavirus crisis broke out in 2020. All day care centers closed, and it was very impactful for all caregivers and their clients. I couldn't see my youngest sister for three months, and that was heartbreaking.
"A great opportunity came my way and I decided to change course"
The corona period and the rapid changes in healthcare made me think. The workload keeps increasing, and there is less and less time for personal contact: exactly what makes working in healthcare so beautiful. I was ready for change, a great opportunity came my way, and I decided to turn things around. In 2021, together with a colleague, I started PLUK Zorgtuinderij in Beringe: a small-scale day care for people with mild to moderate intellectual disabilities. We call our clients 'participants' because they, along with our volunteers, participate in running the farm. We do it together, as one team. Together we grow vegetables, fruits, and flowers. We make wooden products in our workshop, and we have a terrace where guests can order a cup of coffee with a treat. We collaborate with organizations and associations in the area, and every day I enjoy all the beautiful things we achieve together. Small-scale, warm, and personal.
"I think it's important that villagers know how to find each other and are proud of their village"
When I'm not working at PLUK, you can find me in Belfeld. Preferably outside, together with my dog Ties. I have lived in Belfeld all my life and feel a strong connection to the village. Since 2022, I have been involved with the Stichting Evenemente veur Belvend: a group of villagers who organize events to bring Belfeld residents together. We started by putting King's Day back on the map and then launched the Belfeld Summer Drink, Winter BBQ, and Proud of Belfeld days. For each event, I take care of the decoration, where possible in collaboration with PLUK.
Belfeld is my home, and I find it important that fellow villagers know how to find each other and are proud of their village. Our events are well received, well attended, and residents feel more connected to each other. I really love to see that!”
