Distinction for volunteer

Riet Vriens, one of the many volunteers who has dedicated herself for years to the Vincent van Gogh Etten-Leur Foundation received a Royal Decoration on March 24, 2020. Congratulations Riet! Thank you for all your commitment to Van Gogh Etten-Leur and art and culture in general!

Riet was born in Tilburg and came via Breda to Etten-Leur in 1974. ,,I did administrative work and later went to get my teaching certificate in textile work forms and the mbo diploma in social work. That's how I ended up at De Markenlanden (now Surplus). In the 1990s I joined the Kunstkring Etten-Leur, an association of people who paint themselves, amateurs. First just a member, later also on the board."

A kind of tourism work, but focused on Van Gogh

The Art Circle ceased to exist when too few young people joined. Eight members of the Kunstkring then founded 8 op Kunst, and among those eight was Riet, who still meets every week with the club in Nieuwe Nobelaer to paint together. Through painting, she also joined the Vincent van Gogh Foundation and the Van Gogh Church, a kind of tourism work, but focused on Van Gogh, she describes.

Most satisfying volunteer work offers for Surplus Welfare

Riet was a member of the Lambertus church choir for many years and also does all kinds of things for neighborhood association West and the Paulushofje, according to her list of merits. But she gets the most satisfaction from the things she does for Surplus Welfare: visiting seniors to inform them about facilities. And yes, sometimes she encounters sad situations.

,,When someone finds themselves alone after the death of their partner and has lost their buddy. I then point people, for example, to activities that are available or to help with grief counseling. In really serious situations I call in the professional coordinator, but most people are happy just to listen. It's hard to explain what you mean to people.... But volunteering is also nice to do for yourself, the encounters with people I find very important."

(Source interview: BNDeStem)