Mayor Stemerdink Presents Royal Honors to Six People During the General Ceremony

During the General Awards Ceremony (Lintjesregen) on Tuesday, April 26, at 10:30 a.m., Mayor Nadine Stemerdink presented five Royal Honors to Ms. de Graaf, Ms. Jonker, Mr. and Mrs. v.d. Valk, and Mr. Zweers. Ms. Aalten will receive her Royal Honor later that day. The presentation took place in the council chamber of the Voorschoten town hall.

Ms. de Graaf - Member of the Order of Orange-Nassau

Ms. de Graaf has been a member of the Scheveningen YMCA for 42 years. As of 2022, the YMCA is a thriving organization whose target audience now includes not only young people but also older adults. She has selflessly volunteered in youth programs and at the community restaurant, and she was the driving force behind the founding of the gospel choir, which has now been in existence for 35 years. In addition, she has held various board positions. 

Ms. de Graaf is also involved in various fundraising initiatives and serves as the webmaster for the website and editor-in-chief of the YMCA Scheveningen’s monthly digital newsletter, “De Vierboet.”

Ms. de Graaf is a very sociable and cheerful woman who is always there for everyone.

Ms. Jonker - Member of the Order of Orange-Nassau

Ms. Jonker has been a volunteer for 35 years with the “Zuid-West” branch of De Zonnebloem in Leiden. She has been actively involved in the branch in various areas, such as visiting members, organizing various activities, and planning and leading fun outings.

As the chapter’s secretary, she is proactive in seeking funding through grants and foundations for volunteer organizations. She also helps raise awareness of De Zonnebloem by submitting articles and photos to the local newspaper.

She is the driving force behind the "Southwest" department and is always willing to contribute ideas and assist with the work carried out by the Region.

In addition, Ms. Jonker has been an enthusiastic and helpful volunteer at the Hortus Botanicus Leiden since 2006. She assists the education department in instilling a love of and knowledge about plants and nature in children.

For ten years now, she has been one of the most loyal and dedicated tour guides, and she is always willing to step in when a fellow volunteer is sick or absent.

Ms. van der Valk - Member of the Order of Orange-Nassau

Ms. van der Valk has been involved with Scouting Pius XII Leidschendam since 1964 as a leader, Akela, and secretary.

In addition, Ms. van der Valk has served as secretary of the Friends of Scouting/Scouts Poland and Belarus Foundation since 1996; this foundation supports Scouting organizations. One example is the first aid training offered to the leaders of the Maurits Group from Voorschoten.

Ms. van der Valk has also served as a communications advisor for the Royal Dutch First Aid Association since 2012. When it comes to clear and concise communication through digital channels, she plays a key role in creating web-friendly content. Her greatest contribution has been her assistance in developing a series of lessons for young people called “First Aid Hero.” She selflessly shared her knowledge about elementary school-aged students so that engaging lessons could be created for grades 7 and 8 in elementary school.

After retiring, she provided extra support at De Regenboog Elementary School in Voorschoten to preschoolers who needed a little extra help in various areas.

Her warm and enthusiastic volunteer work remains in the memories of many.

Mr. van der Valk - Knight of the Order of Orange-Nassau

Mr. van der Valk has been chairman of the Friends of Scouting Pius XII Leidschendam & Scouting Konstancin-Jeziorna Foundation since 1994. It is a foundation that supports Scouting organizations. Shortly after the foundation was established, he visited the Scouts in Belarus in collaboration with Scouts from Poland. That visit was granted humanitarian status by the Polish government, an ideal status for delivering relief supplies to the Scouts.

Since then, he has visited Belarus five times, always with the goal of enabling the youth there to play the Scouting game. Thanks in part to his efforts, the Scouts there now have their own wooden building where they can hold their meetings. 

Polish Scouts have also always been able to count on his help. In this case, the assistance focused both on training a new generation of leaders and on demonstrating to local authorities the value of Scouting (teaching 21st-century skills) for young people.

Since 2017, Mr. van der Valk has been active with the Stichting Hulpverleners Magazine. This foundation was established by, among others, the Royal Dutch First Aid Association and the Dutch Association for Workplace Emergency Response, and its goal is to inform and inspire the government and the public regarding the existence, value, and necessity of volunteer emergency response.

Thanks in part to his efforts, there is now a website where thousands of first aid responders from across the Netherlands can find information about first aid and workplace emergency response. His efforts to keep the costs of that site as low as possible ensure that the magazine “Hulpverleners Magazine” remains affordable for first aid responders and workplace emergency responders.

In 2019 and 2020, van der Valk ensured that the Royal Dutch Association for First Aid in Accidents, The Hague chapter, quickly obtained a well-functioning, affordable, and informative website. He supported them by creating the website and then handing over its management to the association.

Mr. van der Valk is a man of action, deeply committed, and nothing is impossible for him.

Mr. Zweers - Member of the Order of Orange-Nassau

In the 1970s, Mr. Zweers served as an activities coordinator and board member at the Presikhaaf soccer club, as a board member of the “De Paasberg” table tennis club—where, among other things, he organized the 2008 Dutch Table Tennis Championships—as president of the “Karper-Oost” fishing club, and as a caregiver for his wife.

These activities took place in the Arnhem area, and in 2009, Mr. Zweers moved to Voorschoten. Since 2011, he has been a board member of the Voorschoten Seniors’ Association. There, he has served as the manager of the association’s building since 2016 and is a co-organizer of the weekly social afternoon. The bocce court was renovated thanks to a grant secured through the Fonds 1818. He also manages the membership records and all related tasks, and participates in meetings with the municipality of Voorschoten and other welfare associations.

Mr. Zweers is a member of the National Senior Citizens' Day committee and a volunteer at the Zonnebloem Foundation, where he helps organize eight major events for about 80 guests.

He and his wife, Thea, are also volunteering for “the vacation week”—a vacation week organized for 23 guests from the Leiden region who, due to poor health, are no longer able to go on vacation.

Mr. Zweers served as a board member at the “De Boschbloem” community center for two years. During that time, he took on many projects, including replacing and setting up the sound system, as well as replacing and reorganizing the membership administration system.

With his calm and serene demeanor, Mr. Zweers possesses the strength—or rather, the gift and wisdom—to bring people together.

Ms. Aalten - Member of the Order of Orange-Nassau

Ms. Aalten has been active for nearly 25 years in Voorschoten and Zoeterwoude as a volunteer with Terre des Hommes. The organization raised funds through various fundraising events, and Ms. Aalten always did her part. She also devoted a great deal of time to setting up the Terre des Hommes thrift store in Leiden, where she regularly volunteered.

For seven years, Ms. Aalten could be found at the school every week, in addition to her job and her own business. Among other things, she helped supervise activities, arts and crafts, and afternoons of games and sports. She also handled the “stenciling” of the school newsletter for many years.

In addition, Ms. Aalten was a member and chairwoman of Orandakai for many years, an association that brought together women from Japan, formally established to promote understanding between Japanese and other cultures. There, she helped organize various activities, including lectures on art and history. Various workshops were also held. Ms. Aalten served as the point of contact for the Japanese women on a variety of matters.

Ms. Aalten was also a member of the board of another Japanese-Dutch association called Kazaguruma. There, social issues were regularly discussed—including changes in Dutch legislation, politics, or the healthcare system that could affect daily life—and these topics were then discussed or explained by an expert.

In addition to all of this, Ms. Aalten has been a very dedicated caregiver to various family members and friends since 1991. This demonstrates her deep commitment to and willingness to help others.