Sinterklaas quietly passes nobody’s house. And that certainly applies to the men of the 2Wheels4Wings foundation. Every year, the good saint goes out with the motorcyclists to surprise families who are struggling to make ends meet or who have had a tough time with gifts. “If you see those children laughing and gloating when you enter, that’s what you do it for,” said Sinterklaas.
Sinterklaas and Piet on a roaring trike with a dozen honking motorcyclists in the wake. It is not an everyday sight in the otherwise quiet Heerhugowaard. Sinterklaas is on the road with the men of the foundation 2Wheels4Wings. We can now speak of a tradition, because it is already the 15th time that minima families are surprised in this way.
“It is also a complete surprise for the families,” organizer Albert van Duijn tells NH News. “They are given up by relatives or friends and only know that they have to be at home. It often concerns families who do not have the money to buy presents themselves. That is terrible, and we want to do something about it. We believe that every child has the right has a nice Sinterklaas party.”
Flabbergasted
After a long day of visits, Sinterklaas and the motorcyclists end the tour at Rob Brocken’s house in Heerhugowaard. The 69-year-old Rob himself participates as a traffic controller with the motorcycle club and had to swallow when he heard that his house was on the program. “I was completely flabbergasted, but it’s great fun for the boys.”
And those boys are Thomas and Matthijs, who have had a bad time. Their mother Ingrid has passed away and Rob, who is not their father, has taken care of the children. “Rob was a friend of the family and on her deathbed Ingrid asked him to become a guardian. We think it’s very special how he fills that in,” says Van Duijn. “He deserves this.”
The children not only received presents and sweets, but were also allowed to take a ride on the motorcycle. Look at the images below: