Stichting Dierenweide Stroomdal has received the Compliment of Drenthe 2022. The presentation of the prize took place in the provincial house in Assen. With ‘The compliment of Drenthe’, the province puts volunteers in the limelight. They get an opportunity to do something extra with a sum of 3,000 euros for an association, club, initiative or organization in Drenthe.
The five nominees for this year were De MensA Roden, Humanitas Assen, Stichting Dierenweide Stroomdal, Stichting Naobuur Vledder and Vitaal Wilhelminaoord eo. The four organizations that did not win did not go home empty-handed. They all received a check for 500 euros.
Peter Vereijken, chairman of Stichting Dierenweide Stroomdal from Beilen, was pleased with the prize. “It is a real honor to win the award,” he says. “Tonight we have a board meeting and we will decide what to do with the money. There are all kinds of plans that we want to implement, but at the top of the list is a beekeeping demonstration house.”
Nine years ago, the animal pasture was doomed. “The municipality wanted to stop,” Vereijken looks back. “Then we as a neighborhood took up the challenge and breathed new life into the animal pasture. We focused on sustainability and thus also involved young people. The youth who came to help 9 years ago is still there today. The involvement is very great. That makes our initiative special.”
In 2022, when giving the compliment, the province paid particular attention to the theme of ‘positive health’, because Drenthe – in its own words – wants to be a province where you can do what you want without impediments to your health.
Deputy Hans Kuipers – who has been a volunteer with the scouting for almost his whole life – says he is happy with all the volunteers in the province. “Drenthe lives on volunteers,” he says. “There is no vibrant Drenthe without those volunteers, we don’t think about that enough. Today we show our appreciation.”
A total of 105 initiatives competed for The Compliment of Drenthe. “I’m glad I wasn’t on the jury, otherwise I would have suffered from choice stress,” says Kuipers.