“It should be 20,000 euros,” thought Robert Jongsma and Rik Bakker before they started their trip on the Austrian Weissensee. And the men have achieved their target amount. “We can make a little difference by working well together.”
The money will be divided between two charities: Stichting Hartekind, which is committed to children born with heart defects and their parents, and Villa Joep, a foundation that deals with children suffering from the rare disease Neuroblastoma (childhood cancer).
Both men developed the idea at Ronde Tafel 36 in Assen, an association where men between the ages of 18 and 40 come together. And these charities are close to the skaters’ hearts, because Robert’s son, 11-year-old Thom, was born with a heart defect. And the three-year-old daughter of former ‘Tafelaar’ Johan de Groot was struck by neuroblastoma last year.
In addition to the performances on the ice, money was also raised through the sale of champagne. The men see their achievement as inspiration for future actions. “By joining forces and involvement, we can have an impact on the lives of others in many ways.”