The 74-year-old Jan Pilkes from De Rijp was sitting unsuspectingly at a board meeting of the Caritas foundation yesterday, when the mayor suddenly stood in front of him with a lot of consequences. Jan has been volunteering for the foundation for more than thirty years, which sends relief goods to Ukraine sends. He also supports various projects, including the Schermer Molens Foundation and the GSV football club. For all that work he received a Royal decoration.
Under the watchful eye of friends, family and colleagues, Pilkes was addressed by the mayor in the canteen of sports complex De Oosterven. “You are not a chairman who just smashes with a hammer, you are full of enthusiasm and optimism and are loving to everyone. You are a controller at heart, whose network is worth its weight in gold. Thanks to you, many transports have made their way to people who really need it,” said the mayor.
Pilkes was then appointed Member of the Order of Orange Nassau. And that came as a surprise to him. “I didn’t notice anything, suddenly they all stepped in here. When I saw the mayor, I realized that she came especially for me. I always thought that such a ribbon was not for me , but it still feels very special. It is definitely a nice appreciation.”
Kapsones
Trudy, Jan’s wife, is proud of her husband, who often spends 40 hours a week volunteering. “We have times when we only see each other at dinner,” she says with a laugh. “I’m not pathetic, I’m especially proud that Jan has been doing this with great enthusiasm for so long. I thought it was very nice to see how he reacted, as long as he doesn’t get any haircuts, haha.”
But that won’t be too bad, because Jan is modesty itself. That ribbon wasn’t really necessary for him. He would rather have received a big check for the foundation, because next week the 32nd truck full of winter clothes will leave for Odessa in Ukraine. “You can’t do much with a ribbon, the founding needs money most of all.”
Watch how Jan Pilkes was surprised below: