“It’s beautiful that you can help people so much in a very difficult period for them, without actually doing anything strange or extraordinary.”

Hilke has always had fun but quite challenging jobs. Until she got completely stuck and didn’t want to do anything for two years. Her therapist advised her after a while: ‘Maybe volunteering is something for you?’ That’s how she ended up behind the bar at neighborhood center De Boomsspijker. “I was skeptical about this at first, but I had no other choice. Slowly but surely, I blossomed again. This even helped me to get back into a paid job!”