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Haarlem/ Zandvoort | October 31, 2025

Our chairman is saying goodbye

On November 1, 2025, my chairmanship of Leergeld Haarlem/Zandvoort and the Youth Fund for Sports and Culture Haarlem will end.
I look back with pride and feel good about handing over my gavel to the new chairman, Jany van Dijk!

On December 11, 2017, I had just joined the youth fund board when we established the Leergeld foundation. Friso van Marion was the driving force behind it.
The two separate youth funds merged on December 31, 2018, and I became chair of both organizations. During the first few years, the board consisted of Bram Rietveld (secretary from the very beginning) and several members, along with me. Two coordinators were appointed to establish the two organizations.
There was no treasurer and after a long search, Han Klinkspoor performed this task well for several years.
After his departure, Arie Noomen was brought to my attention.
We hit it off well, and the long-term collaboration—he also stepped down from the board this year—was pleasant and professional. In the years that followed, there were various board members. At our lowest point, we were down to three. In addition to the chair and secretary, Angele Vulink had joined.

With the departure of both the chair and treasurer looming, we've been working hard to attract new members to our board, prioritizing two treasurers and a prospective chair. We've succeeded!
Over the past year, I've been able to train my successor, Jany van Dijk, and I'm confident she'll continue the wonderful and important work. The two treasurers, Jeroen van Willigenburg and Gijs van Dijk, are also fully involved. We once again have a full board of seven members! Fantastic!

I'd also like to thank everyone for the wonderful collaboration over the past eight years. It's impossible to name every organization and person, but an exception is the dedicated and dedicated civil servants of the Municipality of Haarlem/Zandvoort.

I wish you all, the volunteers, coordinators Jonna and Caroline, and the board, a prosperous year! I'll keep an eye on it.