Inspiration
Everyone has a talent and passion with which you can make an impact. Impact on the world, someone else and yourself! Helping makes you happy is not without reason our motto ;-).
Magazine '013 IN ACTION'
To show how much we appreciate all volunteers, a beautiful magazine has been created. Here you will find inspiring examples of volunteers in action. Feel free to browse through it: 013 IN ACTION .
More stories
Discover the volunteer work and do-good stories of our VrijwilligersTilburg volunteer community below.
Would you also like to share your experience?
Please do not hesitate to contact us; We would love to create a beautiful story together with you!
CV de Raawdaawers
Carnival wouldn't be the same without our fantastic volunteers. Dennis shares his adventures and efforts in the run-up to carnival 💚🧡.
Read the storyCornelissen family
Two full-time jobs, two kids who both play sports and also do volunteer work. The busy schedule of the Cornelissen family does not stop them from wanting to do something for charity. For the family, New Year's Eve is all about volunteer work every year. “We may be doing well, but that is not something to take for granted.”
Read the storyAntonietta
Many families live in the Vlashof neighborhood (Tilburg-Noord) who find it difficult to make ends meet, especially in these expensive times. There is a lot of unemployment, (social) poverty and loneliness in the neighborhood. Local resident Antonietta Gallo cared about the fate of these families and wanted to help them by collecting second-hand (children's) clothing. What started six years ago in her own living room grew into the Tira Mi Su collection point in a former garage at the Sibelius flat in Vlashof. Antonietta: “Tilburgers can donate their surplus clothing here. Together with my team, we ensure that this clothing reaches the people who need it most.”
Read the storyChief
Twelve trades, thirteen accidents. This is how you can describe the career of Sjef Philipsen. Due to illness or bad luck, he often had to stop working. Yet he is a go-getter and cannot sit still. In recent years he has been a volunteer at the Het Spoor community center as a host/manager and activity supervisor.
Read the storyMiriam
Are you firmly in your shoes? Then come and work at the Verbeeten Institute. That was the message in a magazine for a voluntary hostess at the Verbeeten Institute. Mirjam Kerkhofs thought 'yes, that's me', applied and has been working as a hostess at the institute every Wednesday morning for 19 years now. Mirjam: “Every week you see people who are dealing with cancer. Both patients and loved ones. I don't just serve coffee or tea, but support them with personal conversations or a bit of attention. I see myself as a link between the patient who disappears behind the door of the treatment room and the loved one who stays behind in the waiting room, and I get gratitude and satisfaction in return.”
Read the storyJan
Every summer Friday evening, a ribbon of skaters travels through Tilburg and the surrounding area. It is the athletes of FEEST (Friday Early Evening Skate Tilburg) who have been moving freely and carefree through the city on skates, roller skates or roller skates since 1999 (!) Chairman Jan Moerlands (70) has been a volunteer of the FEEST foundation since 2017 “It is always a pleasure to see how the participants enjoy our routes. Both in the sporting and social field. The positive reactions give me great satisfaction.”
Read the storyLily
Once a week, volunteer Lily visits a 75-year-old widow to chat, have a cup of coffee or take a walk. Lily has a heart for older people. With her visit she wants to ease the loneliness of the lady a little. Lily: “She still lives alone at home, every week I bring a piece of sunlight into her life.”
Read the storyHellen
Volunteer Hellen Marsera (58) has been working in thrift store De Schatkist in the Groenewoud district for almost twelve years. Here she not only takes care of sorting, washing, ironing and selling the second-hand clothing, but residents can also share joys and sorrows with her. This often results in treasures of stories. Hellen: “People can talk to me, I offer a listening ear. But I also enjoy the happy stories. We sometimes laugh a little. An additional advantage is that I forget my own worries for a while.” Hellen provides proof that you don't just volunteer for the other person, but also a little for yourself.
Read the storyLauren
About six years ago, 40-year-old Laurens van Krugten walked on the Wagnerplein in Tilburg North. There he saw a number of people in striking orange jackets at a stand. Those coats aroused his curiosity: what are those people doing? Laurens approached them and talked to them. This is how he first came into contact with volunteers from Neighborhood Prevention Stokhasselt.
Read the storyRinske
Studying, doing an internship, finding a job: that path is not self-evident for everyone. Sometimes things don't turn out the way you expected and you have a lot of bumps to take before you find your footing in life. How wonderful it is to see that volunteering can contribute to this.
Read the storyFerdian
“The best feeling in the world is the feeling that you matter to someone else.”
Read the storyMarieke
Suppose you are a cellist, you are always busy giving concerts and with your own teaching practice and then all of a sudden almost all of that falls away. It happened to Marieke Langkamp during the first corona wave. From a busy life with many contacts, to having almost nothing to do. As she herself says, her goal was suddenly gone and she found herself. An acquaintance of Marieke asked if volunteering at Tante Pollewop was not for her. Tante Pollewop is a shop for second-hand clothes, shoes and accessories in Tilburg. The store is run by a group of about 45 volunteers under the direction of Evelyne Klerx and all proceeds go to education projects in Kenya.
Read the storySimone
Simone Pardoel is 24 years old and comes from Benschop, a village near Utrecht, but since 2020 she has been living in Tilburg. Simone is a lecturer at Tilburg University in various skills subjects: academic writing, ethics, group skills and conversation skills.
Read the storyria
Ria Sonnenberg has been active as a volunteer for many years. She is 73 years old and has no intention of stopping. Ria is fully committed to vulnerable people in Tilburg and to people worldwide as a member of Amnesty International Tilburg. This organization stands up for human rights worldwide in the broadest sense of the word by conducting all kinds of actions and campaigns and providing information worldwide and locally.
Read the story