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Do it together yourself!
This is the theme for the Appeltjes van Oranje 2016. The Oranje Fonds awards 3 successful meeting spaces that are run by volunteers. Every year Queen Máxima, patroness of the Oranje Fonds, hands out the Appeltjes van Oranje. Organizations can register themselves till September 25th 2015 via www.oranjefonds.nl/appeltjes.
This year the Oranje Fonds is focusing its attention, with the Appeltjes van Oranje, to the meeting spaces that are under own management. Ronald van der Giessen, CEO of Oranje Fonds, states: “More often we see people taking initiative themselves and start managing a meeting space within their village or community. We are looking for initiatives that have well succeeded. It is important that not only the governance but also the management and programming of activities for the whole village or neighborhood are in the hands of the volunteers. You can think for example about people that are managing a neighborhood store, community center, playground, reading cafe or another communal facility. We are looking forward to many applications!”
The Appeltjes van Oranje is an annual award of the Oranje Fonds for initiatives that have successfully managed to connect different groups of people. The price consist of a bronze statue, made by Princes Beatrix, and a cash prize of €15.000. In May this year, Queen Máxima will be handling out the award to three winners for the 14th time. Also this year during the voting week in December, the Dutch public can vote on their favorite.
The Oranje Fonds annually supports over 7,500 social initiatives in the Netherlands and the Caribbean part of the Kingdom with money, knowledge and contacts. The past year € 27,4 million has been invested in supporting initiatives that manage for people to meet each other, feel a less sense of loneliness, understand each other and make an effort for one another. The Oranje Fonds is sponsored by the Nationale Postcode Loterij, De Lotto, as well as by friends and businesses. King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima have been the official patrons of the Oranje Fonds since its inception.