Katja is looking for colleagues
Katja, a volunteer with green fingers and a heart for people
On one of the hottest days of this summer, Oosterhoutvoorelkaar (OVE) spoke to Katja van Etten, an energetic, enthusiastic young woman who has already fixed up many of people's gardens. Even the warm weather has not stopped her from working as a gardening volunteer in recent weeks.
Katja laughs: "How do I keep it up? Haha…., so many people have already asked me that! Just do it and take into account the circumstances. I am still young, sporty and fit and I like to be outside. I try as much as possible in I like to work in the shade and when I work in the sun I regularly go indoors to relax and cool down. The people I work for are almost all very caring and we regularly have nice conversations".
In the spring of 2018, Katja lost her job. She held a managerial position in the public services department of a library organization in the Moerdijk and Roosendaal area. That took some getting used to. From a busy job with a lot of responsibility to a benefit. But Katja wouldn't be Katja if she hadn't started looking for another meaningful use of her time. "I had looked at Oosterhoutvoorelkaar's site before and what I saw there appealed to me. My job didn't allow me to go into it at the time, but now I had opportunities. I wanted I really want to give something back for the benefits I get." She created a profile on Oosterhoutvoorelkaar's website and indicated that she would like to make herself useful in the field of garden maintenance.
That did not fall on deaf ears, because OVE receives many questions about garden maintenance, while the number of volunteer gardeners is limited. Katja soon became a welcome guest in the OVE store in the Arendshof, but also with the people who could enjoy looking at their garden again thanks to her efforts. The team was very happy with the expansion of the small group of volunteers that help with garden maintenance. Katja: "It may sound strange, but my world has really grown because of my gardening jobs. I come into contact with other people, see how other people's lives play out and experience it as very valuable. In this way I can, even in a lesser phase of my working life, doing myself a favor by helping others". During her gardening jobs, Katja is sometimes confronted with living situations that she is not used to. Where she is, there is often deferred maintenance. That means that you have to work hard, but the advantage is that you also achieve results quickly. "If you can manage that someone in a wheelchair can sit outside again, it feels good. I always first check the situation and indicate honestly whether I like it or not".
Because Katja is open to it and has the social skills, she gets to hear many personal stories. Sometimes she is confronted with complicated situations. People are embarrassed to call for help, so the problems just keep piling up. "But you have to convince volunteers that they can also close themselves off to that! I like to talk to people, but if someone just wants to do a job in the garden, that's also possible. As a volunteer you decide really decide for yourself what you do and don't want to do. And by only being involved with that garden job, you can also make people very happy. It is really very rewarding to do."
In recent years, the government's vision has increasingly focused on people's self-management and independent living in their own environment for as long as possible. The elderly also often continue to live longer where they have lived for years, often in a house with a garden. Their network is shrinking because they are less mobile, have lost a partner, family and acquaintances, and their environment is getting smaller and smaller. The maintenance of the garden becomes difficult, because the physical forces decrease and this leads to overdue maintenance. Oosterhoutvoorelkaar recruits volunteers who can and are willing to spend a part of the day refurbishing or maintaining the garden of one of these people. Katja and some of her volunteer colleagues man the OVE garden brigade, but the garden brigade urgently needs more volunteer gardeners.
In any case, Katja thinks it is a very rewarding job. "What could be better than having one of your garden customers give you a homemade bread to thank you! And especially when you know that it took a lot of effort to bake that bread. That's very special, isn't it?". Oosterhout for each other will miss Katja sorely if she finds the nice job she deserves.
Do you feel inspired by this story and do you also want to spend a few hours every now and then on a rewarding garden job? Then please contact the Oosterhoutvoorelkaar team. Our volunteer shop is located in Arendshof at number 83 and we are open on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. On Wednesdays and Fridays from 09:00 to 12:00. The coffee is ready!
But you can also call 0162-471115 or email info@oosterhoutvoorelkaar.nl .
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Shopping in Amsterdam!
Shopping in Amsterdam! Shopping in Amsterdam! Car Mates in conversation We call her Mrs. Jansen, because she does not want her name in the newspaper. She has great difficulty with the fact that she has lost some of her independence due to her illness, but others don't need to know that. This morning Mrs. Jansen, together with Theo Vredeling and Margreet O'Connor, visited Oosterhoutvoorelkaar to talk about their experience with AutoMaatje. An animated conversation quickly ensues. Theo has now ridden 3 rides for Mrs. Jansen. Her daughter lives at a distance and Theo allowed her to visit her on her birthday. She is grateful to Theo for doing this for her, but she also modestly wonders if she is not a burden to him. Theo vehemently denies this. "I actually love taking a longer ride! Then you get to know someone a little better, because you have longer contact with each other and nice conversations arise. It is just as good for me, as it is for the person I drive. a trip". Theo likes to photograph and sees the ride as an opportunity to photograph in a different place. "I now come to places that are nice enough to go back at another time". Margreet was recently supposed to go to Amsterdam with Mrs. Jansen, but unfortunately that could not take place. Now that she gets to know Mrs. Jansen personally, the monkey soon comes out of the sleeve. Mrs. Jansen canceled the ride because she felt guilty towards Margreet. She really wants to go to the Bijenkorf in Amsterdam one more time. She used to buy her clothes there and it is her great wish to be able to do this again, but she needs someone to guide her during the shopping and she does not want to do this to Margreet. "What a pity that people feel guilty about this. I would love to take this trip with Mrs. is very nice and when I see that I make her happy by making a long-cherished wish possible, that's nice." As far as Margreet is concerned, AutoMaatje may become even more famous in Oosterhout. She notices from the responses she receives that more and more people are aware of the possibility, but are sometimes hesitant to step over the threshold. "No need! We are all volunteers and do this precisely because we enjoy it ourselves. Recently I brought an elderly lady to her sister, whom she had not seen for 4 years. During the visit I had a nice time shopping and I walked a bit, so it was certainly not a punishment", Margreet laughs. "When I went to pick up Mrs., I actually thought it went too fast." Theo adds: "By the way, that is a point that I sometimes find difficult. Something arises with your customer on a longer journey and as a result you are sometimes asked to stay with family, for example. It's great that you notice that you are welcome, but I myself would like to keep some distance to protect the privacy of my customer. When Mrs. Jansen asked me to go in with her daughter's birthday, I did. Her daughter also found it no problem , but I only stayed a short time. It was too private for me." The rides for AutoMaatje are of course not always pleasure rides. Often it also concerns practical things, such as taking someone to the hospital for a visit to the outpatient clinic, or for running an errand. Or like the other day, when someone had to go to a funeral. "I had to cancel because the window of my car was broken," says Theo. "And I found that difficult! Because you don't want to disappoint people in sad circumstances, but luckily there is always a colleague driver willing to drive the ride after all". For Mrs. Jansen it is very important that she is ridden by a familiar face. "I think that's the big advantage of AutoMaatje. Even when I call a taxi, they are extremely correct, but it feels a lot less familiar to me". Share these stories and inspire others to help too! Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Whatsapp Forward
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