Page 23 - WBG June 2023

The therapy of Micky’s Foundation is provided for free.
We want to include all families ... especially the ones
who are financially at risk. All our work is being financed
by donations and subsidies. The responsibility to take
care of the most vulnerable children of Aruba is in this
way laid down with the Aruban community, who has WAD CARES
been the main provider of donations in the past eight
years. Of course, we also aim to get financial support
from outside of Aruba.

For this reason, it has been a unique opportunity to
have teamed up with WAD, through Jan and Sylvia
Stekelenburg, who have been warm heartedly
supportive of our cause. On behalf of Micky’s
Foundation, I would like to express my appreciation for having had the opportunity
to have organized the auction during the WAD Annual General meeting in Aruba last
September. It fills my heart with pleasure and gratitude you have donated so kind
heartedly to the cause of our foundation. At the end of the day, we were delighted to
have received US4,500 dollars from the auction and the extra donation from WAD itself.

It was a huge surprise that I was awarded the ‘WAD Truth in Action Award’ in Aruba. As a
passionate volunteer (like everyone in the foundation) I am not in this line of work to look
for recognition. But to have received an award like this, from such a kind organization like
WAD, fills me with a deep sense of “let’s be there the best we can for all the children in Aruba
who need us”. For all the 175 children we have managed to provide with paediatric therapy
since 2015 and for all the children we are still providing for today, tomorrow and the years
to come.

Micky is now 13 years old, and we are living in the Netherlands. He is attending a school
for special education (which does not exist in Aruba) and exceeding all our expectations.
Without pain or medication, he wakes up every morning with a smile on his face. He looks
me in the eye and tells me (without speech because he cannot talk) he is happy to see me
and is thrilled to start a new day. As father of Micky, I cannot do more than I am doing now...
providing him with the best facilities and education and be there for him every time he needs
me and fill him with love.

On behalf of Micky’s Foundation, a deep bow to your wonderful organization and I hope we
can keep in touch to keep helping the most vulnerable children...

Gijs de Rooij
Founder of Micky’s Foundation and father of Micky”
https://www.mickysfoundation.com/

www.wad.net | Feb 2023 21