Ribbon Race 2025

The following residents have been royally decorated (in no particular order)

Mr. Benito Muller (56 years old) from Aalten 

Mr. Muller began his volunteer work in 2001 where he held various positions at soccer club AD'69. Here he organized various youth activities in addition to the existing activities and managed to attract well-known soccer players. Mr. Muller devised a cost-saving pupil camp at Sportpark Zuid, financed by actions. 

Since 2012, Mr. Muller has been active as a volunteer at the local broadcaster AFM, where he has been chairman since 2023. He plays an important role in AFM Aid Week, which, following his initiative, has grown into 'AFM in Action' with several charity campaigns each year. In 2022, for example, a campaign raised no less than €22,000 for charities. Examples of campaigns include the shopping bag campaign for people on low incomes and the plant campaign at care institutions. In addition, he has been involved in the Meedoenpact (Participation Pact) since 2018. He also provided Informal care family members and is involved in the 7even Festival and the regional radio station 1Achterhoek. 

Mr. Hans Deunk (73 years old) from Aalten 

Mr. Deunk has been a very involved and active volunteer with soccer club AZSV since 1978. He fulfilled various roles, such as youth secretary, coach, canteen volunteer and co-founder of the street soccer tournament and G-football and initiator and driving force of the trust committee. Mr. Deunk is a true association man and a mainstay within the organization. He is still very active within the soccer club. In addition, he has been volunteering at residential care facility Estinea for over 25 years, where, among other things, he involves a client with his family and accompanies him to various appointments. He also helped transport students from Nieuw Hessen (special education), such as when they had classes on a farm or at a high school. After 50 years, he still continues to work tirelessly for the community. 

Mr. Herman Simmelink (70 years old) from Aalten 

Mr. Simmelink is an unparalleled passionate and knowledgeable naturalist. Based on his love of nature, he has been involved in all kinds of nature management and nature development for decades. He is one of the driving forces behind Stichting SAAP's successful Akkerranden project, which has since been emulated in other municipalities. He also co-initiated the national exemplary project "Together for the Partridge," for which he lectured in numerous places and which was awarded the Golden Medal in 2017.

Mr. Simmelink has been chairman of the Groot Deunk Foundation for four years. The Groot Deunk estate covers 4.5 hectares and is an initiative of volunteers and local residents. Mr. Simmelink has also been volunteering for the Wildlife Management Unit for 40 years. In addition, he is very active in his neighborhood of Barlo. Among other things, he organizes group walks and bike rides through the countryside around Barlo and Aalten to share his knowledge of and love for nature.

Ms. Ina Klijn Hesselink (61 years old) from Aalten 

Since 2000, Ms. Klijn Hesselink has been active as a volunteer in numerous organizations. She has held board positions at the DOK gymnastics club, the Athos gymnastics club, Algemene Daalse Belangen, and Platform Aalten. She was involved in important mergers and events and played a connecting role within the Dale community, including her initiative to participate in the TV program "Zomer in Gelderland" (Summer in Gelderland).

In addition, Ms. Klijn Hesselink has been involved in education, nature conservation and local culture through pop choir AmeeZing for many years. She is also still active in the Philadelphia parents' association, where she advocates for the interests of people with intellectual disabilities. Her efforts within SAAP and the Field Edge Project also demonstrate her commitment to landscape and sustainability. 

Mr. Jan Kremer (80 years old) from Aalten 

Mr. Kremer has held various positions in the Protestant community since 1985, including elder, chairman of the appeals committee and chairman of the General Affairs Council of Churches. He also played an important role in the merger of the Reformed and Reformed churches in 2006.

His heart for culture is evident in his long involvement with the Lintelo theater association, where he was active from 1969 to 2021 as a player, board member and host. To this day, he selflessly makes part of his farm available as rehearsal space and storage.

He was also chairman of the Mixed Christian Choir Sursum Corda for more than ten years and devoted himself to concerts in churches and nursing homes. He also fulfilled leadership roles within the CDA and the Association Lintelo's Belang, where he devoted himself with conviction to the agricultural sector and the livability of the region. 

Mrs. Rieky Kraaijenbrink-Ebbers (84 years old) from Aalten 

Mrs. Kraaijenbrink-Ebbers was active with the Association of Aalten Museums, later the National History Museum, from 1990 to 2020. She played a key role within the Textile Committee, led tours, coordinated the delivery of the museum magazine De Panne, and performed countless practical tasks, right down to maintaining the square with her husband. Her dedication and commitment make Mrs. Kraaienbrink-Ebbers a true ambassador of the museum.

She was also active for more than twenty years within women's organization Passage, of which she was president for the last nine years. Also within the Protestant Church and through collections for the Diabetes Fund, she contributed for a long time to the well-being of her surroundings. It is extra special that Mrs. Kraaijenbrink-Ebbers and her husband Wim Kraaijenbrink received a Royal Decoration together. 

Mr. Wim Kraaijenbrink (84 years old) from Aalten 

Mr. Kraaijenbrink has been active in various ways within the Protestant Congregation in Aalten since 1973, including as an elder, clerk, and lector. He was also involved in activities outside the church building, from maintenance work to distributing the church magazine.

At the National Museum of the Secret Annex, he has been a familiar face since 2003. As a volunteer, he performed numerous practical chores, assisted with exhibitions and front desk services, and distributed the museum magazine De Panne for many years. He thought actively about policy and is appreciated for his commitment and collegiality.

He was also chairman of the Protestant Christian Seniors' Association (PCOB) in Aalten and secretary of the SOBA, and since 2017 he has been a volunteer driver for the Electrocar of the Marga Klompé care organization. Together with his wife, Mr. Kraaijenbrink has contributed to numerous social initiatives in Aalten for many years, including the National Hiding Museum and the Protestant Congregation.

Mr. Tonnie Stoltenborg (84 years old) from Aalten 

For many years, Mr. Stoltenborg has been passionately committed to preserving the Aaltense Gängeskes, the historic paths in Aalten. He arranged for nameplates to be installed, created a route book, and developed walking routes, including the Parelroute. As a guide for the tourist office, he enthusiastically recounts the history of the Gängeskes. 

From 2002 to 2017, he was active in the Aaltense Wandelpaden (Aalten Walking Trails) working group, which develops and maintains walking routes. Mr. Stoltenborg is also known as a greengrocer and ran a specialty fruit and vegetable shop for many years. After selling the shop in 1995, he devoted himself to the Aalten Small Business Federation and the Volksfeest Foundation. He was also active in the General Reunion Committee of the Public Primary School, where he organized a successful reunion in 2002 and published the book "Van griffel tot muis" (From Pencil to Mouse) about the history of the village of Aalten.