The Heutink Foundation was founded in 2016 by Jessica Heutink. Jessica and her husband Henk Fokke manage the family business Heutink, which has been supplying school materials to childcare, primary and secondary education for more than 105 years.
Jessica: “For years I have run a private foundation ‘Vang Je Droom’ (Catch Your Dream) for underprivileged children in the Salland and Twente regions. We capture and realise the individual dreams of these children, which would otherwise not happen due to their home situation. In addition, we organise group activities where the experience always plays a central role. The demand for group activities is ever increasing and wonderful projects are being proposed to our company Heutink which I could not support with my private foundation. This is the reason I founded the Heutink Foundation, with the aim to contribute to the positive development of children through group activities in the field of art and culture. Create magnificent memories!”.
Art, culture and music education are essential in the development of children. Passing on culture is very important to create involvement in society. Children who connect and are actively involved in art, heritage and music develop an understanding of (other) norms, values and cultures. In addition, cultural education encourages children to speak a different ‘language’, which can bring unexpected talents to the surface. A child with a language deficiency can often have great theatre talent! In addition, creativity is important for the development of children’s creative capacity. Music teaches you to listen, develop empathy, feel and express emotions. Art teaches you to look in a more insightful way and enables you to ask questions in a better manner.
Unfortunately, cultural education is not reserved for all children. In particular, children who grow up in underprivileged, poor or uncertain situations in the Netherlands, developing countries or who have to flee their country do not often get to visit a theatre or museum. Therefore they miss the opportunity to develop their talent, self-image and self-esteem. The Heutink Foundation strives to give these children a moment of happiness by offering them a cultural experience. An experience where all their senses are stimulated and where they are challenged and motivated to get involved. Visiting a show is fun, but creating a show yourself or performing in it, is the ultimate experience. Especially when your parents, brothers and sisters are sitting in the audience and also get the opportunity to visit a theatre, museum, film house or music centre. Getting children and their family members activated is an important objective of the Heutink Foundation.
Poverty is creating unequal opportunities in numerous countries throughout the world. Many children in war zones and developing countries experience a lack of opportunities and security, which hinders their development. Sometimes their situation is so unsafe or hopeless that they even have to flee their own country. Special attention to development and education are important elements in processing trauma and fighting against poverty and inequality. The Heutink Foundation contributes to this by supporting international projects in the field of (cultural) education and talent development.
The national and international projects, which the Heutink Foundation supports in the form of financial or material assistance, are proposed and selected by Heutink employees. An important condition is that the project must specifically outline which children (4-18 years old) it aims to help. Often social or welfare organisations are affiliated with the project and have an overview of this.
The Heutink Foundation is managed by Jessica Heutink (chair person), Henk Fokke (secretary), Hetty Nijkamp (treasurer) and general board members Jan de Jonge and Maartje Schel. The foundation is registered with the Chamber of Commerce and has ANBI status, which means donations are tax deductible under certain conditions.
Download policy plan 2020-2025 (in Dutch)
The Dutch printing company Drukker Voor U has printed beautiful postcards for the Heutink Foundation for free! Are you curious? Send us an email and we will happily send you a set of real postcards for your own use.
E-commerce company De Nieuwe Zaak from Zwolle supports the Heutink Foundation by realising the website at a reduced rate. We thank De Nieuwe Zaak for this sponsorship and their contribution to the reputation of the foundation!
Thanks to a sponsorship contribution from the Heutink Foundation in Rijssen, the Orchestra of the East can again produce Join-in concerts this school year for primary school students throughout Overijssel. Singing, dancing, drumming and a Mexican wave – all the things that are usually frowned upon during a concert of a symphony orchestra are encouraged...
In the beginning of June, Jessica Heutink, chairperson of the Heutink Foundation, and board member Maartje Schel visited the Kara Tepe camp on Lesbos to see how the educational materials sponsored by the foundation are used and to help the volunteers of Movement on the Ground. A special and emotional experience. Maartje writes about her...