Read more

Ronnie te Boekhorst

Project Manager and Foundation Ambassador 

 

My experience as an ambassador of the Foundation for Families

When, in 2021, the Foundation set up a network of employee ambassadors, the project manager first contacted my operational manager to find a volunteer at Center Parcs in the Netherlands and as I was very enthusiastic about taking part in this project, I finally took on the role!

 

What is my mission?

Leading the entire process of selecting associations: at the call for projects stage, I mobilized employees through our internal newsletter and presented the program to all our Center Parcs site managers in the Netherlands. Then I worked with the Foundation to analyze the submissions of the associations that applied, according to specific criteria, and came up with a short list of three associations. After that, I mobilized the employees to vote and choose the association that would be supported.

The one they selected helps families whose children are suffering from a rare disease. Our contribution consists of offering stays in our Center Parcs villages to allow these families to take a break and share their experiences. My role is to work with the villages to make these stays possible and even to bring the service providers on board, by convincing them to offer a dinner, for example.

Basically, it’s a collective adventure: everyone is an ambassador! This experience brought me a lot. It changed the way I look at the world and developed my organizational and influencing skills (I have to convince and involve everyone!). It has also taught me to manage the expectations of each and every one, to confront the disappointment of the associations because unfortunately we can’t support all of them.

 

To me, “getting back to basics” means… ?

Going to work every morning with a smile. Bringing joy is what our job is all about. But what we do for these families in difficulty is very strong, it is a light in their lives and that is where we shine.

More success stories…

“Then I was asked to be an ambassador for the Group Foundation. I’d always wanted to be involved with an association, and now it was possible to do so in a corporate context.”

Read the story

“I’m totally committed to my work, but I have the freedom to disconnect completely, and I can do so because I work with my teams and management in a framework of trust.”

Read the story

“It’s a real vote of confidence and it’s also very rewarding to be approached internally for a job you’d never thought of.”

Read the story

“I have a great deal of freedom and autonomy to develop and manage the countries for which I’m responsible. […] What I like here is the team spirit. If you need support, you’ve got it.”

Read the story

“Although maeva is growing fast, we still operate like a small organisation: everyone knows everyone else, we work in close proximity and flexibly”

Read the story

“In practical terms, we can’t do anything without our teams. So it’s very important to support your teams by being close to them and on the ground.”

Read the story

“When I started here as a receptionist, I saw how the hotel worked at every level. […] The work of each and every one of us makes this site a success.”

Read the story

“Today, Mission Handicap is very active and very present in the company and thanks to it I feel protected, supported.”

Read the story

“When I returned from maternity leave, I had the choice between two jobs. I wanted to evolve and I also wanted a different rhythm, not to work on weekends, in particular, to spend time with my daughter.”

Read the story

“With today’s means of communication, it is very easy to set up meetings.[…] We don’t get together with our colleagues at the coffee machine, but we are very close, we make up a real team and we meet regularly.”

Read the story