Netherlands Royal Decoration for Dirk van Campenhout

 
By Cora Alarcon
Schiedam-The Netherlands
April 26, 2021
 




On April 26, 2021 Dirk van Campenhout received a Royal Award (“Lid in de Orde van Oranje-Nassau”). This was given by the Lord Mayor of Schiedam, Cor Lamers and his wife Corazon van Campenhout-Alarcon pinned it on his coat.

Due to restrictions of COVID-19, the awarding ceremony was held outside of the couple’s residence in Schiedam, Netherlands.   



Normally this will take place in the City Hall of Schiedam together with the other celebrants during the annual rain of honors (“Lintjesregen”) the day before the birthday King Alexander. Corazon received the same Royal Award in 2020. During his speech the Lord Mayor described the aspects of his voluntary work.

In 1979 Dirk became active in a neighborhood association (Wijkvereniging Hoevenbuurt) in Vlaardingen and also in a political party (VVD).  In the VVD he was involved in a youth group, election campaigns and national congresses of the party.



In 1985 he became the representative of VVD in the VLOS (“Vlaardingen voor Ontwikkelingssamenwerking”). This foundation was focussed on information giving/ gathering on third world countries and decided to setup a friendship’s between Vlaardingen and Bacolod City in the Philippines. In 1986 Dirk traveled to the Philippines and Bacolod City as the official representative of the City of Vlaardingen in order to strengthen the ties and gather information about the situation in the Philippines and to discuss about project proposals for socioeconomic help to people in Bacolod and the island of Negros. This was also the time when he met with his wife Corazon who was one of the organizers of his visit to Bacolod City.

She came to the Netherlands in the same year of 1986, and they married in Vlaardingen. Dirk was coordinator of the “Philippines project” until 1987 and in all these years he visited schools, churches, women’s organizations etc. in order to give information about the situation of the less fortunate in the Philippines and sometimes there were fundraising actions in order to gather funds for projects for schools, farms and fishermen. After that he was active for a couple of years in the Lenten Action in Schiedam, Vlaardingen and Maassluis. This group was always raising funds for projects in the third world and often there was a project in Negros they supported during the Lenten Season.

His wife Corazon became active in Damayan as volunteer and board member, a cultural organization for Filipino’s in the Netherlands and Dirk helped Damayan during meetings, parties and Philippine Independence Day’s (June 12).

The foundation of Bayanihan was set up in the 1992 and this organization focusses on Filipina women and was for Filipina women. Corazon became active in Bayanihan as volunteer and board member. The husbands of the Filipina’s are all supportive in Bayanihan, but Dirk’s dedication and commitment in helping Bayanihan to get things done is admirable. He has always been generous in sharing relevant knowledge and skills with the team from setting up sound systems and ensuring that all technical aspects of every indoor event are functionally working to helping out with Powerpoint presentations during every program.

Bayanihan’s social work and helping Filipinas in distress is the heart of Bayanihan, and this is where Dirk has also been actively involved in. His willingness to help is evident of the time he spent in assisting the social work team in different aspects, including Dutch-English translations, the use of his private car as mode of transport for Bayanihan-related works as well as the use of their home as temporary residence, especially in urgent cases. Bayanihan need as much manpower it can avail of to do the works being done at Bayanihan, and Dirk has always been present in every occasion. Dirk used his flexibility, patience, understanding, compassion, and above all, willingness to share his valuable time, skills, and manpower in helping to empower Filipinas in the Netherlands.

Corazon van Campenhout-Alarcon was one of the pioneer members of the church, St. Word International Ministries in Slinge (Rotterdam) when it started in 1995. Corazon became a board member when the church registered the Foundation at the Chamber of Commerce in 1996. Dirk, with his knowledge of Dutch society, has given valuable help to our church with his support for the on-going Sunday services and also by opening his home for Bible studies in the Rotterdam area, and later, when the church moved to Schiedam.

 

It is in the nature of Dirk to help. When the church needed a place for a conference for training church workers for the ministry to Seafarers in the ports of Rotterdam, Dirk found a venue for the seminar participants and speakers closely located to the church where the seminar was held. For the church’s yearly retreat, it was Dirk who directed the church to a camping area which provided all the requirements the church needed for the overnight stay of participants. When the church in Schiedam had to transfer to a new location, it was Dirk who helped find the building in 2019, where the church now hold it’s weekly Sunday services and Saturday Praise & Worship practices.

Since 2004 Dirk is active as board member of the homeowner’s association (“VVE Hofjeswoningen”). At present he is the Chairman.