Last Saturday 16-03-2019, Blue Lynx had the honour and privilege of supporting the local community in The Hague during The Netherlands national yearly volunteer day organised by Oranjefonds, NL Doet.
Stadsboerderij Jacobahof, a tranquil, friendly, community run and supported children’s petting zoo, farm and playground is where 18 of our international, multilingual colleagues spent their free day. Travelling from Amsterdam, Leiden, Ypenburg and various other locations within the Hague, our multinational team members with roots in India, Canada, America, Brazil, Portugal, Poland, Romania, Bulgaria and Holland became Jacobahof colleagues, friends and local citizens for the day.
Projects included: building a new jungle gym for the friendly goats, relocating, preparing and planting the flower and vegetable gardens, creating a willow tree children’s playhouse, painting the beekeepers house and learning about honey, and for a lucky few even tasting the award winning golden gooey goodness, building new chicken coops and flower boxes and laying stepping stones and planting grass.
It was a fun filled, collaborative day, and despite the dreary weather, spirits were high and laughs were many.
Blue Lynx was joined by other members of the community, donors, members of the local government and many happy smiling children enjoying the animals, playground and even helping us out every now and then, for example, by transporting bags of soil on their tricycles or playing hide and go seek to offer us a much needed distraction in order to rest our weary backs (well for us older team members at least 😊 ).
Lunch and refreshments were prepared by a local resident, and were delicious. Soup on a cold day always hits the spot. And home made brownies and pigs in a blanket were a satisfying snack between some heavy lifting.
Most importantly on this day, Blue Lynx was able to work together as a team, for a notable cause in their community. Supporting local organisations, and incorporating important causes like animals, the environment, recycling, education and youth, all causes both Blue Lynx management and employees are passionate about. Giving back, reaching out and being socially responsible are part of our company core values and something we as an organisation but also as individuals prioritise, not only on a day such as NL Doet, when all of the Netherlands is reaching out, but the entire year through, whether it be volunteering or donating time or advice, taking part in charity events, acting as a guest speaker or panellist or donating monetarily. One person can make a difference and our goal is to make a difference one person and one community at a time.
Blue Lynx thanks Stadsboerderij Jacobahof for their hospitality, great event coordination and for allowing us to be a part of their volunteer day. We will definitely be back to visit in the spring, but rather than wielding shovels and rakes, we’ll bring a picnic basket and a soccer ball and simply enjoy this beautiful gem of a city garden in the heart of The Hague just around the corner from our Blue Lynx Head Office.
For more information about Stadsboerderij Jacobahof, please visit: www.jacobahof.org
For more information about NL Doet and Oranjefonds, please visit: www.nldoet.nl
For more information about Blue Lynx, please visit: bluelynx.com
