Marc van der Meer

"I want to change something"

My name is Marc van der Meer, 52, Dutch, dad of 2 teenager, I love cycling and live together with Carmen in Dortmund, Germany.

For 2 weeks, between Christmas and New Year 2015/’16, I volunteered on the beaches of the Greek island Kos and met many international volunteers who gave up their jobs or, like me, took unpaid leave while paying from their own pocket for flights and accommodation. This to be able to help other people in need.

Because not everyone is wiling or able to pay to volunteering as I did, I've started the non-profit international driven initiative "Volunteer's Help", which honors those who are the backbone of society and who work with passion to help across the world: the volunteers.

"Volunteers’ Help" will make it possible for anyone, young, old, student, employee or retired to travel anywhere in the world, in order to do a voluntary job for people in need while getting the travel- and overstay cost back.

Since the start of the project in May ’16, my friend Martin Spätig, Swiss CFO of one of the largest health insurance companies in Switzerland, committed as shareholder. Further a nationwide team of enthusiastic lawyer, accountant, strategy experts, who work for e.g. largest German car-manufacture, also join.

After 1 year being stuck in the jungle of German bureaucracy, we’re investigating the founding of "Volunteers’ Help" in Switzerland and USA.

Despite of this throwback, we work out the business model and strategy continuously and started a pilot project as proof of concept. Meanwhile we have received wonderful applications of volunteers. With the help of many donations we are able to refund and help them. Till the end of May ’17 we will decide which volunteers we are going to support.

If you like to support "Volunteers’ Help", please send me an email: support{ad)volunteershelp(dot)org

#VolunteersHelp #HelpOthers #HelpPeopleInNeed #VolunteeringAroundTheWorld #IWantToChangeSomething