Foundation
Wiessing Foundation - van den Eeckhout
The beginning of the family bond and family capital
It all started in 1917, when the three brothers Henri, Kees and George Wiessing set up a fund for their sister Anna.
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Anna, the only daughter of Marinus and Mathilde Wiessing-Van den Eeckhout, was a teacher. In 1917 she was 34 and it was clear she was not going to get married. So she wouldn't have a lot of income when she was older and she was a bit sickly. Her brothers, who were in a more slump, set up a fund for their sister as a wedding gift for their parents' 40th wedding anniversary. And that is why the family tree starts to where we calculate back with Marinus and Mathilde.
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Statutes
On the 14th of August, nineteen hundred and seventeen, in Batavia, the three sons of Marinus and Mathilde established a foundation as a reminder of the forty-year union of their parents in gratitude for the sacrifice they have made for their education and studies.
That's how the very first statutes describe the foundation and this phrase is used over and over with every amendment because it's such a beautiful phrase and refers to the origin.
The first foundation board
The foundation was therefore established in Batavia, where Kees lived at the time.
The 1st board consisted of the three founders:
Henri (as eldest brother) chairman, living in Amsterdam, Kees (who knew most about money and also had the most money) secretary-treasurer in Batavia, and George as a regular member in Oruro, Bolivia. They brought together 800 guilders and that was their wedding present.
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New statutes
The very first statutes are probably still in Batavia, because the only statutes in the family archive are those from 1940, drawn up in Amsterdam, when the war had already started. They were then recaptured there because otherwise Anna might not be able to take advantage of them anymore.
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Forget
For a very long time, probably until Anna's death in 1953, no other family members of the foundation were known except for the three directors, despite the fact that the statutes described a second objective other than the maintenance of Anna.
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The foundation aims
a) to facilitate the life of the founders' only sister, Anna Maria Mathilde Wiessing, by financial compensation, especially when the activity of this self-supporting woman has ended;
and
b) to provide support from the income to all descendants of the Wiessing-van den Eeckhout couple with their husbands as male and female and who will be equated with them.
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As long as Anna was alive, the money was only for her. And the less people knew about it, the less it could be claimed.
A next generation of board members joins
The board of the Foundation probably never met between 1940 and the year the first brother died. After all, there was only a bank account that had to be managed and Kees could manage that himself. When Kees died in 1957, Frans, George's eldest son, was appointed secretary treasurer by Henri and George. And Henri says, when he finds out after Kees's death that he was also on the board: give my position to my son Jan. It is not entirely clear whether Jan also joined the board immediately or whether this only happened after the death of his father in 1961.
Grow
The board, consisting of George, Frans and Jan, has functioned for many years. George was an important member, deciding where to invest the money (so as to get income from the interest). Those investments were usually semi-charities, such as the expansion of a hospital. The foundation also had a good savings account and the fortune continued to grow. It grows from fl. 4,100 on December 31, 1957 to fl. 94,800 on January 1, 1979, as is quoted from a letter from Frans from 1980 in which he asks relatives for proposals about the future of the foundation.
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He and Jan are the only 2 board members with all kinds of questions about what to do with the Foundation, because George died in 1975 as the last of the three founders.
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All descendants of Marinus and Mathilde are invited to a meeting about the future of the foundation.
How further?
In 1980, in that first meeting, where many family members came together, extensive discussions were held about the various proposals about how to proceed with the fund. There are ideas for dividing the money or donating it in its entirety to charity, as well as turning the Foundation into an association. But in the end it is decided to let the Foundation continue, to expand the objective and support a bit and to set up an Association next to the Foundation. In addition, it was decided to expand the board of the foundation from 3 to 5 members.
The founding of the Association
In 1981 another meeting is called, the founding meeting of the Association. Frans, treasurer of the Foundation and Inez Marijnen, George's eldest granddaughter, who is the first to become Association President, went to a notary. There the articles of association of the Foundation were updated and they had the deed drawn up for the Association. The aim of the Association is to organize family gatherings and thus to strengthen the mutual bond of the descendants. In addition, the members of the Association will advise the foundation board. Many people who attend that meeting immediately become members and the first family activity is organized in 1982 in the Biesbosch.
The current situation
And then we arrive at the situation we know at the moment:
A foundation with a board of five people, who manages the family capital. The board members are nominated by the family association and are appointed for life. They handle applications and decide to whom money is lent or donated.
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She manages the archive and the family graves in Graauw, Driehuis-Westerveld and Hilversum.
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And also the Association, which looks after all non-financial matters concerning the family. This is subsidized by the Foundation. She publishes the family magazine, the StamStem, and organizes annual family days.
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The foundation
Despite the fact that there are all kinds of provisions in our social legislation nowadays, it is still occasionally necessary to assist someone in very difficult circumstances and the fund is still used for that purpose. But the applications no longer concern only the support of basic necessities as stated in the founding statutes. The Foundation mainly offers support for all kinds of social, educational and/or cultural purposes, such as an application for a study, a special trip, or aids for a study such as an instrument or special tools. In addition, the foundation offers help to starting entrepreneurs with an incentive loan. The latter assistance is not explicitly stated in the articles of association, but is provided by the board.
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The last time the statutes were changed was in 2001, following the acquisition of the inheritance of (now Uncle) Kees (for our generation), because the Foundation was not allowed to own real estate and she inherited half of his house after the death of his widow, Aunt Enny.
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To request
Requests for financial aid for yourself or for others in the form of a loan or gift can be directed to the Secretary-Treasurer of the Foundation. Please fill in a form under the Contact link.
You substantiate your application and, if necessary, make a payment proposal.
Loans up to a maximum of 2000 euros are interest-free. A larger loan is possible. Interest is charged on the excess amount above the interest-free portion. Read more in Loans and donations game rules .
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The board decides whether aid is a loan or a gift. In connection with privacy, the board does not make any announcements to third parties. However, the applicant may be asked to write something about his project in the Stamstem, so that other family members can also enjoy activities that take place in the family.
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Elvira Nolten, President
Pia van Oord-Wiessing, secretary-treasurer
Henriette Wiessing, member
Marco Wiessing, member
Floor Pieters, member
Sven ten Haaf, member
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Casting, January 2008
(thanks to Noor van den Born)