Former St. Maarten residents and survivors of Hurricanes Luis and Marilyn in 1995 Jan and Ida Beentjes were shocked by Hurricane Irma’s destruction. They wanted to help St. Maarten, their now annual vacation spot, and asked long-time friend Richard Scholten for suggestions.
The Hillside Christian Schools Asha Stevens and Helmich Snijders campuses were suggested. Ida, an accomplished artist, announced on her website (www.idabeentjes.nl) that prices for all her paintings will be slashed in half and all proceeds would be used to buy educational materials for the two schools. With the funds raised, they purchased and shipped the materials. Their visit to the schools this week was greeted with much appreciation from the management, staff and pupils. In addition to the materials, the couple presented Principal Stephanie Deerveld with a donation of US $250 as seed money to replace the schools’ damaged greenhouse. Ida will work on a painting for both schools once repairs are completed. In photo: Deerveld, Blondel Sprott, Executive Director Asha Stevens and the Beentjes with pupils.
