September was a great month for the Sleijster4Children charity foundation as the founder, Bernardus Sleijster, and a dedicated group of volunteers held one of their regular children’s sports events in Costa Rica, San Jose.

The children are all ready to begin their sports activities during the Sleijster4Children charity event, as the founder, Bernardus Johannes Sleijster, takes the photos

Preparations for the Sleijster4Children charity event

On Friday the 8th of September, the whole team set off to prepare for the big day. Bernard Sleijster cares deeply about health and wellness, especially when it comes to younger ones, so getting ingredients for a healthy lunch was an important step of the day.

Eating a wide variety of fruits and vegetables is vital for a child’s health and energy if they’re going to be playing sports. Bernard’s team got many things that they knew the kids would love, such as papayas, apples, grapes and pineapples. The ingredients for some ham and cheese sandwiches were also bought to be made fresh on the day with some lettuce and tomatoes. Sugary and canned drinks were avoided, but fresh natural juice would be provided for everyone.

Food wasn’t the only thing on the list though, there was much to be done at the hotel where the event would take place!

Bernardus Sleijster prepared a list of different activities for the kids to enjoy, so the volunteers spent the day preparing colours and drawing tools, footballs and sports equipment, as well as Sleijster4Children t-shirts, complete with the participant’s names.

And so the event begins!

Since Bernardus Sleijster first started up this charity, one of his favourite things is organising and being part of events like these. Each is is so different and the kids enjoy themselves immensely! 

At 9:00, all the children were picked up from their homes and taken to the event location. After all the introductions were complete and the kids knew the day’s schedule, everyone was super excited for the day to start.

For the next 3 hours, whilst some of the volunteers were busy preparing the healthy home-made lunch, the children were entertained and engaged in many forms of movement and play.

Bernardus Sleijster’s goal is so see all children playing sports, young and old. He believes it is the foundation of a good upbringing, that will help to raise children in a strong and able environment.

The activities included ball games such as Flag and soccer, as well as some less physically challenging activities that engaged the mind, such as painting and drawing. As much as the kids loved running outside with a football, everyone had lots of messy fun leaving their handprints on a large white sheet, as a sign of a first step towards a healthier and more active future for themselves and other children.

The games ended at 13:00, when Bernardus and the team served the kids lunch. Satisfied, happy and physically entertained, the children were then returned to their homes, where they enthusiastically told their parent’s about their sport’s day.

Final word on the Sleijster4Children event

It’s hard to tell who was more excited about the day – the children or Bernard himself. The success of Sleijster4Childen’s September event succeeded all expectations.

The joy on the kid’s faces and the grateful comments from their parents gave Bernardus a warm feeling in his heart, and a goal to create more and more events like this, for other children to enjoy the benefits of physical education.

In other words… expect more events to come soon!

Here are some more photos from the day:

“Thank you to all the wonderful volunteers for making this happen, and of course to all the children who came and opened themselves up to playing sports! I’m looking forward to the next event already!” ~ Bernardus Johannes Sleijster, founder of Sleijster4Children.