Kootje was the name I gave to a little man who was the hero in stories I spontaneously told to my children at bedtime. Popping out of nowhere, with his special backpack from which he produced the right remedy for the situation, Kootje rescued many a poor unfortunate.
Knowing that when the tension would become unbearable and that my children would “dash in” to help with ideas of their own, I allowed situations to deteriorate to the point where it seemed impossible that Kootje could succeed. The ideas they offered Kootje to bring the tale to a happy end, were wonderful and surprising. Today the spirit of this little man lives on in the Kootje Foundation. The Kootje logo consists of our family coat of arms and the motto ‘sine ope nihil’ by which I wish to express that Kootje will always dare to do the thing that needs to be done.
Bert Bolkenstein – Founder.