Crowdfunding effort raises over €200,000 for demolished glass monument to cancer victims

Donations boosted a crowdfunding effort to restore or replace a glass monument in Dronten dedicated to people who died from cancer. The crowdfunding target of 200,000 euros was reached on Friday, according to cancer foundation KWF and the crowdfunding campaign leader, Norbert Dikkeboom.

“It is great news that this was realized within 2.5 days. I am completely blown away,” Dikkeboom said.

Almost all of the 67 glass memorial panels that were part of the monument in the Koningin Wilhelminabos were destroyed during the overnight period from Sunday into Monday morning. The panels included the names of tens of thousands of people on them. The KWF foundation filed a report with the police about the vandalism.

Dikkeboom started the campaign on Tuesday. The name of his father, who died of lung cancer in 2009, was also on the monument. He previously indicated that it was still unclear how much the restoration process would cost, but he hoped to raise 200,000 euros. The total stood at just over 176,000 euros by Friday at about 11:45 a.m.

The municipality of Dronten and the Province of Flevoland previously announced that they would each donate 15,000 euros, and those amounts have not yet been added to the total on the crowdfunding website, said Dikkeboom. This brings the amount raised well above 200,000 euros.

Dikkeboom said that other campaigns are also underway, including at private businesses. The intention is that money they raise will also be transferred to his crowdfunding campaign. This will so far account for another 4,000 euros. That money has not yet been transferred, he said. “And that brings us to more than 210,000 euros.”

Dikkeboom also discussed other initiatives, including from glass suppliers who want to contribute in different ways. “That would mean that there may be money left over from this action. That money will then go to cancer research. Not a single euro will be left out.” In addition, he can imagine that a camera could be installed in the forest to ensure that an incident like this does not happen again.

“That forest is very remote. A power wire to it for a camera also costs a lot of money,” he stated. Because of that, he has asked people to continue to donate even though the initial target was reached. The money will be put to good use, he said.

Almost everyone in the Netherlands knows someone who has cancer, or who has died from it, he said. The destruction of this monument has deeply affected many people, Dikkeboom continued. “It turns out that we as a society can quickly parry this. This is also sends a great signal to the perpetrator. He was only able to ‘enjoy’ this for 2.5 days,” the activist proclaimed.

“Decency reigns supreme.”