King Philippe honors everyday heroes in Belgium
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King Philippe of Belgium received 12 citizens at the Palace on Thursday afternoon, recognizing their commitment to improving Belgian society.
The recognition came through the BeHeroes initiative, run by the King Philippe Fund and managed by the King Baudouin Foundation. The initiative invited citizens to nominate “everyday heroes” and received nearly 150 submissions from across the country.
An independent jury then selected 50 people with diverse backgrounds, and 12 of those individuals met the King after previously attending the National Day parade. Alexandre Hemelaer, age 26, founded “Tigerstorm”, a Powerchair Football club in Belgium for people with disabilities. Patrick Gerardy co-founded an organization supporting people with disabilities, while Lies Gielis has volunteered with a kindergarten class for 19 years despite her own intellectual disability. The honored individuals also demonstrated resilience in the face of hardship.
Aminata Kamate founded a foundation to raise awareness of sickle cell disease following the death of her brother, and Julien Vande Weyer launched a campaign to support street nurses after being seriously attacked by a patient at work. Evelien Maerten provides support to people experiencing grief after losing her husband. These individuals, along with Mahamat Haroun, Cynthia Simpson, Karine Vanommeslaeghe, Father Karel Stautemas, and Burak Köylü, represent a range of community contributions across Belgium.
