Courtesy of: Aruba Daily
The birthday of the King of the Netherlands is the traditional occasion to honor those who merit to be honored. In Aruba, four of the eleven persons elected to the elite Dutch Royal Order of Oranje-Nassau could not be present to receive their certificate, medal and ribbon from the hands of Aruba’s Governor Refunjol. Among these four was Esther Ruth Harms, daughter of Clyde Harms, the recently retired President of the Aruba Scholarship Foundation.
Aruban born Ruth Harms, Case Management Supervisor at the Big Brothers Big Sisters Organization of Hampshire County, Massachusetts was honored with Membership to the Dutch Royal Order of Oranje-Nassau. As is customary, the award ceremony took place last weekend on the day before the King’s birthday, but as Ruth could not be in Aruba, she will be “decorated in a fitting manner” at a later date.
Ruth was honored for her outstanding and compassionate service at Big Brother Big Sister of Hampshire County, MA during a quarter of a century and for her two decades of dedicated participation in the volunteer UMASS International Students Hospitality Program that she now presides. The hospitality program connects foreign students at University of Massachusetts at Amherst with host families in the community. Big Brothers Big Sisters is the largest volunteer-supported youth mentoring organization of the United States. A couple of years ago a BB/BS was established in Curacao and Ruth has personally counseled the director, Mrs. Coralina Peret Gentil. In Aruba a program very similar to BB/BS is being started under the name of Mentoring Program.
Four years ago the Northwestern Children’s Advocacy Project honored Ruth with the Ellen Sedlis Award which is presented annually to “someone whose work demonstrates a long-term commitment to helping children recover from abuse” and the State of Massachusetts presented her with a Citation that reads “In recognition of her outstanding dedication and many valuable contributions for years to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Hampshire County.”
Ruth Harms is married to Dr. Stephen Hickman, an associate pediatrician at Amherst Pediatrics. The couple will celebrate their 35th wedding anniversary in December. They have two adult children, Sarah Elizabeth and Rachel. Over a decade ago, the Aruban Tourism Authority named Ruth and Stephen Ambassadors of Goodwill.
The attached photo shows Ruth Harms with her young friend Kyra during last year’s Daffodil Walk, one of several yearly signature fundraising events organized by Big Brothers Big Sisters of Hampshire County, MA.
