Henk Vissia Ends VAKO Ice Cream Cake Tradition After 30 Years

VAKO, the club based in Vries, will not hold its traditional ice cream cake sale this year, marking the end of a community fixture that has run for more than three decades. The club’s board confirmed the decision to terminate the fundraiser, citing an increasing difficulty in recruiting enough volunteers to manage the sales process.

The ice cream cake drive had become a staple of the Christmas season in the village of Vries. For many residents, purchasing a cake served a dual purpose: securing a dessert for Christmas dinners and providing financial support to the club. The logistical burden of coordinating sales across different neighborhoods eventually became unsustainable.

The role of Henk Vissia

The fundraiser was long associated with Henk Vissia, who served as the organizer—often referred to as the “ice master”—since 1998. Vissia noted that while the decision to stop the initiative was difficult, the declining number of available volunteers made the operation unfeasible.

“It is a shame that we had to decide together to stop this, but it became harder every year to find people for every neighborhood to then make it a successful campaign,” Vissia said.

Recognition for volunteers

The VAKO board has publicly acknowledged the contributions of those involved in the project over the last 30 years. In addition to thanking Vissia for his decades of leadership, the club expressed gratitude to the various neighborhood heads and individual sellers who facilitated the sales annually.

The club also extended its appreciation to the local community members who purchased the cakes throughout the years. VAKO leadership stated they plan to honor Vissia for his service in an appropriate manner at a later date.

Questions regarding the end of the fundraiser

Why is the fundraiser ending after 30 years?
The primary reason cited by the VAKO board is the ongoing challenge of finding enough volunteers to organize and execute the sales across the village’s various districts.

Who was responsible for organizing the cakes?
Henk Vissia, known as the club’s “ice master,” had been the central organizer of the fundraiser since 1998.