Volunteering in Aruba with passion and compassion – meet Luuk Loo
Some encounters are just meant to be. This story started in Hawaii, where one of our hotel owners, Kimberly, was realizing the dreams of her three young boys to experience the birthplace of their number one passion: surfing. During her vacation in Hawaii she received a panicky phonecall from her house- and petsitter in Aruba, who reported that the family’s dog Max went missing after running away from the noise caused by early exploding ‘klapchi’, fireworks, in the days leading up to the new year.
Dog lost and found
Enter the protagonist of this story, Luuk Loo. Luuk, a blond-haired, handsome young dad on a leisurely stroll with his newborn daughter strapped to his chest, was taking in the views of Aruba’s remote shoreline at the outskirts of the North Coast in December 2022 when he saw a dog pacing and looking out of sorts. With his trained eye and experience gained over the years in his volunteer work for animal rescue organization Sgt. Pepper’s Friends he knew the dog was in distress and most likely belonged to someone who missed him. After much effort in pursuing the jumpy and anxious dog, he was finally able to capture Max and soon Kimberly received another phone call in Hawaii to learn of her beloved pet’s safe return home. Needless to say the name of Max’s rescuer, Luuk Loo, was forever engraved in her memory.
Beyond Sports Limits and the KLM Marathon
Fast forward three years to June 2025. Luuk sends an email to Boardwalk, asking for sponsorship as he is raising funds for a foundation, Beyond Limits Sports, that focuses on the inclusion of athletes with disabillities in sports in Aruba. Of course Boardwalk said yes to this very sympathetic cause and warmheartedly sponsored Luuk with 1,000 Aruba florins while running a full marathon and pushing his buddy, Disjonrick ‘Disjon’ Jacobs along in a wheelchair. Aruban-born Disjon, a veteran in the athletic world who participates in sport events for 14 years already, looked comfortable and engaged in his wheelchair during the 2025 KLM Aruba Marathon, while Luuk enrolled in a marathon with a wheelchair-buddy for the first time. Proceeds of this fundraiser are used by Beyond Sports Limits towards the purchasing of tickets for sports events and races for the 44 active members of the foundation, repair costs and various activities and special outings.
Luuk and Disjon at the start and during the KLM Aruba Marathon 2025 - credits: 297 Sports
Running clubs in Aruba
Until some four years ago, when Luuk still resided in the much cooler Netherlands, he had no specific passion for running and hardly got to exercizing that way. That all changed when the Dutch Marines sent him on a posting to Aruba in 2021 and Luuk was looking for new social groups to connect with outside of work. He quickly learned that Aruba had plenty of running clubs, and that they were a lot of fun. A quick search on Instagram resulted in Luuk’s interest for a specific runners club, @stronger_together_runners. He joined the club, who took runners of all levels, ages and all tempos and soon learned he had discovered a very special group of people.
Corporal with a mission
Engaging in a physicall activity in Aruba such as running is not for the faint of heart, given the high daytime temperatures that make it very hot and extra challenging to run. Therefore training starts at 4:30 AM, making the alarm go off at 4:00 AM, to get the run in before sunrise, then freshen up and changing into corporal’s attire to report for duty in Savaneta at the Dutch Marines base. As Luuk engaged more and more with the runners scene in Aruba and started participating in races, he noticed there were always people in wheelchairs present, who were pushed forward by co-athletes. Luuk asked around and soon learned that Beyond Sports Limits was the local foundation taking a group of young talents and athletes out during races and sports events. He wanted to be part of that, too.
Do good in Aruba
Besides various runners in the local community engaging with the Beyond Sports Limits athletes, an entire army of volunteers workes tirelessly behind the scenes, often individuals working two or three jobs to make ends meet, transporting wheelchairs to and from sports events, repairing the pricy wheelchairs that cost to the amount of $6,000 to purchase, and take the special athletes on outings. Luuk was struck by the pure passion and dedication the volunteers demonstrate, committing their time, energy and force to bettering the lives of others and their willingness to do good for the community. For Luuk, participating in the KLM Aruba Marathon with Disjon in his wheelchair, it is an honor and privelege to represent people with phisical challenges or disabilities, to give them strength and inspire others to do the same. Running for a podium position is not Luuk’s mission; being able to help others this way is worth so much more. Inspired? Learn more how you can also do good in Aruba.
Cats and dogs, a full foster home
This is not where this story ends. It actually began a few years earlier, in 2017, when Luuk and his girlfriend Zenna were sent to Aruba on their first Caribbean posting. Upon arrival in Aruba Luuk and Zenna, dog owners and passionate animal lovers, soon noticed that animal welfare needed urgent attention and they started volunteering for animal rescue foundation Sgt. Pepper’s Friends. With the young couples’ devotion and no additional strings attached besides a dayjob, it soon open the floods to a never-ending slew of animals in need of foster care and their home slowly transitioned into a make-shift animal shelter. At its peek, Luuk and Zenna housed 20 cats and 4 dogs, simulaneously. After nine months Luuk’s posting in Aruba with the Dutch Marines came to an end, as he enrolled in corporal training in the Netherlands, with the goal to return to Aruba upon completion. Which they did in 2021.
Volunteering in Aruba and passing on the baton
In 2022 their daughter Lively was born in Aruba and that changed the private circumstances and amount of available free time for the young parents and passionate volunteers. Still, the couple volunteered to open their home to foster dogs and cats, but never more than one dog and one cat at a time, completing their household of five, including baby girl Lively and their own two dogs Dana and Fuego. Meanwhile, in July 2025 Luuk’s posting with the Dutch Marines in Aruba comes to an end, as he will enroll in nursing training with the military in The Netherlands. His June 2025 marathon participation for Beyond Sports Limits, and their fostering and volunteer work for Aruba’s strays and animals in need will conclude, but not before Luuk has found a proper replacement for him. He is currently recruiting withing the Dutch Marine Corps. Whoever follows him will have some large (running) shoes to fill. Lots of good luck to Luuk, Zenna, Lively and Fuego in their future endeavours!
Zenna, Luuk, and Lively portrayed in Aruba in June of 2025 – photo credits: photography_byelena
