Joanne Canellos, of Sterling, has already begun her holiday baking for a worthy cause. While some are baking pies and sugar cookies, Canellos is hard at work making baklava– a layered pastry dessert filled with nuts and sweetened with syrup or honey.
Last year, Canellos raised $3,200 for the pediatric unit of Capital Caring Health, a nonprofit that provides patients and families with the “highest quality of advanced illness care.” She chairs the pediatric volunteer committee for the nonprofit. This year, from her baking, she hopes to raise $5,000 at minimum to fund the pediatric unit for the non-profit hospice and palliative care organization that serves the DC Metro region.
As the year prior, Canellos is baking each tray of baklava with gratitude. Canellos has volunteered with the nonprofit’s Elf Squad for the last five years. This volunteer group collects presents for the holidays and delivers to children facing a life-limiting prognosis.
“These funds help our initiatives throughout the year such as birthday gifts, monthly themed baskets and our Elf Squad that provides gifts for all our pediatric patients and families,” says Canellos. “This year we’re already using the funds to buy gift cards for siblings of our patients as part of our Elf Squad.” Canellos says every patient and siblings receives a holiday box, which is roughly 65 families at the moment.
The baklava is a $1 per piece, or how much one is willing to donate. In addition to purchasing the home-made baklava, people who want to help can purchase gifts from the Amazon wish list for pediatric patients. Purchases are asked to be done by Nov. 25 as deliveries start Dec.3.
Anyone interested in donating or receiving an order, can reach Joanne through email, jcanellos@gmail.com.
Capital Caring Hospice
Capital Caring provides “patients and their families with the highest quality advanced illness care,” according to its mission statement. “Patients and families impacted by advanced illness receive the care and wrap-around services they need and deserve regardless of a families’ ability to pay.”
As a non-profit, Capital Caring Health is proud of providing $3 million annually in inpatient care services to families without coverage or financial means to pay for the care they need. Capital Caring Health spends nearly 90 cents of every dollar raised directly on patient care and family support.
Learn more at capitalcaring.org.
