The Season of Giving Back

Cape Cod Healthcare employees make spirits bright by donating their time and leading holiday fundraising efforts to support local foster children and families in need.

Program director Ali Geroche and Holly Seaver.

Holly Seaver
Cape Cod Foster Closet

Holly Seaver’s role at Cape Cod Healthcare is mostly behind the scenes. But her volunteer work at Cape Cod Foster Closet, however, often puts her front and center—planning events and creating joyful moments for foster children and their caregivers.

As an oncology data specialist in the Cancer Registry, Seaver reports cancer diagnoses and treatment data from Cape Cod Hospital and Falmouth Hospital to the state—information that helps inform cancer care nationwide. After 32 years with Cape Cod Healthcare, including roles in the C-Lab and pathology, she understands the value of meaningful work that makes a big impact.

Seaver brings that same sense of purpose to her volunteer work with Cape Cod Foster Closet. The organization provides free clothing and essential items to children in foster and kinship care and their families across the Cape. At the Foster Closet’s Orleans location, the space is a welcoming boutique–meets–community hub: clothing is neatly organized by size, from babies to teens; seasonal and holiday merchandise are displayed up front; and shelves and bins in the back are stocked with essentials like diapers, wipes and other supplies families often need right away. The organization supports children ages 0 to 18—and it shows in the wide range of items, from tiny onesies to youth hoodies and winter layers.

“It’s incredible to see how much dignity this space gives families,” says Seaver. “They can come in, get what they need, no questions asked and leave feeling supported.”

Her connection to foster care is grounded in first-hand experience. Seaver and her husband, Ralph, have fostered for seven years, welcoming 18 children into their home through a mix of long-term and short-term placements. She’s seen firsthand how quickly children can arrive with very little. “Some of them come with garbage bags,” says Seaver, sometimes filled with clothing that doesn’t fit, sometimes with almost nothing.” When she discovered the Cape Cod Foster Closet, she found immediate support close to home—and decided to give back. “My philosophy is that if someone is going to help me, I’m going to help them back.”

Today, Seaver helps plan and lead four free family events each year, including free bowling and lunch during school vacations; learn how to hip-hop day, gym days, drumming and movement workshops; and creative activities designed to let kids simply be kids. While children play and socialize, caregivers have the chance to connect, share resources and learn they’re not alone.

Ali Geroche, program director of the Cape Cod Foster Closet, said the organization this year supported more than 250 children through 600-plus interactions across the Cape and Islands. The group has also logged more than 2,000 volunteer hours, powered by more than 50 volunteers.

Volunteers like Seaver play a critical role in the organization’s impact. “Holly understands these families because she’s lived it,” says Geroche. “Having someone who can relate to their experiences—and help create spaces where kids can just have fun—makes a real difference.”

For Seaver, it all comes back to giving back to the community that once helped her. “I know the needs because I’ve been there,” says Seaver. “When families walk through the doors and say, ‘Thank you so much—you’re really helping me,’ that stays with you. This organization helped me tremendously, and now I’m grateful to be able to help others.”

Cape Cod Foster Closet is located at 195 Route 6A in Orleans and has a second location in Falmouth inside the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Falmouth, 840 Sandwich Road in East Falmouth. For more information, call 508-514-7125 or visit capecodfostercloset.org.

Back row: Jill Oxley, MD, Naomi Kalliath, DO, Jeannine Comolli, RN, Maddie Lower, RN. In front: Ann Coggeshall, breast patient navigator, and Stephanie Ellis, NP

Breast Care Surgery Team
The Giving Tree

A Christmas tree adorned with handwritten gift tags brightened the Breast Care Center this holiday season. For the fifth year, each tag represented a local child and a wish waiting to be fulfilled.

Led by the Cape Cod Healthcare Breast Surgery team, the Giving Tree has grown into a meaningful tradition rooted in generosity, teamwork and community connection. Stephanie Ellis, NP, who coordinates the effort, works closely with a counselor at Hyannis West Elementary School to discreetly support families in need.

“We adopt a family,” says Ellis. "The school provides a list, and we make sure every child’s wishes are covered.”

Wish lists ranged from practical items like hats and gloves to more playful surprises, including a mini pottery studio set and Marvel Spider-Man-themed toys.

Ellis transcribes each child’s request onto tags placed on the tree. Team members select a tag, shop for the item and return the wrapped gift, clearly labeled to ensure it reaches the right child. The gifts are then personally delivered to the school in time for the holidays.

“I’m always giving back to the community,” says Ellis, who previously served for 12 years on the Barnstable School Committee. “I raised my kids here. People showed up for them when they were growing up, so you have to keep that going—for all the kids who come next.”

Through a simple tree and a shared commitment to caring, the breast surgery team turns compassion into action—ensuring local children feel remembered, supported and celebrated during the holiday season.

“I only hope that this gives others the desire to support those less fortunate during the holidays and every other day,” says Ellis.

Glenn English and his wife, Anne Kilgallon-English

Glenn English and daughter, Jada, at the Cape Cod Ambassadors holiday celebration earlier this month in Hyannis.

Glenn English
Cape Cape Ambassadors

For Glenn English, compassion isn’t confined to the walls of Falmouth Hospital—it’s a value he carries into every corner of his life. A clinical specialist in physical therapy at Falmouth Hospital, Glenn has spent more than 25 years helping patients regain strength, mobility and confidence during some of their most vulnerable moments. That same steady presence guides his volunteer work alongside his wife, Anne Kilgallon-English, with Cape Cod Ambassadors, a nonprofit organization that brings hope and healing to local children in foster or kinship care and those who have experienced trauma.

Together, Glenn and Anne have dedicated decades to foster care, opening their home to an estimated 70 to 90 children over the years, including three they adopted. Their commitment naturally led them to Cape Cod Ambassadors, which provides year-round support through summer camps, mentoring and special events.

One of those events is the organization’s annual holiday celebration, held at the Emerald Resort in Hyannis earlier this month. The gathering welcomed nearly 60 children for an afternoon of games, crafts and music, along with a catered lunch and a toy-store-style gift experience made possible largely through community donations. Each child received a new gift, such as a game, Legos or a puzzle.

“They all walked out with smiles on their faces and big bags filled with gifts,” says Anne. “That’s not what it’s about—but it’s Christmas time and it makes a difference.”

Anne, a former Cape Cod Healthcare nurse of 15 years, serves as a longtime advocate for foster families, while Glenn lends his support wherever it’s needed—from setting up events and transporting children to coaching small groups and ensuring every child feels safe and seen. “Sometimes helping just means being present,” says Glenn. “Letting kids know they are loved, that they matter, even for a few hours.”

At his job as a PT, Glenn applies the same philosophy with patients recovering from surgery or illness. “We see hips, knees, mostly elderly patients who come in with a diagnosis,” he says. “The doctors take care of them, and our job is to make sure they’re safe to go home or safe to go to rehab. We also do joint classes—hips and knees—and get them home the first day. We coordinate with nurses and try to help patients get through their hospital stay in a kind, loving, grateful way.”

For Glenn and Anne, volunteering isn’t about recognition. It’s about consistency, trust and showing children that their past does not define their future.

“It’s about showing up,” Glenn says. “If you can help a child feel safe and cared for—even for a moment—that can change everything.”

For more information, visit capecodambassadors.com

Back row, left to right: Cindy Decker, lead transcriptionist in Medical Records; Katie Goulart, director of Patient Access; Jill Basler, manager of Medical Records and HIM privacy officer; Erin Robo, manager of Hospital FCC and Central Scheduling; and Robert Adelstein, supervisor of Hospital Billing. Front row: Katherine Dimonda, lead EMR specialist; Morgan Brown, senior analyst, training and development; and Stephanie Strelecki, supervisor, Professional FCC.

CCHC staff filled boxes with canned goods, pasta and rice to support families in need.

Janice Vintro, feeding program assistant at The Salvation Army in Hyannis, organizes the donations delivered by Cape Cod Healthcare teams.

Revenue Cycle, Finance and Medical Records teams
Food Drive for Salvation Army

The Revenue Cycle, Finance and Medical Records teams kicked off the season of holiday giving in a big way. Earlier this month, five SUVs from North Street and Communication Way pulled into The Salvation Army in Hyannis overflowing with nonperishable food items — rice, pasta, soups, cereal and more — all donated to support local families in need.

On that day, it felt less like cars arriving and more like sleighs lined up delivering goodwill.

The group began collecting goods on November 17 and quickly rallied colleagues across the organization. “We wanted to do something that would make an immediate difference for families who are struggling,” said Cindy Decker (aka Cindy Lou Who), lead transcriptionist in Medical Records, who helped organize the drive. “Everyone pitched in without hesitation. It was heartwarming to see how quickly the boxes filled up.”

Over the past few weeks, donation boxes at North Street and Communication Way steadily filled, ultimately resulting in cartloads of food that will help stock the shelves at The Salvation Army during a time when community need is especially great.