Fusco donates $5 million to A.I. duPont Hospital for Children

Retired Wilmington real estate developer Anthony N. Fusco, Sr. pledged $5 million to the expansion of Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children. His donation will go to the atrium entrance lobby. Fusco’s gift is the largest received by Nemours to date.

The atrium lobby, to be named for Fusco, will include a welcome center, an interactive Discovery Zone, a cafe, the Nemours Safety Store and the auxiliary-run hospital gift shop, The Red Balloon. A performance space in the lobby has been designated for concerts and other forms of entertainment.

Fusco was born in Italy and arrived in the United States at 2 years of age. A resident of Wilmington since then, he went on to become a successful businessman. Fusco has supported many causes and organizations in his home state, including Salesianum School and the Delaware Art Museum.

Retired Wilmington real estate executive and Nemours Board member Richard Christopher, in praising Fusco’s philanthropy, said: “I first met Tony in the 1970s when he had a business selling ceramic tile in the Prices Corner area [of Wilmington]. He was just starting to get into real estate development at the time. Tony worked hard all his life, from the time of his boyhood, really. He’s earned every bit of his success. It’s a pleasure for those of us who go back several decades with Tony to see him enjoying the fruits of his labor and to witness the joy that giving back to others has brought him.”

Fusco said he made the gift to Nemours in order to have a true impact on generations of children. “It’s been a good life,” he said. “I worked hard for the money I made and now I’m giving back. It’s satisfying to know that I’m leaving a legacy—something of which my grandchildren and great-grandchildren can be proud.”