Beebe honors Abessinio for $6 million gift
Rocco A. Abessinio said his family has had an attachment to Sussex County for 75 years. He called it their home away from home.
Abessinio was joined July 29 by his wife, Mary, and 12 more family members at Beebe Healthcare’s medical campus near Rehoboth Beach, which now bears the Abessinio name.
Beebe leaders officially honored the Abessinios for the $6 million gift they gave to the healthcare system earlier this year. It is Beebe’s second-largest donation ever.
“I’ve been blessed with being successful, blessed with being able to go out and contribute,” Abessinio said.
He told a story about his son, Peter, that endeared the family to Beebe early on.
“About 50 years ago, Peter fell out of bed and got a big gash on his head. Where did we take him? Beebe. My wife said they did the best stitching job she ever saw,” he said.
Abessinio grew up in Wilmington and graduated from Salesianum School. He founded Applied Card, a company that became one of the world’s largest issuers of credit cards.
He has donated some of his fortune to build a football stadium at Salesianum and to A.I. duPont Children’s Hospital. In May, the Abessinios donated $5 million to a hospital in Boca Raton, Fla., where they currently live.
Abessinio said his philanthropy is all about getting the family name out there.
“We have our name on buildings, and I do it primarily to honor my grandfather, who was an orphan. He came here [from Italy] penniless, couldn’t speak English. But [he] still managed through a shoeshine business to do very well for himself,” Abessinio said.
The Abessinios’ gift to Beebe will create an endowment fund for generations to come.
“That fund will be there forever, giving, helping and serving our community,” said Tom Protack, Beebe Medical Foundation president. “It will also continue to grow the future contributions from others to help Beebe grow into its next 100 years.”
Christian Hudson, who chairs the Beebe Medical Foundation board of directors, said the Abessinios’ gift put the Sussex Supports Beebe Healthcare fundraising campaign over the $30 million mark.
Hudson said they hope to reach the final-stretch goal of $40 million by 2026.
