City Council Mourns the Loss of Community Leader Gina DelleDonne
Gina’s community and political base was centered in her beloved Little Italy neighborhood but her compassion for Wilmington and its citizens extended citywide
Wilmington City Council President Theo Gregory joined today with 7th District Council Member Bob Williams and all Members of City Council in expressing sadness at the passing this morning of community leader Gina DelleDonne. City Council today expressed its condolences and support for Gina’s mother Barbara and her entire family and mourned the loss of a compassionate and caring member of the Wilmington community.
Gina DelleDonne’s family home is on Scott Street in the City’s 7th Council District which encompasses Wilmington’s Little Italy community. Gina’s home was known by many as a place where people were cared for whenever they were in need. Her home and family also served as the base for many of Gina’s community passions such as reducing crime, caring for people in need and improving the City’s parks. Gina was known to refer to herself as the Sherriff of Father Tucker Park which is next to her home and which she protected consistently.
Gina was active recently in the West Side Grows project which is a community-wide effort to improve the quality of life in numerous sections of west Wilmington. Gina was the founder of the “One Corner at a Time” anti-crime program which mobilized citizens to stand together where crime was occurring to defy the criminals and bring attention to the fact that these areas needed additional police protection for its citizens. She founded the “Cake for Cops” program a few years ago which involved a coordinated collection of cakes and other baked goods which would be delivered to police officers, firefighters and other first responders as a way to say thank you to the men and women who protect Wilmington and its citizens.
“Wilmington has lost a community leader who devoted her life to caring for her family and caring for her fellow citizens,” said Council President Gregory. “Her compassion and drive to make Wilmington a better City will be sadly missed and will leave a void to be filled by others who benefited from her kindness.”
For more information about this news release, contact:
John Rago
Communications and Policy Development Director
Wilmington City Council
Phone: (302) 576-2149
Mobile: (302) 420-7928
Email: jrago@WilmingtonDE.gov