Proudly providing immediate assistance and support for children and first responders in Delaware
Join in our mission!
Be a Part Of
Our Mission
The Friends of Fusion Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization that provides immediate assistance and support for children and first responders in the State of Delaware. We also support organizations which provide help and services to the same populations.
*Children must be under the age of 18.
Meet
Our Board

Nic DeCaire
Nic DeCaire
Founder
Nic DeCaire is the founder of the Friends of Fusion Foundation. In 2006 he opened Fusion Fitness Center in Newark DE. This is where he found his passion for helping people and working with non profit organizations. In 2019 he decided to close Fusion Fitness Center to spend more time with his family and focus on his other company Fusion Racing. Nic has two children Josephine and Grace and a lovely wife Anne. When not working on Fusion Racing or the Foundation, he enjoys spending time on the family farm.

Jodi Drake
Jodi Drake
Born and raised in Delaware, Jodi resides in Newark with her 2 boys. She recently earned a Masters degree in School Counseling to continue her passion for helping children. She became involved with the Friends of Fusion Foundation through her love of running. In her free time she enjoys the beach and being outdoors.

Greg Gilbert
Greg Gilbert
Greg Gilbert is currently the secretary for the foundation. He has a B.S. in Marketing and Management degree from the University of Delaware and a M.S. in Education from Wilmington College. He is currently a teacher in Cecil County Maryland. Greg became involved with the foundation during his time as an ambassador for the Fusion Running Club in 2021. Before coming to the foundation Greg was fundraising for LLS through Team in Training and was a candidate for the LLS Man of the Year campaign in 2013. He resides in Newark with his wife, kids, and family pets. He spends his time running, reading, and spending time with his family.

Lisa Hatfield
Lisa Hatfield
Lisa Hatfield is native to Newark and a local attorney who became involved with Friends of Fusion Foundation through her love of both running and helping people. The mission of the Foundation is important to Lisa as she has worked closely with first responders for many years. Additionally, Lisa was the big sister to a brother with special needs and enjoys the opportunity to help children and families. When not busy with work and other commitments, Lisa enjoys her family, live music and traveling.

Robbie Jester
Robbie Jester
As a lifelong restaurant brat Robbie began his career hanging out in the kitchen of his parent’s Newark, DE sports bar. From there he began washing dishes and cooking in his family seafood restaurant which solidified his passion for kitchens and interest in delicious food.
A Culinary Institute of America graduate, Chef Robbie Jester is most well known for his appearances on Netflix Pressure Cooker, Guy’s Grocery Games, and Beat Bobby Flay. He has been at the helm of many local restaurants and legendary establishments such as DuPont Country Club, Hotel DuPont, Piccolina Toscana, Stone Balloon Ale House, Limestone BBQ and Bourbon, Eggspectation, and now as owner of Pizzeria Mariana and In Jest Private Chef and Events
When not working in the kitchen, Robbie is a huge believer in community contribution. He works tirelessly with the Delaware Restaurant Association ProStart Program, Project New Start, and other community organizations with a focus on feeding people and educating the chefs of tomorrow. He sits on the board of the Friends of Fusion Foundation serving children and first responders in the state of Delaware.

Matthew Loeb
Matthew Loeb
A local Wilmington boy, Matt loves staying involved with the community, especially when it comes to helping small local businesses find success. With a BFA from Pratt Institute in Communication Design, he is proficient in Adobe Creative Suite, but prefers sketching first. Matt has over 20 Years of Experience in Print & Internet Marketing. He works too much, but when he plays: Being outdoors, camping, hiking, golfing (ball & disc), playing music, cooking, making hot sauce, eating, drawing, brewing beer, gardening, whiskey, Flyers, Eagles, Phillies, Sixers. He wants to write and illustrate a children’s book. He misses his motorcycle, but loves restoring his 1969 Ford Truck. He needs to travel more. He resides in Wilmington with his beautiful wife, 13 year-old son and 9 year-old daughter. Oh…and what family isn't complete without three hound dogs, two cats, seven chickens and a turtle?!?

Jeffrey Leggett
Jeffrey Leggett
Jeffrey Leggett currently serves as the Foundation’s President, and has since its inception. Prior to starting his philanthropic sabbatical from the corporate sector in late 2018, Jeff spent almost thirty years in regulatory, compliance, risk assessment, and policy management positions at four major financial institutions in Delaware.
Jeff relocated from upstate New York in the mid-1980s to obtain his Master’s Degree in Marine Policy from the University of Delaware’s College of Marine Studies (now called the College of Earth, Ocean, and Environment).
Jeff is a life-long volunteer, and currently coaches the Newark Dragons and Wilmington Wizards Special Olympics cycling teams. He spent fifteen years on the Board of Directors of the Delaware Chapter of the March of Dimes, and has volunteered at Meals on Wheels Delaware, the Newark Area Welfare Committee, the Food Bank of Delaware, and his neighborhood’s Homeowners Association, to name a few.
Jeff enjoys competitions of all forms, including duathlons, biking, running, and triathlon relays, and he completed his first individual triathlon at the 2023 Escape the Cape. He also enjoys more tranquil activities such as reading, word games, and yoga. Jeff needs to stay active, though, because he eats too much dessert, especially chocolate and peanut butter ones…

Joe Murray
Joe Murray
A university of Delaware graduate, lifelong Delawarean, and four decade Newarkian, Joe Murray is the titular Captain (with his wife, Danielle) of Captain Blue Hen Comics, a Main Street, Newark fixture since 1980. Joe and his Captain Blue Hen crew have regularly raised funds or items for the American Cancer Society, Newark Area Welfare Committee, Hero Initiative, Book Industry Charitable Foundation, Nemours Children Hospital and a plethora of others including supporting his customers when they are in need. A proponent of children’s literacy and mental health, Captain Blue Hen works with schools and libraries from Maryland to New York. Joe is the vice-president of ComicsPro, an international trade organization of independent comic book shops. It is extremely difficult to get him to pose for a headshot.

Will Smith
Will Smith
Will Smith has always had a passion for helping people within his community. Will serves the Newark area as a Police Officer and has done so for over 15 years. Will has organized and participated in numerous fundraising and community events to benefit local charities and partners. In 2023, Will joined the board of Friends of Fusion Foundation and hopes to continue to build a relationship between the community and public service.

Deb Uff
Deb Uff
Deb has always enjoyed volunteering and helping people in need, and this was strengthened in 2016 when she became involved with Fusion Fitness Center and Nic DeCaire’s numerous fundraising projects. Combining her love of running and fitness, Deb became more involved in group fundraising and the community after being chosen as a Fusion Running Club ambassador in 2018. In 2019, Deb was honored to be asked to sit on the board of the newly formed Friends of Fusion Foundation, and continues to be enriched by the impact created by the Foundation.
Deb has called Delaware her home since coming to Newark in 1981 to attend U of D. After college, because of her love of the area, she stayed in West Newark and bought a house, where she still resides with her current dog Tippy. An accountant by trade, Deb works as a special projects accountant for a French wholesale distribution company, and rounds out her professional life as a freelance bookkeeper for a number of local businesses.
Participate In Our
Upcoming Events
Come meet the Friends of Fusion Foundation at the below events!
What's Coming Up?
Santa Cause 5K
Join us on December 9th for The “Original” Santa Cause 5K.
Put on your favorite ugly sweater and log some miles for charity!
Join us afterwards for our Box of Cheer Raffle and post race party at Klondike Kate’s festive Sleigh Bar!
Learn More
About Us
As Nic DeCaire was closing Fusion Fitness Center at the end of 2018, several community leaders, local business owners, and gym members asked how they could help to keep the community-focused ideals of the gym going, and build off the success of the numerous, successful team competitions Nic and his staff had run within Fusion Fitness (each of these team competitions benefited a different non-profit). After ruminating on it and a few key discussions later, the Friends of Fusion Foundation was born. A small Board of Directors was assembled, bylaws drafted, and the Foundation received its 501(c)(3) designation on August 5, 2019.
During Nic’s efforts to help raise money and build Preston’s Playground at the Newark Reservoir, it became apparent that the typical grant application process was a cumbersome, lengthy, and sometimes frustrating process. Thus, he knew one tenet of the Foundation would be to provide immediate assistance; he and the Board knew folks who needed help shouldn’t have to wait three to six months for a response to an application. The Board also decided to focus its mission on supporting first responders and children under the age of 18 and the organizations which provide help and support to those same populations.
Since the Foundation’s inception, the requests for immediate assistance, thankfully, have been few. We Board members knew early on that we would also have to be proactive and search out individuals and organizations which needed our help. We are here for when an immediate need arises, but we’re not content with raising money to build a bank account; we want to put that money back into our community where it’s needed.
Focusing on 2022 and 2023, the Foundation has donated over $35,000 into our community. (However, if you look at the big picture and the three areas under the Fusion umbrella – the former Fusion Fitness Center, the existing and successful Fusion Racing, and the relatively new and formalized Friends of Fusion Foundation – we estimate our total community involvement and donations to be in excess of $2 million.)
In 2022, the organizations which received our support include the Newark PAL, Preston’s March for Energy, Food Bank of Delaware Backpack Program, Newark Area Welfare Committee (through monetary donations, volunteer hours, and food donations), A Better Chance for Our Children, The TEARS Foundation, Delaware Center for Homeless Vets, Delaware 4H Foundation, Delaware Adolescent Program, Inc, Delaware National Guard Youth Foundation, and Presents with Police, among others. At the 2022 Battle of the Bars, we partnered with Project Seed and raised money to purchase backpacks, notebooks, pencils, colored pencils, and pens for children in underserved populations within New Castle County. In total, close to 300 backpacks filled with school supplies were given out.
In November 2022, Nic hosted a camping event at his farm to benefit The Delaware Kids Fund’s Operation Warm, which raises money to purchase coats for kids who otherwise wouldn’t have a warm coat for the winter. Fifteen hearty souls raised $7,800 during this event. The Executive Director of The Delaware KIDS Fund Leadership Team called this “a difference maker this year”. For this effort, the Foundation received the 2022 Delaware KIDS Fund Sam Hanna Ambassador of the Year award. Our latest success stories, and two which we are so proud of, are funding the Ronald McDonald House Hospitality Cart at Nemours and the creation of the Newark Police Department Officer of the Month Award.The Hospitality Cart at Nemours provides patients and their families with snacks, puzzles, books, and other items free of charge. In conjunction with Kids with Confidence, we are funding the Cart for one year.
In the Newark Police Department Officer of the Month Award project, the Newark PD leadership selects a deserving officer each month, and the Foundation donates $1,000 to a non-profit the officer selects from a list of vetted, Foundation mission-specific charities. In 2023, the officers have selected the Kind to Kids My Blue Duffel, Pets for Vets (Northern Delaware Chapter), Exceptional Care for Children, Supporting Kidds, the Public Safety Explorer Post, the Delaware KIDS Fund, the Brian Conley Veterans Resiliency Center, and the St. Vincent dePaul – St. John’s, Holy Angels Conference for the $1,000 donation given in their name. We are truly uplifted by this partnership with the Newark Police Department.
Finally, the Friends of Fusion Foundation isn’t just our Board Members; it is all our friends within our whole community. It is the runners and walkers and golfers and other supporters who have made over 4,500 monetary donations to us through Fusion Racing races and our fundraisers, such as the Friends of Fusion Foundation Golf Outings, Guest Bartender and Jail or Bail events, the 24 Days of Cheer, and the Battle of the Bars (which we’ve won three of the past four years, but who’s counting). We fully understand that we could not do what we do without the support of our community.
All About
Community Impact
$43,919 (to date)
Newark Police K9Fund: $574
St. Vincent DePaul – St. John’s/Holy Angels Conference: $1,000
Warriors Helping Warriors: $2,000
Live Like Lukas: $2,000
Supporting Kidds: $2,000
Children and Families First : $1,500
Best Buddies: $500
Ulster Project Delaware: $500
Delaware KIDS Fund: $1,000
Neighborhood House $3,000
Wilmington Firefighters Benevolent Fund: $1,000
Fit 4 Duty Foundation: $1,000
Kind to Kids: $500
Children’s Beach House: $1,000
Delaware ProStart Educational Fund: $500
That Parent Place: $1,700
AETNA: $1,045
Chris Pepe Memorial Scholarship: $3,000
Exceptional Care for Children: $1,000
Ronald McDonald House: $5,000
The TEARS Foundation of Delaware: $500
Pets for Vets: $1,500
Delaware National Guard: $2,100
Josie’s Grace – That Parent Place: $10,000
$30,823
Newark PAL: $1,500
Preston’s March for Energy: $1,925
Renee’s Rescue: $798
Delaware ProStart Educational Fund: $500
Delaware 4H Foundation: $500
Kind to Kids: $1,000
Pipes and Drums of the First State: $500
Food Bank of DE: $500
Better Chance for Our Children Inc.: $500
The TEARS Foundation of DE: $500
Delaware National Guard: $3,100
Delaware Center for Homeless Veterans: $1,000
Newark Police K9 Fund: $200
Newark Area Welfare Committee: $3,000
Chris Pepe Memorial Scholarship Fund: $2,000
Supporting Kidds: $3,200
The Newark Symphony Orchestra: $1,000
Delaware KIDS fund: $1,800
Delaware KIDS Fund Operation Warm: $7,300
Read About
Recent News



December 1, 2023
Box of Cheer Raffle is Back!
The Box of Cheer is back for its third year. This year the box is packed of wonderful holiday drinks and a second basket of cheer. Raffle tickets are 5 for $5, 12 for $10, or 30 for $20.
The winner will be drawn at the I’m Dreaming of a White Claw-mas 8K on Saturday, 12/16. You do not need to be present to win. All proceeds go directly to the Friends of Fusion Foundation.
To enter, send us your payment denomination with the subject, “Box of Cheer Raffle”. You do not have to be present to win!
November 23, 2023
Run for Pie 5K Collects Food Donations for Newark Area Welfare Committee
The Friends of Fusion Foundation was a charity partner for the Run for Pie 5k held on Thanksgiving morning. Over 600 registrants attended the event that was held at Glasgow Park. The Friends of Fusion Foundation collected can goods donated by the runners and walkers of the 5k. The donations will be given to the Newark Area Welfare Committee’s holiday food drive.


November 18, 2023
Friends of Fusion Camp Out for Coats
Eighteen campers braved the cold and camped at Southwood Farm to raise money for Sam’s KIDS (formerly Delaware KIDS Fund). The campers raised $9800.00, which will provide coats for almost 400 local children living at or below the poverty line. The second annual Southwood Farm campout was another success, increasing the donations raised by $2000.00 over last year.

NDPD – October, 2023
Newark Officers Named Officers of The Month for September
Congratulations to M/Cpl Menden and Cpl Klein of the Newark Delaware Police Department, who were both named the Friends of Fusion Foundation Officers of the Month for September. They were nominated for their work with the Girls on the Run International program at Downes (John R.) Elementary School.

WJBR – August, 2023
Newark Corporal Named Officer Of The Month By Friends of Fusion Foundation
“A local law enforcement officer has been honored for his dedication to helping children. Andrew Pagnotti, is the Newark Delaware Police Department Corporal named officer of the month by Friends of Fusion Foundation.”

Newark Post – August, 2023
Friends of Fusion Foundation Donates Large Memorial Flag to Aetna
“Like many fire departments, Aetna Hose Hook and Ladder Company often unfurls a large American flag from the top of its ladder truck during funerals and other public events. Thanks to a contribution from a local nonprofit, that display of honor and patriotism will look better than ever.“

Newark Post – February, 2023
Conover honored as Friends of Fusion Foundation Officer of the Month
“Sgt. Jay Conover of the Newark Delaware Police Department was named the Friends of Fusion Foundation Officer of the Month for February. Each month, the nonprofit selects one officer for the award and donates $1,000 in the officer’s name to a local charity that supports kids or first responders.”
Contact Us!