Seaford, DE — Lacie Amabili, RRT, a respiratory therapist at TidalHealth Nanticoke in Seaford, Delaware, was recently presented with the 2025 Leighton Moore Helping Hands Award by members of TidalHealth’s leadership team and the TidalHealth Foundation.
The Leighton Moore Helping Hands Award was established by TidalHealth’s Board of Directors in 2014 to honor team members who exemplify Moore’s spirit of giving back to the community.
Amabili was chosen from over a large group of nominees and was nominated not once, but four times. She has worked at TidalHealth since 2011 and was honored earlier this year with TidalHealth Nanticoke’s Tree of Life Award for her compassionate care and dedication to her patients, her team and the Sussex County community.
Amabili creates a significant, lasting impact in the community through her volunteer work and “random acts of kindness.” In her nominations, she was praised for her dedication, selflessness and her outstanding service to the less fortunate in the community. She is a strong advocate for her patients, whom she treats with compassion, kindness and gentleness. In one specific example, Amabili was recognized for purchasing a stuffed animal from the hospital gift shop for a child whose mother said they could not afford it.
Additionally, Amabili and her family volunteer their time each Sunday at Love INC of Mid-Delmarva in Seaford to prepare and serve meals, coordinate haircuts, and provide clothing and care packages with much-needed essential items for the local homeless community. She also purchases many resources for the homeless using her own money and takes in stray animals. Those who know her say she has the “heart of a saint” and note that “her deeds are her heart in action, and she finds satisfaction in the service of others.”
Amabili received a gift pack from the TidalHealth Foundation and her name will be added to the Leighton Moore Helping Hands Award plaque that is permanently displayed outside the Executive Office at TidalHealth Peninsula Regional.
Moore, a local philanthropist and owner of Seacrets, Jamaica USA in Ocean City, Maryland, is well known for his dedication to making a difference in his community, including his significant time and efforts to improve healthcare on Delmarva as a Past Chairperson of the TidalHealth Foundation Board of Directors.
Pictured from left to right: Jill Stone, PT, MPT, Senior Director, Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation and Respiratory Care, TidalHealth; Jessica Hales, CFRE, VP/Chief Philanthropy Officer, TidalHealth and President, TidalHealth Foundation; Lacie Amabili, RRT, Respiratory Therapist, TidalHealth Nanticoke; and Penny Short, MSM, BSN, RN, Senior Vice President, TidalHealth and President, TidalHealth Nanticoke.
