40 students honored for community service

4:08 p.m., May 4, 2006--Forty University of Delaware students were honored by the city of Newark and the Town & Gown Committee for service to the community in a ceremony at city hall, Monday, May 1.

Newark Mayor Vance A. Funk III told those being honored that he is committed to volunteerism and to cementing the relationship between UD students and the mayor's office through volunteerism.

Marianne Green, assistant director of UD's MBNA Career Services Center, presented the awards. She said the career services center maintains a web site, [www.udel.edu/CSC/volopp.html], that lists volunteer opportunities in Newark and throughout the country. Before handing out the certificates, she thanked the students. “You've really made a difference to our community,” she said.

After the 40 had received their certificates of appreciation, Green introduced Dennis Woolf to present the Nikki Woolf Volunteer of the Year Award.

Woolf established the award in 1994 to honor the memory of his daughter, Nikki, a UD student who died when she was hit by a car while crossing I-95. Woolf said his daughter, a dedicated volunteer always anxious to help others, was instrumental in establishing VOICE, a group of psychology students who mentor patients at the Delaware Psychiatric Center.

The 2006 Nikki Woolf Award went to Vincenza Carrieri-Russo, a junior English major, for co-founding Success Won't Wait Inc., a literacy organization that encourages kids to read and then keeps them reading.

She also is a 2006 recipient of the Daily Points of Light Award given by the Points of Light Foundation founded by former President George H.W. Bush to promote volunteerism and the Jefferson Award for Delaware established in 1972 by Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, U.S. Senator Robert Taft Jr. and Sam Beard for public and community service. Local Jefferson Awards recipients are ordinary people who do extraordinary things without expectation of recognition or reward.

Junior Vincenza Carrieri-Russo receives the Nikki Woolf Award from Dennis Woolf, Nikki's father, (right) and Newark Mayor Vance Funk.

Since Success Won't Wait was founded in 2002, Carrieri-Russo has logged almost 1,000 documented community service hours in a variety of capacities. She has organized dozens of statewide book drives, the most recent for Make a Difference Day at UD. The drive netted several thousand books. To date Carrieri-Russo has collected more than 30,000 with a goal of collecting 50,000 and expanding the organization to surrounding states.

Upon accepting the award, Carrieri-Russo thanked the mayor, Green and family members, who, she said, “taught me everything.” She especially thanked Woolf, who, she said, “turned a horrible tragedy into something worthwhile.”

These UD student volunteers were recognized at the May 1 ceremony:

Andrew Korinda, EG '07, of Clarks Summit, Pa., AIDS Delaware;
Nguyen Dinh, BE '06, of Newark, Alzheimer's Association;
Heather C. Dixon, CHS '06, of Wilmington, American Red Cross, Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America;
Patrick Riley, AS '06, of Boiling Springs, Pa., and Nikhil Paul EG '09, of New Castle, American Red Cross Campus Club, co-founders;
Antwain Flowers, CHEP '05, of Wilmington, Clarence Fraim Boys & Girls Club;
Natosha Lynn Goldsberry, AS '09, of Newark, Delaware Breast Cancer Coalition Inc.;
Mary Akhimien, AS '06, of Bear, Delaware Futures;
Rebekka Schultz, AG '07, of Havertown, Pa., Delaware Nature Society;
Allison Sussman, AG '07, of Ashton, Md., Delaware Nature Society;
Audrey Dandoy, AS '07, of Newark, Delaware Pro Life Coalition Inc.;
Caryn Abrams, CHEP '07, of Staten Island, N.Y., Emmaus House of Homeward Bound Inc.;
Geoffrey Scott Bender, CHEP '07, of Glenwood, Md., Emmaus House of Homeward Bound Inc.;
Rachel Alper, AS '09, of Egg Harbor Township, N.J., “Circle K” childcare program;
Marissa Bailey, AS '08, of Cuddebackville, N.Y., “Circle K” childcare program;
Jonathan Hinkle, EG '07, of Carlisle, Pa., “Circle K” childcare program;
Allison Jervis, AG '09, of West Chester, Pa., “Circle K” childcare program;
Amanda Lodato, CHEP '08, of Toms River, N.J., “Circle K” childcare program;
Sarah Sturtz, AS '08, of Nesconset, N.Y., “Circle K” childcare program;
Kelly Bosworth, CHEP '08, of Milltown, N.J., HOSTS Mentoring Program-Downes Elementary School;
Jenna Haffey, AS '09, of Warrington, Pa., HOSTS Mentoring Program-Downes Elementary School;
Megan McElroy, CHEP '08, of West Islip, N.Y., HOSTS Mentoring Program-Downes Elementary School;
Julia Hagelberg, BE '06, of Pittsford, N.Y., Junior Achievement of Delaware;
Sarah Baird, AS '06, of Newark, Kalmar Nyckel Foundation;
Chris Daniels, AS '06, of Bear, Kalmar Nyckel Foundation;
Michelle Mormul, AS '08/PhD, of Westminster, Calif., and Newark, Kalmar Nyckel Foundation;
Adib Rushdan, AS '06, of New Castle, Kappa Alpha Psi;
Chelsea Erickson, AS '07, of Bel Air, Md., Lutheran Community Services-Fellowship in Serving the Hungry (FISH);
Craig Gillund, BE '09, of Newark, Lutheran Community Services-FISH;
Catherine Singley, AS '08, of Belle Mead, N.J., Lutheran Community Services-FISH;
Jillian Hall, AS '08, of Marlborough, Mass., New Castle County 4-H;
Alison Krull, CHEP '06, of Forest Hill, Md., Newark Senior Center;
Clare O'Keefe, AS '06, of West Kingston, R.I., Newark Manor;
Ray L. Garcia, AS '08, of Bear, Norman Frederick Ministry;
Alison Glenn, CHS '07, of Hummelstown, Pa., Odyssey Health Care;
Christine Jenks, CHS '08, of Douglassville, Pa., Odyssey Health Care;
Justin Jones, AS '06, of Newark, Odyssey Health Care;
Stacey Lavalley, CHEP '06, of Newnan, Ga., Paws for People (Pet-assisted Visitation Volunteer Services Inc.);
Caitlin Nichols, CHEP '06, of Cornwall-on-Hudson, N.Y., Planned Parenthood of Delaware;
Callie J. Winslow, CHEP '06, of Newark, Planned Parenthood of Delaware;
Lindsay Uffelman, AS '08, of Townsend, Seamen's Center of Wilmington Inc.;
Judith Keller, AS '09, of Hockessin, Tri-State Bird Rescue;
Erin McDowell, AG '08, of Georgetown, Tri-State Bird Rescue; and
Susan Drake, CHEP '06, of East Islip, N.Y., World Trade Center Delaware.

Article by Barbara Garrison
Photos by Duane Perry

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