An undergraduate who co-founded a nonprofit group that collects and distributes books for children and adults has received a national public service award that has been called the Nobel Prize of volunteering.

Vincenza Carrieri-Russo, AS ’08, who co-founded Success Won’t Wait to address literacy issues, was awarded one of five national Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Awards for 2006. Her organization collects books and distributes them to schools, libraries, community gathering spots, prisons and U.S. soldiers serving in Iraq.

The award was presented during a gala dinner in June at historic Union Station in Washington, D.C. Carrieri-Russo, who was introduced by U.S. Sen. Thomas Carper of Delaware, received a standing ovation from a gathering of more than 400 regional Jefferson Award winners, their family members and government officials after her name was announced in a brief video presentation.

An English major from Newark, Del., whose ambition is to become a broadcast journalist, Carrieri-Russo was selected from among five local Jefferson Award winners to represent the Delaware region. They attended the three-day national award ceremonies in Washington, which began with meetings with government officials and a black-tie welcome dinner.

“I didn’t expect to be the one to be chosen, especially after hearing all of the powerful stories at the [welcome] dinner,” Carrieri-Russo says. “It really touched my heart. I was crying. I turned to my parents after the dinner and said, ‘There is absolutely no way that I’m going to be picked. Everyone here deserves this award as much as I do.’”

Her voice choking with emotion at the presentation, Carrieri-Russo revealed that at the age of 5, she overcame a mysterious and potentially fatal illness that left her with a learning disability that only her family and close friends have known about.

“I overcame the disability with perseverance and determination. It took many, many years, and I still have to work even harder in school; I have to read things twice, three times, four times,” she told the audience. “Now I feel gifted that I am able to help others and hopefully stamp out illiteracy in my lifetime.”

Fighting back tears amid more applause, Carrieri-Russo paid tribute to her parents, Vincenzo and Johanna, her sister, Margherita, and her brothers, Italo and Vincenzo Jinny, all of whom attended the awards dinner.

“Thank you, Mom and Dad,” she said. “You two are the ones that made me who I am today. Everything I’ve learned. You’ve taught me to strive for the best, to set goals and achieve them. I will never forget what you have done for me. I am so happy you are here to support me today.” Newark Mayor Vance Funk III, who joined the Carrieri-Russo family at the event, says the national honor reflects the spirit of volunteerism that has grown in Newark.

“For the past two years, volunteerism has increased to an incredible level among the University students,” Funk says. “It’s fitting that a University student like Vincenza Carrieri-Russo receives the national honor, which she richly deserves.”

The Jefferson Awards program, established by newspapers and radio and television stations in 1972, recognizes individuals for their contributions to public and community service. It is designed to honor ordinary people who do extraordinary things without expectation of reward. The News Journal sponsors the program in the Delaware region.

Carrieri-Russo and Susan McNeill, AS ’86, who runs her own public relations business in Delaware, conjured up the idea for Success Won’t Wait three years ago. Carrieri-Russo was teaching McNeill’s daughter dance, and McNeill would bring books to read to her son during the lessons.

“We came up with an idea of creating a basket of books and placing it in the waiting room,” Carrieri-Russo says. “We just watched to see what would happen. You’d see kids pick up books and look at the books instead of picking up toys.”

Success Won’t Wait has mushroomed into a major effort to encourage literacy and reading with books distributed to schools, doctors’ offices, community centers, learning centers and residential libraries. McNeill says she guided Carrieri-Russo at the beginning of the project but that the younger woman has grown in her role.

“She was so young when it started … but now she’s taken on tremendous responsibility,” McNeill says. “She is incredibly motivated and has lots of energy. And, when she decides to do something, she just goes full out and does it.”

With help from volunteers and local businesses, Success Won’t Wait has collected more than 30,000 books for children, as well as for adults, including 1,000 for troops in Iraq, 2,000 for penal institutions and 1,000 to replace books lost by the Hockessin (Del.) Library during Hurricane Isabella.

With support from Marianne Green, assistant director of UD’s Bank of America Career Services Center, Carrieri-Russo organized a book drive on campus last fall that netted 2,000 more volumes for the project.

“She’s just a terrific young lady,” Green says. “She’s very well-organized, and it was a pleasure working with her. She went above and beyond the call of duty.”