KU students serve as volunteers at sites throughout the U.S. during winter break

LAWRENCE -- Winter break was shorter for 69 University of Kansas students who spent a week volunteering in KU's Alternative Winter Break Program, Jan. 4 through 11.

The winter break program allows students who apply and enroll in the class "Special Projects in the Community" to travel in groups of six to eight to sites across the United States to perform community service for a week.

The class focuses on service learning. Panels of past alternative break participants or community guests speak about issues students might experience as community volunteers. Team-building activities, such as preparing a "code of ethics" for each group of students to follow, may be included in the class.

Names of participating students are listed by home county and state in this directory.

Kansas home counties: Allen, Atchison, Barton, Butler, Chase, Crawford, Douglas, Ellsworth, Franklin, Harvey, Jackson, Johnson, Leavenworth, Lyon, McPherson, Miami, Pottawatomie, Riley, Rooks, Saline, Sedgwick and Shawnee.

The following are the Alternative Winter Break sites and responsibilities:

ARIZONA
Elgin: Students volunteered at the National Audubon Society's Appleton-Whittell Research Ranch. They helped the society with conservation, research and outreach projects by building wildlife-friendly fencing, removing non-native plants, and restoring and repairing on-site facilities.

FLORIDA
Hobe Sound: Students volunteered at the Blowing Rocks Reserve, a 73-acre barrier island sanctuary along the coastline. They helped protect the natural habitats of threatened sea turtles, shorebirds and small mammals by replanting native plants.
Zellwood,: Students volunteered at Anthony House, a rural homeless shelter that provides ongoing services and shelter for homeless people. Students assisted with food preparation, adult education and visitation.

KENTUCKY
Morehead: Students volunteered at Frontier Housing Inc., a nonprofit organization that focuses on building affordable housing for people in need in the Appalachia region. Students helped build or renovate homes, which will be sold at no profit.

LOUISIANA
Hammond: Students worked on Southeastern Louisiana University's Baldcypress Restoration Project, an ongoing effort to protect swamp habitats for plants and animals that are quickly disappearing. They planted trees and removed non-native plant species from the Turtle Cove Environmental Research Station.
New Orleans: Students volunteered for Teach for America, a national program in which first- and second-year teachers teach in urban and rural under-resourced schools. Students helped the teachers with their classrooms and extracurricular and community activities.

TENNESSEE
Nashville: Students volunteered at Senior Citizens Inc. by assisting senior citizens in their homes with physical tasks such as housekeeping and repairs.

TEXAS
Carrollton: Students volunteered at Bea's Kids, a nonprofit organization that provides academic, financial and personal support to underprivileged, at-risk children and their families. Students mentored and tutored children and cleaned and reorganized storage closets.
Dallas: Students volunteered at United Cerebral Palsy-Dallas by assisting people of all ages with everyday activities and providing emotional support.
Houston: Students worked at the AIDS Foundation of Houston. They helped prepare meals at the foundation's soup kitchen and handed out fliers and safe sex packets on the streets as part of the foundation's educational outreach program.