Kendra Seaman liked volunteering during her spring breaks so much it led to a career path.

Now, Seaman, a recent Kansas University graduate, is helping organize a conference to help students at other universities start similar alternative spring break programs.

“They’re cheaper than going to Cancun, but you still get to go somewhere, and you get to see a different side of things,” Seaman said. “If you go to New York City and stay at a homeless shelter, it’s a much different side than if you just visited the city.”

KU is one of two sites for the 2002 Alternative Break Citizenship School, which begins Friday and runs through June 28. KU’s conference and one at the University of Vermont are organized by Alternative Break Connection Inc. in Tallahassee, Fla.

About 35 students from 17 universities will attend sessions at the Burge Union on such topics as recruiting students, funding and working with nonprofit organizations. They also will volunteer at the community garden and food pantry of Pelathe Community Resource Center, 1423 Haskell Ave.

Conference participants will hear from members of KU’s First Nations Student Assn. from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday at the South Park Community Center, 1141 Mass. They also will hear from Lawrence residents involved in American Indian issues during a session at 7 p.m. Monday at Stauffer-Flint Hall.

About 250 KU students participate in approximately 30 alternative break trips across the country each year. They tutor children and adults, assist with construction projects and work with the homeless.

The strength of KU’s program, which was established in 1994, helped lure the conference to Lawrence, said Dan McCabe, executive director of Alternative Break Connection.

“I’d say they’re in the top tier as far as size goes and as far as quality goes,” he said. “They’re probably one of the largest organizations in the country.”

For Seaman, a spring break trip to Philadelphia in 2000 helped lead her to the Teach for America program when she graduated in May. Seaman, who’s from Wichita, will teach in Oakland, Calif., this fall in the program that places teachers in low-income areas.

Her alternative break was spent in an overcrowded elementary school in Philadelphia. The volunteers painted games such as hopscotch on the school’s barren playground.

Seaman said she was hoping the KU conference would help others have similar experiences.

“We can share our experiences with other groups and learn how other organizations do things,” she said. “And it’s cool to brag on how good our program is.”