sharing her warm HEART

MICHELLE KNIGHT/Acorn Newspapers Jordan Shepherd Eightyearold Jordan Shepherd climbed a 4foottall pyramid of coats on the driveway of her Camarillo home last week. Reaching the top, she declared herself queen of the mound.

For the past three weeks, Jordan and her mother, Kenda Shepherd, have collected nearly 600 donated winter coats for children in need in a drive they call Jordan's Jackets.

"If every kid could do this it would make the world a better place," Jordan said, climbing down the pyramid to sit on a bike in the garage.

Jordan came up with the idea after talking with her mom about what happens to children when their parents lose their jobs. At first, Jordan wanted to collect used shoes, but her mother vetoed that idea.

"Mom though it was too stinky," Jordan said.

But mother and daughter agreed to gather jackets during the summer to give to destitute children for the winter.

Shepherd e-mailed their plans to a couple of friends and contacted three schools in Camarillo to ask if they had unclaimed jackets or sweat shirts in their lostandfound to donate.

Word spread quickly, and three weeks later offers to donate winter coats came in from as far away as Oak Park and Malibu. One day last week, Shepherd and Jordan picked up eight bags donated by three elementary schools in Newbury Park. A Thousand Oaks mothers' club put the word out among its members, and Patagonia in Ventura donated 40 new jackets.

"I didn't anticipate this big of a situation," said Shepherd, a retired school teacher who tutors students in her home. "It kind of got overwhelming fast. . . . Everyone has been so insanely generous."

Family affair Jordan's dad, Jason Shepherd, set up an e-mail account so Jordan can communicate with potential donors. Her grandmother will store the jackets in her Newbury Park home until it's time to distribute them, and Jordan's 20-year-old brother Tyler Chafee will help with deliveries.

Jordan has the support of her family, but this is her undertaking. She accompanies her mother on every trip to pick up donations and says thank you to the donors. Jordan spent her allowance on laundry detergent and helps her mother wash the coats. In three weeks, they've laundered some 60 loads.

Jordan will help sort the jackets, which range in size from infant to adult, into bins and go with family members when it's time to deliver them. She plans to take the coats, rain slickers and sweat shirts to shelters for domestic violence victims, homeless families and abused children. Kenda Shepherd said they also want to donate jackets to treatment centers for mothers who've kicked an addiction and were recently reunited with their children.

Asked how she thinks she'll feel watching people who might not have a winter coat wear one that she collected, Jordan said simply, "I'm going to feel great."

Shepherd said her only daughter has always been a dynamo. At 4, Jordan finished a triathlon with her father. In January, she wanted to race BMX bikes and went from the novice class to expert in six months. Her 40 trophies line a 6-foot shelf in her bedroom.

Neighbor Eileen Castro has known Jordan and her family since they moved in eight years ago. Castro, a day care provider, has watched Jordan since she was 2.

Even as a toddler, Jordan gave away her toys to other children without expecting anything in return, Castro said. She credits Jordan's parents for setting the example and supporting her endeavors.

"They've just molded such a unique little person who has always wanted to help," Castro said. "For 8 years old, she's a very giving and generous little girl."

Shepherd will invite Castro to send over her day care children for a free lesson when she has an opening in her tutoring schedule. Shepherd also opens the classroom in her home to other children in the neighborhood free of charge, Castro said.

"That's why it doesn't surprise me (Jordan's) doing something like this," Castro said.

Shepherd said Jordan's Jackets could become an annual summer campaign for the family. The drive is likely to last through the summer; they'll begin distributing the coats in the fall, she said. But their plans are flexible. Having never done anything like this before, mother and daughter are taking each step as it comes.

"I did not have a business plan for this," Shepherd said with a chuckle.