Just for kicks

Senior Makenzie Jordan was sitting on the bleachers one Saturday at a track meet, staring out at the field when inspiration struck her.

Makenzie saw all the shoes lying on the field, and she immediately envisioned a school wide shoe drive with hundreds of pairs up for donation. That night, Makenzie, her mom and her brother, freshman Brett Jordan, searched on the Internet for an organization that would help them.

“I wanted to do this because I want the less fortunate to have more chances in life,” Brett Jordan said.

After finding a number of credible nonprofit organizations, the Jordans led the drive from April 4 to April 12. Instead of using another company, the siblings established “Shoes for Athletes”, their own nonprofit organization. The siblings reached out to charities that wanted to participate in the drive, got collection boxes and made 500 flyers to put up around campus. They intended to collect at least 200 pairs of athletic shoes and split them among different charities including Mission Skid Row, Los Angeles Downtown Los Angeles Women’s Center and Soles 4 Souls which donates shoes to third world countries.

“I think what really inspired me to hold the drive is that it is really an opportunity to share the joy of competitive sports with those who would otherwise not be able to participate. I also hope the drive will allow them [Peninsula students] to experience a strong sense of compassion for those around them who are in need,” Makenzie Jordan said.

Makenzie hopes her brother will continue the drive after she graduates.

“I am excited to continue this in the future, but maybe just to switch things up, I could change the shoe drive to a hat drive or something similar,” Brett Jordan said.