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<< Previous   of   Next >> Darren Breen / The Herald  (click to enlarge) Jordan Kiel, 8, of Edmonds, with her dog Sandy, a 1-year-old golden Labrador retriever, raised more than $200 for the Humane Society after reading a flier asking for donations. "I've loved (animals) for all my life and I felt sad that they were dying, so I decided to raise money for them." she said.   ADVERTISEMENT   CONTACT THE HERALD Robert Frank, City Editor frank@heraldnet.com   Published: Tuesday, June 17, 2008 Edmonds' Jordan Kiel is a pet's best friend By Sarah Koenig For the Herald EDMONDS -- Jordan Kiel is an animal lover and she's creative in finding ways to help them. Waving stuffed animals at passing cars last month to attract drivers to a bake sale was only one of her efforts to raise money for the Humane Society of Snohomish County. It started when Jordan, 8, of Edmonds, read a flier in April asking people to donate to the Humane Society to save animals without homes. "I thought it was really, really sad because all those animals were getting killed so I wanted to help," Jordan said. Jordan, who has a cat named Zorro and a dog named Sandy, has loved animals her whole life. At first, she just liked them because they were "cute and soft and fuzzy," she said. "Then I started loving their real hearts -- loving them because of who they were," she said. Last month, Jordan kicked off her efforts with a speech to her second-grade classmates announcing her intent to raise $100 for the Humane Society, along with friend Bella Mathias. She left an envelope at the front of the classroom for donations and raised $14. Jordan's next step was a bake sale. She and a friend made cookies and set up a table near Woodway Meadows Cemetery. They put up two large signs that said "Bake Sale to Save Animals." The girls waved stuffed animals at cars to get drivers to stop and buy. That raised $45. Since then, she's been writing her neighbors and her relatives in Minnesota asking for donations. "I hope everybody starts to save animals," Jordan said. So far she has raised $225.40. This week she plans to deliver the money to the Humane Society Snohomish County office in Arlington, said her dad, Chris Kiel. "I wasn't even aware she was doing it," said Kiel's mother, Sherri Blevins. The first she heard was when she was told about Kiel's speech at school. "This entire project was her idea," said Pat LaPlant, Kiel's great-aunt. "(She's) a very determined young girl." Jordan plans to continue with the project through the summer, her dad said. "We're pretty proud of her," he said. Sarah Koenig is a reporter for the Enterprise in Lynnwood. By the numbers Animals in the Kiel household: 2 Jordan's grade in school: 2 Age: 8 Money raised for Humane Society first day: $14 Money raised at bake sale: $45 Total raised: $225.40

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