At the heart of the event

Last Halloween Karen Jordan dressed up her children, packed her check

book and headed out to the Newport Coast Cares Halloween Carnival to

see what kind of fun she could scare up.

She didn’t really know the organization’s co-founders, Laura

Giffin and Brigitte Tehranchi. Their children went to the same school

and word around town was that the happening spot for ghoulish

entertainment was at the neighborhood shopping center.

“I just thought it was this fun thing, sort of what was going on,

the community-type thing,” the Newport Coast resident said. “I

thought I was just going there to play and buy some stuff. I knew it

was for a good cause, I just didn’t know what the cause was exactly.”

This year, Jordan can tell you what the cause is -- exactly.

Money raised from the haunting happening will benefit the Corazon

de Vida Foundation, a group dedicated to feeding, clothing and

providing for orphans in Baja Mexico.

This year, Jordan has been instrumental in the planning process of

the second annual carnival and Jordan, Giffin and Tehranchi have

become “dear friends.”

“I have met some of the greatest people,” Jordan said. “This is

just so grass roots. It is not administrative like [some other

charitable organizations]. They are just fantastic and emotionally

connected.”

They? You mean, “we,” Giffin said. Jordan has been crucial to the

success of the Newport Coast Cares because of her brains, heart and

generosity.

“She has just enabled us to pick it up some notches,” Giffin said.

“She is so bright and has really taken a leadership role in the

planning.”

So what does Jordan say is the highlight for this year’s carnival?

“The auction,” she said listing the great prizes she walked away

with last fall. “Ay ya yay! I got baby clothes, baby-sitting from a

company, a catered meal out on a Duffy boat ... what else, a basket

of kids toys -- so much stuff.”

-- Story by Lolita Harper