Leadership Spokane classmates make two women’s individual journeys possible

Strangers until a week ago, two Spokane women have tickets on a 6 a.m. Saturday flight to Colorado for a journey that isn’t about sightseeing.

For Megan Curran and Kitara Johnson, it’s about fulfilling dreams and experiences they didn’t even know they shared until Leadership Spokane colleagues connected dots. The group’s 2016 leadership class then collectively arranged the travel and pitched in $1,500 for their trip.

Curran, 35, who is in that leadership class, had simply shared with a few people a desire one day to visit her parents’ graves near Denver, part of navigating toward recovery from years of heroin addiction and homelessness.

“I’m in recovery and part of recovery is you make amends,” Curran said. “Part of that for me is going to see my parents’ graves.”

She thought that opportunity would be “way off,” however. Coming now, “It means the world to me.”

Johnson, 37, is a 2008 Leadership Spokane alum and Army veteran who spoke Jan. 8 to Curran’s class on diversity and leadership skills forged after a troubled youth around drugs and gangs. She teaches how to work with children who have adverse childhood experiences and has a background in counseling and working with PTSD.

The two didn’t meet that day. But three days after her talk, Johnson shared a Facebook wish to fulfill a dream to watch her college-aged son wrestle Jan. 31 at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs.

Elysia Spencer, also in the leadership class, saw that post. She sent a copy of it in an email to Brian Newberry, the program’s executive director, along with, “Thoughts?”

They called Curran and Johnson, who agreed to travel together if class members could come up with a plan.

“I kind of put two and two together,” said Spencer, who works at WSU Spokane. “It’s like, why not now? There are 53 in the class aside from Megan. We thought we could all pitch in $25.”

She emailed the class Jan. 15 explaining the scenario and a desire to have someone accompany Curran “so she is not facing her past alone.” She outlined a budget.

Within an hour, she received class pledges totaling $700. Soon, a member pre-purchased the airplane tickets. Another classmate arranged a Friday night stay at Northern Quest Casino & Resort after the Leadership Spokane Gala there, so the women could take an early Saturday airport shuttle. The same classmate arranged bargain lodging in Colorado.

Someone else found a car rental dealership allowing debit transactions, and other details fell into place. As soon as they land, Curran and Johnson plan to spend Saturday as “Megan’s day,” visiting the cemetery together. Jan. 31 is “Kitara’s day,” with both women cheering for Johnson’s son, Terrance McKinney, a wrestler at Chadron State.

“My friend is making us a T-shirt to cheer for Terrance,” Johnson said. “The shirt will say ‘Leadership Spokane Class of 2016’ on the front, and on the back, ‘Teamwork makes the dream work.’ It means a lot to me to see him wrestle.”

Johnson said when she first was asked to be Curran’s “wingman,” it took her a minute to identify with the Air Force term. “In the Army, we say battle buddy so when I thought about it, I said OK, yes, it all makes sense now. Absolutely.”

“It was meant to be,” Johnson added. “I went astray as a teen. I know what it feels like when you have to make amends. It’s not easy to open up and share your story; internally it’s a battle in your mind. I really value the opportunity to be of service for Megan.”

Curran traces her turnaround to January 2014, when she left Deaconess Hospital and promised doctors for her heart valve replacement surgery that she’d work to stay clean from drugs.

“It came with the doctors’ choice to give me a surgery,” she said. “They didn’t have to because it was related to my using, so that is the biggest gift I’ve ever received.”

She entered treatment and then moved into Miryam’s House, a program of the nonprofit Transitions, to recover. Today, Curran lives on her own and works as a receptionist. She received the Smith-Barbieri Fund Scholarship for Leadership Spokane tuition this past fall.

Another class member, Mark London, said he, Spencer and Newberry first talked at the Jan. 8 session about how to help Curran get to Colorado. London shared a thank-you note Curran had written to him that day for a speech he’d delivered.

“I spoke on the language of grief, and how grief can hurt and imprint your life,” London said. “She wrote about her own loss, that she had a similar experience. It’s a pretty special note. I showed it to Elysia and Brian, and that sparked a conversation to find a way to fulfill her wish.”

Spencer added, “We’ve all been inspired by Megan’s story, what she’s overcome, what she’s giving back. Now, we’re doing something that potentially will have an impact on two people’s lives for the rest of their lives.”

Curran said before Leadership Spokane, accepting the gift of this trip would have been difficult, describing herself as someone who has so much to pay back to so many.

“I’m learning that servant leadership is only effective if we allow each other the opportunity to serve and build each other up.”

“As servant leaders, we take turns,” she added. “I’ll get to pay forward the amazing love and generosity my classmates have shown in ways I don’t even know about yet. This journey of servanthood is lifelong.”