Sadly, on May 22, 2014, the families of local deaf and hard of hearing children, along with her “family” at HOPE, had to say goodbye to Jan Johnston, one of the founders and supporters of HOPE School. At age 59, Jan passed away after a short but hard-fought battle with soft tissue sarcoma. Jan leaves behind a legacy of caring, teaching, advocating, mentoring, fighting like a bulldog, and loving that will continue to be in the hearts of the families she served and those who have the privilege of working with children with hearing loss. Spokane HOPE will strive to honor her vision and continue her mission to “optimize the acquisition of listening, learning and speaking skills in children who have hearing loss and to provide a supportive environment for their families”.
Since Jan passed away, there has been an outpouring of interest from the community to honor her legacy and a desire to support her mission. The Janet Johnston Memorial Scholarship has been formed to help ensure that all children with hearing loss have an opportunity to attend HOPE, regardless of their family’s ability to pay tuition.
Donations accepted through our secure system (click on the button below). Thank you for your hearts for local children with hearing loss on their journey to listen and talk for themselves.
Please feel free to contact Nicole Garrett at nicole@spokanehope.org with any questions or for additional information on donating.