When Shannon Curtis describes her arrival at the Grants Pass Gospel Rescue Mission as “fate, from God,” she isn’t just using a figure of speech. The connection actually happened at the dojo. Shannon holds a black belt in Kung Fu and trains at Wayne Owen Fighting Arts—the very same “kwoon” attended by the Mission’s Executive Director, Brian Bouteller. It was their instructor, Mrs. Bunny, who realized the perfect match: Brian was looking for a Store Manager, and Shannon was looking for a job!
Since taking the role in July 2025, Shannon has applied that same martial arts discipline to managing the Mission’s two thrift stores. When she isn’t at the store or doing some Kung Fu fighting, Shannon is likely enjoying the serenity of the Southern Oregon outdoors, hiking and camping with her family.
However, her day-to-day work environment is rarely peaceful. Shannon manages a unique mix of staff and program residents, a dynamic she humorously compares to herding a “house full of cats”. But she views this chaos as a vital classroom. To her, the thrift stores are far more than a retail operation; they are a training ground for life.
Many residents enter the program with gaps in their work history or struggles with social interaction. “It pushes them out of their comfort zone,” Shannon explains, “and that’s usually where you grow”.
Under Shannon’s guidance, residents learn technical skills like running a cash register, but more importantly, they learn emotional intelligence. They learn to work with personalities they might not naturally mesh with and how to take pride in their environment. Shannon recalls one resident who initially struggled to get along with his coworkers. Instead of giving up on him, she challenged him to take ownership of a disorganized section of the store. He didn’t just clean it; he reorganized and decorated it completely. He later sought her out, beaming as he said, “Look what I did to make this better!”
Shannon wants the community to know that the thrift stores are a vehicle for this kind of restoration. “The success of the thrift store is their success also,” she says. When you donate items or shop at the store, you aren’t just finding a treasure—you are funding the training that helps a neighbor rebuild their life.
