Each spring, hundreds of people gather for a festival of storytelling, music, and dance. Stories have the power to bridge the gaps that exist between us—that's what Rachel Hedman has always believed.
When it came to storytelling, Rachel always displayed a deep interest in the art, whether in acting out Rumpelstiltskin as a child, or her more serious pursuit in storytelling competitions in high school. As a college student, Rachel started the BYU Storytelling Club and was amazed at all of the opportunities that presented themselves—the world needs storytellers!
After college, Rachel started Story Crossroads, an organization whose mission is to unify people of all ages and cultures through the art of storytelling. All throughout the year, Story Crossroads offers workshops that train participants in story creation and telling. Each spring, professionals and beginners alike gather at the storytelling festival to share in stories together. Rachel expresses how “storytelling can build bridges. When we’re living in a world that feels so divided, stories are one of the fastest ways to build bridges. That is where we can celebrate our goodness as humans more.”
After losing her husband, one senior woman signed up for a Story Crossroads workshop. Throughout the workshop, she expressed how learning how to tell stories was actually helping her to heal. A well-told story is powerful.
With her team, Rachel plans to make storytelling workshops available to all people, in all languages, all over the world! Recently, Story Crossroads released workshops in American Sign Language, and has plans to steadily increase the languages offered.
We admire Rachel’s passion and are honored to name her our June 2023 Goodness Grant recipient! If you would like to get involved in Story Crossroads, or learn more, we invite you to visit the Story Crossroads website.
Throughout the year, we select Goodness Grant winners, gift them $1,000, and share their story. If you know someone using their talents to do good in the community, nominate them here.
