A Brief History
Once Upon a Time…in the Fall of 1992, The Community House and the Early Childhood Center hosted a luncheon honoring Helen Southgate Williams, an 86 year old woman who devoted her life to enriching children through books and storytelling. Inspired to act on an idea of fostering “an army of storytellers with books under their arms, reading and telling stories to children everywhere,” Shelley Barr, Judy Hoeffler, Margot Snyder and Martha Neumann, along with several others, banded together to become the founding friends of the StoryTellers Guild.

By 1993, Gale Colwell, Executive Director of The Community House, became a champion of the idea. The Guild was soon organized under the umbrella of The Community House. Since that time, the Guild and The Community House have shared a unique partnership.

Many of the members became storytellers and worked tirelessly to organize and encourage others to become part of this fascinating endeavor. Helen Williams hosted storytelling events in her home. She established a guidepost for learning and teaching -“each one, teach one.” Linda Brick held workshops for the Guild’s growing numbers and Maggie Griner, an artist, created our wonderful logo.

There are many opportunities for involvement by our membership. For instance, the StoryTellers Journal contains book reviews, storytelling experiences, literary contributions from Helen Williams and others, book lists and upcoming events. The Journal provides a myriad of enjoyable reading. It is an inspiring testimonial of those dedicated to children and the love for stories. Other aspects of involvement include Council positions along with publicity, membership, programs, school liaison and luncheons.

Great care has been given to create a comfort level for all who wish to participate. For some it is the fun of reading or telling stories in a school or hospital environment. Others wish to simply support our mission. More importantly, there is every imaginable level of support for those who might be a little nervous. Our membership meets once a month to exchange ideas and experiences. We conduct workshops for honing our skills.

Today we have a membership of about one hundred. We number about 25 storytellers/readers in about ten schools and one hospital. We donate approximately $2,500 worth of books to classrooms and libraries.

Sadly, our dear friend Helen Williams passed away in May, 2002. We are dedicated to continuining her legacy with dignity, humor and excellence. As was hers, our mission is to enrich the lives of children through the art and love of storytelling and to help them discover the magic found between the pages of good books.

We invite you to join us. Welcome.