Mission Statement

Celebrating the human spirit by listening to and telling stories
We believe that the desire to hear and tell stories is a fundamental human need, source of joy and building block of strong communities.  The Spring Grove Storytelling Festival will feature the best professional storytellers and provide opportunities for local participants to share their stories.

2024- Board Of Directors

Ann Livermore - President

NANCY KEPPLE - Treasurer

Kristy HINZ - Secretary

Jim May - Artistic Director

​Patty Boyer
EMILY BERKELEY
ELISE LIVINGSTON
​GLORIA VAN HOF
​linda lucke

Picture
Ann Livermore is a former teacher of 34 years where stories were an integral part of every day. Having worked as a classroom teacher, enrichment teacher and a resource teacher for grades K-8, the stories were wide and varied. She believes the single thread that connects all of us is that everyone has a story. Currently she is working within a school where she listens to stories through coaching or is assisting the staff with the kids telling a story through Project Based Learning. "Storytelling is the most powerful way to put ideas into the world today." Robert McAfee Brown- Ann agrees!
Picture
Patty Boyer is a former bilingual speech-language pathologist who worked in Chicago and Northern IL for 20+ years. She currently lives in Northern AZ but loves the storytelling community back home. She truly believes there is something magical that happens between people when they share their authentic stories.
Picture
Jim May is a former teacher, college counselor, and an EMMY award-winning storyteller and author.  Jim is the founding Artistic Director of the Illinois Storytelling Festival held in Spring Grove, Il and served as it’s artistic guide for twenty years.
 Picture
Elise Livingston is a local real estate broker and Past President of Illinois Storytelling, Inc. She loves being witness to the connections between people that storytelling fosters.
Picture
Emily Berkeley is a resident of Spring Grove and Patent Examiner. She grew up in Chicago and has lived on both the East and West coasts. She is excited to be apart of the Festival team and believes stories are a wonderful part of human connection.
Picture
Kristy Hinz is a School Counselor and resident of the Spring Grove Area. Her earliest memories are of the adults in her family gathering at the kitchen table and sharing stories and filling the house with uproarious laughter. She continues this tradition with her own family, and every family gathering includes deep connection through storytelling.
 Picture
Nancy Keppel has three grown children and three lovely and entertaining granddaughters. She has been building with Habitat for Humanity of McHenry County for fifteen years, and am Secretary of Helping Hands Food Pantry, Spring Grove. There is an African proverb, “When an old person dies, a library closes.” It is important to honor the stories of the past, embrace the stories of the present to weave together a inclusive future for all.
Picture
Gloria Van Hof is a member of the Spring Grove Storytelling Festival Board. Gloria is also serving as a McHenry County Board Member for District 2. She is a proud mom, teacher, Underground Railroad researcher, licensed nursing home administrator, and champion for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. 
Previous Board Members
Ruth Burlini 
​Becky Johnson