A live storytelling and music event called The Voice Collective: Resonance will take over the Utah Safety Council facility in Sandy on October 10, bringing together survivors, live acoustic music, and interactive experiences meant to help people feel heard. The event runs from 6 to 10 p.m. at 11075 South State Street, Suite 28, with both in-person and virtual ticket options available.
The gathering traces back to author Amber Washington, whose memoir (W)hole: My Journey to W documents her survival of childhood sexual abuse in Orem, according to KSL.com. Washington has said she disclosed the abuse at age 9, after it began around age 6, and proceeds from the book to the survivor support nonprofit Saprea. As reported by KUTV, The Voice Collective was inspired by the response to that memoir, and Washington created Resonance to give people a space to hear someone else's story.
Washington and event host Jessica Ferguson, a longtime Utah broadcaster, appeared on Fresh Living to discuss the gathering, per the same KUTV segment. Ferguson will host the October 10 event, where guests are expected to hear from speakers with a range of lived experiences and take part in interactive experiences focused on reflection, connection, wellness, and community.
A Founder Turning Her Story Into a Mission
Since her memoir came out, Washington has founded Whole Heals, an enterprise focused on delivering trauma-informed leadership training to corporate environments and building supportive communities for survivors, KSL.com reports. The organization targets workplaces that lack trauma-informed practices, extending Washington's advocacy beyond a single night of storytelling into ongoing institutional work. Fresh Living notes that Washington is now known publicly as an author and speaker, with Resonance framed as bringing together real-life stories, live music, interactive experiences, healing, community, and meaningful human connection.
Ferguson brings her own platform to the effort. She co-hosted Utah's 97.1 ZHT morning radio show for nearly a decade before co-launching the Frankie & Jess Podcast in January 2024, according to Pieces of a Woman, which notes the podcast generated nearly 200,000 downloads in its first month. Fresh Living also credits Ferguson with hosting the Jess Connection podcast. That media reach is likely to matter in a state where community-led initiatives increasingly fill gaps left by clinical care shortages.
Why Utah Needs Spaces Like This
Mental Health America ranked Utah 50th among U.S. states for adult mental health, reporting that nearly 1 in 3 Utah adults, or 29.9%, live with a mental health condition, per research cited by Utah State University. The same body of research shows nearly 1 in 7 Utah children report experiencing physical sexual abuse before age 18, with rates among Utah women specifically approaching 1 in 5, according to data from the Utah Department of Health and Human Services published through USU's Digital Commons.
Utah crime data compiled by Utah State University also shows that rape is the only violent crime category where the state's rate has consistently exceeded the national average, a trend researchers say has held for more than 25 consecutive years, even as Utah's rates for other major violent crimes like murder and robbery remain lower than the national average. Separately, municipal resource data from Lindon City shows that 6.19% of adult Utah residents experience serious suicidal thoughts annually, described as the highest rate of adult suicidal ideation in the country.
A System Stretched Thin
Layered on top of those figures is a shortage of formal care. Research from the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute found that approximately 70% of Utah residents live in federally designated mental health provider shortage areas, with two-thirds of Utah parents also reporting difficulty securing mental health services for their children. That scarcity helps explain why community-based gatherings like Resonance, built around live acoustic music and peer storytelling rather than clinical treatment, have found an audience in the Salt Lake Valley.
The Utah Safety Council, which operates as an independent nonprofit chapter of the National Safety Council and provides safety, occupational, and health training across Salt Lake County and the state, is hosting the event at its facility. Tickets for the October 10 gathering remain available in both in-person and virtual formats, according to the event listing.
