May is Mental Health Month and as a part of CelebMix Cares we want to shed some light on what it’s like to live with a mental illness. During this month, we will highlight different organizations and websites which aim to spread awareness about mental illnesses and recovery.
To Write Love on Her Arms is a nonprofit movement dedicated to presenting hope and finding help for people struggling with depression, addiction, self-injury, and suicide. The organization exists to encourage, inform, inspire, and invest directly into treatment and recovery.
TWLOHA was created by Jamie Tworkowski. At first, he didn’t plan on starting a nonprofit organization. All he wanted to do was to help a friend and tell her story. When Jamie met Renee Yohe, she was struggling with addiction, depression, self-injury, and suicidal thoughts. He wrote about the five days he spent with her before she entered a treatment center, and he sold T-shirts to help cover the cost. When she entered treatment, he posted the story on MySpace to give it a home. The name of the story was “To Write Love on Her Arms.”
Shortly after posting the story, Jamie received messages from all over the world from people who, like Renee, needed help to get better. They wanted to stay alive and live a happy and full life. Jamie knew that he couldn’t ignore these people and that he needed to help them. In 2007, TWLOHA became a nonprofit organization.
Since then, they have responded to over 180,000 messages from people in over 100 countries all over the world. They have travelled more than three million miles to meet people in their communities. They have shared more than 600 blog posts from contributors. In 2011, TWLOHA received a one million dollar grant from the American Giving Awards presented by Chase, which helped them bring light to 17 cities across the US. In 2014, they shipped merchandise to 74 countries, including 3,624 national suicide prevention week packs. To Write Love on Her Arms have also donated more than $1.5 million to treatment and recovery. They have also granted funding to 73 unique organizations and counseling practices.
To get involved, you can start out by inviting a TWLOHA speaker to your event, or host a MOVE Community Conference. MOVE is how TWLOHA educate others about the topics they address at To Write Love on Her Arms: depression, addiction, self-injury, suicide, anxiety, eating disorders, and the role a trusted community plays in bringing hope to those who feel broken. In a one- or two-day workshop led by professional counselors, they explore what is behind these struggles, what recovery looks like, and how they can make a difference in the lives of those who are struggling.
You can also donate or buy merch from the nonprofit organization. Your money will help TWLOHA to present hope through creative campaigns, online media, and events. You will also help them to promote education and awareness surrounding mental illnesses through merchandise, speaking, tours, social media, and various programs. Lastly, donations are used to offer grants to organizations, treatment centers and support counseling through scholarship funds.
Join TWLOHA on social media:
Twitter
Facebook
YouTube
Tumblr
Visit their website to read more
To join the conversation about mental health, leave a comment below or send us a tweet @CelebMix or @CelebMixCares