TWLOHA – Heavy and LightIf you haven’t heard of the nonprofit, To Write Love on Her Arms (TWLOHA), you are missing out. Based in Florida, TWLOHA is an organization with the mission of presenting hope and finding help for people struggling with depression, addiction, self-injury, and suicide. It exists to encourage, inform, inspire, and also to invest directly into treatment and recovery. Since its start in 2006, TWLOHA has donated over $2 million directly into treatment and recovery. Along with those efforts, TWOLA has answered over 200,000 messages from over 100 countries.
This past September, TWLOHA wrapped its 6th annual campaign to honor National Suicide Prevention Week and World Suicide Prevention Day. Overwhelmed by the amount of love and support shown for the campaign, titled, “Stay. Find what you are made for,” TWLOHA raised over $103.5K for treatment and counseling.
Supporters of the campaign included NBA player Kyle Korver, US Women’s National Soccer Team stars Alex Morgan, Christen Press, and Ashlyn Harris. Actress Shantel VanSanten, Switchfoot’s Jon Foreman, Dustin Kensrue of Thrice, actress and singer Debby Ryan, The Ready Set’s Jordan Witzrigreuter, and Jess Bowen of The Summer Set joined the efforts as well. Additionally, the aforementioned were featured in a special video message directed by Dustin Miller, a Florida-based filmmaker and longtime TWLOHA collaborator:
This past Saturday, March 10, 2018, TWLOHA held their annual Heavy and Light event, which was an evening of songs, conversation, and hope with performances from Jon Foreman of Switchfoot, Dustin Kensrue of Thrice, Propaganda, and spoken word poet Tonya Ingram. The event reached out to the audience at the Orlando House of Blues. Fortunately for those of us who do not live in the area, there was also a live stream of the event. You can watch the entire event here. It’s a long event, but it is well worth your time to check out.
On this, the one month anniversary of the tragedy in Parkland, we remember those who lost their lives. We stand with those who keep their memories, and the conversation, alive. Jon Freeman dedicated his last song of the Heavy and Light event to the community of Parkland. His performance put a beautiful end point on an amazingly powerful evening for all. In the face of so many recent tragedies, we believe it’s important that people know that they are not alone.
Heavy and Light offers a loving and supportive environment in the hopes that people will walk away knowing that they are important, their story is important, and that no one else can play their part. Organizations like TWLOHA are continuing to encourage people to share their voices, never feel alone and to fight for what is right. We can’t think of a better time than now to continue sharing that message.
This event was a once in a lifetime experience that we, fortunately, are able relive through stories, videos, and songs. Please do check out To Write Love on Her Arms. Keep hope alive for everyone, especially those among us who need it most.
