December 4th and 5th we will be bringing MOVE to Toronto, ON and we would like to invite you to be a part of it. Our MOVE community conferences are two day events where we look more in depth at some of the issues TWLOHA addresses. It is an effort to begin a conversation that battles stigma and shame with honesty and compassion. Led by professional counselors Aaron and Michelle Moore and some of the TWLOHA staff, attendees will gain a better understanding of what is behind these struggles, what drives them, what recovery looks like and how we can make a difference. Our hope is that you leave encouraged, inspired, and informed. MOVE conferences are done in a limited size, allowing for difficult topics to be presented and discussed in a personal setting which lends to more dynamic interaction between participants and staff. It has been this interaction and format that has made the MOVE conferences impacting for those who have attended. We would love for you to come and join us!

Click here for more info on registration.

MOVE Community Conference from To Write Love on Her Arms. on Vimeo.

Comments (8) | Posted in General by Chris Youngblood

Hey Guys,

We posted a blog a couple days ago inviting anyone who could make it to NYC this Saturday for a photo shoot. You can read the full blog here.

Here's the update: Due to weather this weekend, the NYC photo shoot has been moved to Friday (11/13). The plan is 1:30pm at Washington Square Park. Meet at the Arch!

There's a form you need to fill out if you want to participate in the shoot. If you send an email to nyc@twloha.com, we'll send you the form.

Here's the fine print: You don't get paid and your name won't appear in the magazine. But there's a chance you will get to be part of a group photograph that will appear in the magazine.

We're excited to have you be a part of this and hope you can make it out.

Comments (4) | Posted in General by Chris Youngblood

Jamie talks Woodie Awards, gets a sweet pair of headphones and has a tough time introducing himself...

Comments (13) | Posted in General by Chris Youngblood

When we woke up to get ready for the Out of the Darkness Walk in Cocoa Beach, it was still dark outside.  We loaded up in the van to go to the park. The walk was sponsored by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.  We checked in and met Angela, the woman who organized the walk for our area.  She wore a button on her shirt with a smiling young woman with long auburn hair on it.  It’s her sister Carla—she died by suicide two years ago.  Today, her family walked for her. We did too.

 
Memory boards covered one picnic table.  It was a place for attendees to write special messages to friends and family lost to suicide. This is a message to a father:

 

Before beginning the walk, Angela gathered everyone together.  She shared the story of her sister’s long battle against depression.  She talked about how important it is that we reach out to others, to make it real when we say “you are not alone.”  She stressed the importance of medication and therapy.  She said her family wanted to do this walk in an effort to help people like their sister.  With a group of no more than thirty-five people, together, we set out to walk three miles, half on the sidewalk along the road, half on the beach.  The sun had been rising in the sky, and the light was erasing the darkness.

We walked for the memories.
We walked for the families.
We walked for the names on our banner posted to the memory board. 
We walked for the woman on the beach who lost her brother to suicide.
We walked with the family who lost their father two months ago.
We walked with the woman who lost her father thirteen years ago to suicide, who attempted to take her own life seven years ago. 
We walked so that we don’t forget.
We walked because we are all connected.
We walked to let our stories come together, to tell a greater story of hope.
Yes, we walked for HOPE.



It was an honor to be a part of such an intimate setting, walking with such a freshness of healing.  We are grateful to have been there, to literally walk through this with people in our community. We entered the walk among strangers, and left with friends, left with people who truly cared for one another, left with encouragement that we are doing the right thing. We left in the light.

so much love.
whitney
fall 09 intern

Comments (51) | Posted in General by Chris Youngblood

Hey Guys,

Exciting news and quite the surprise: We found out this week that TWLOHA founder Jamie Tworkowski has been nominated for a 2009 mtvU Woodie Award - it's the "Good Woodie" award and he's up against Alicia Keys, John Legend, Wyclef Jean, Kenna and Ra Ra Riot. According to MTV, the Good Woodie "is the award for the artist whose commitment to a social cause has effected the greatest change this year."





- CLICK HERE TO VOTE NOW!

- Keep voting - there's no limit to how many times you can vote between now and Nov. 16

- Help spread the word (tell, talk, blog, tweet, etc)

- Add this banner to your MySpace page:



Add this banner to your page:
<a href="http://www.mtv.com/ontv/woodieawards/2009/good-woodie/" target="new"><img src="http://www.twloha.com/files/library/woodiestbanner.gif" width="500" height="100" border="0" /></a>

- Click here to add the "Vote" twibbon to your Twitter default.

- Add the Woodie background to your Twitter page.

As Jamie said, we're here because of your voice and your support. It means more than you know - thanks for being incredible.

Comments (6) | Posted in General by Chris Youngblood

Hey Guys,

For those active in the field of Mental Health, Fall is the season dedicated to Suicide Prevention. Over the past three years, TWLOHA has been privileged to be part of ongoing conversations on topics such as suicide that often are not talked about. We’ve been on the receiving end of countless stories that demand not only an emotional response, but also a tangible response. We are moved by the fact that suicide is the 3rd leading cause of death for young Americans. We are challenged with knowing that suicide is the most preventable form of death. These facts require attention, action, and conversation.

By being a part in these conversations, we developed a friendship with the National Hopeline, which runs the network many recognize as 1-800-SUICIDE. This free and confidential service has been operating for 11 years now and has answered over three million phone calls. Three million lives that in a moment of courage and confession reached out for help. Three million people reminded that their life matters and their story is important. Three million stories that might have ended too soon.

Last year we launched a campaign to help pay 1-800-SUICIDE’s phone bill and ensure that their legacy of hope would continue. This year we are taking the commitment a step further and helping 1-800-SUICIDE along with PostSecret produce the first ever Suicide Prevention Music Tour featuring Blue October. The month long venture is called the Pick Up The Phone Tour. It is one thing to write checks, but what is closest to our hearts is proactively meeting people where they are. Keeping our vision in mind, proceeds from this tour will be going towards developing a new online chat network called IM Alive (Instant Message Alive) which will work much like 1-800-SUICIDE: free and confidential.

The tour will be starting with a conversation, that you are invited to, on Capitol Hill in Washington D.C. on October 21st. Justin Furstenfeld of Blue October along with Reese Butler, founder of 1-800-SUICIDE, will be addressing Congress on these issues. If you want to be a part of this first day and acoustic set, please visit PUTP.org and reply to the RSVP at the bottom of the page (while the event is free, the space is limited). Tickets are on sale now at PUTP.org for all the other dates as well as brand new Pick Up the Phone shirts. We can’t wait to join you for these nights of hope and healing, but even if you cannot join us on the tour, we would encourage you to check out the shirt and start conversations in your own community.

For more information on the tour and what we believe about these issues, please check out our PSA below. We are really excited about this video and we hope that you will help us share it. It’s a combination of Jamie’s words, James Earl Jones' voice, video work by our friend Dustin Miller, and dozens of caring strangers that all came together in about two days… and we could not be more proud of the finished product.



See you on the road.
With hope,
Chad

Comments (12) | Posted in Music by Chris Youngblood

We were going to post a blog today. Instead, we decided to try something a little different. The image below is an attempt to include you in the process. (click image to enlarge)



We hope you guys can make it. We hope that you might even go as faras to get together with friends and with family and watch together. Ultimately, we hopethat when the cameras turn off, you keep talking.

Click here to watch the live webcast on October 5th at 8PM EST. Music by Damion Suomi and Andy Zipf. To join the conversation, send all questions and comments via Twitter by starting your Tweets with @TWLOHA. You can also help promote the webcast by posting the banner below on your page or making it your profile picture.



Add this banner to your page:
&lt;a href="http://img43.imageshack.us/i/webcastslide3.jpg/"&gt;&lt;img src="http://img43.imageshack.us/img43/194/webcastslide3.jpg" alt="Image Hosted by ImageShack.us" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;

Comments (10) | Posted in General, Music by Chris Youngblood

Hey guys!

Jamie has asked me to introduce myself, and I’m excited to be able do so. My name is Kaitlyn, and I am looking forward to getting to share with you over the next couple of months. Let me tell you a bit about why I’m here…

I’m studying Social Work at The Florida State University in Tallahassee, FL. This summer, I am working with TWLOHA’s internship program (which, by the way, is still accepting applications for this fall until July 10th – check out our News section for more info). I was awarded an Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity Award to conduct a research project, and I am exploring the use of creative expression in bringing about self-care and a sense of empowerment for people working in the mental health arena.

I love words. I love to write. One reason I love this organization so much is because of how we value stories – we say that they matter and we mean it. Personally, I believe that as we are able to explore our own voices and come to realize the power that comes with sharing our stories with others we move ever-closer toward change and healing, surrounded by people who “get us.” It is one thing to hear someone say, “You are important and what you have to say matters,” and it is something completely different to know it deep inside yourself. To own it.

At TWLOHA, we love our role of getting to share simple, honest, true statements from a platform that is capable of reaching so many – statements that pierce darkness, break through stigma and suffering, and creep into the darkest of situations and secrets, only to find themselves even truer still. This week, as Jamie speaks on a stage at Cornerstone Festival in Illinois, our Warped Tour team is trekking across Texas meeting some of you at our tent, and I’m sitting in a coffee shop in Central Florida writing to you. We are all communicating the same message: You are not alone. You are loved. You have a story to tell, and it matters.

It resonates, this message of hope.

What I am forever grateful for during my time here this summer is my ability to witness encouragement happening all around me, whether it’s in a vulnerable, heart-felt MySpace message, or in my writing workshop with our interns. This week, I asked the interns to write a few notes of encouragement for one-another in regards to each person’s writing style.  The stuff they shared about each other went way beyond syntax and their ability to breathe life onto a piece of paper. Their encouragement was validating, loving, honest and true. They spoke about one another’s character, insight, natural talents and passions as they were evidenced in writing; simple little lists of, “This, you do well. You are unique, valuable, special, and you have something important to share.”

By summer’s end, I’m looking forward to finishing up my project and hopefully adding some real, researched data to this idea that our stories matter and that hope and help are real – for all of us.

What I want to remind you about today is that each of us has the ability to encourage others in real-life; the tangible, the face-to-face. Why not call a friend today? Write a letter to a parent you’ve been fighting with. Hug someone and tell them you’re not giving up on them and that you love them. Join us in encouraging others to dream, to breathe deeply, to fill up their lungs with air and be fully alive, knowing they are fully loved.

I believe it all starts with words, and with you.

Love.
Kaitlyn

Comments (26) | Posted in General by Chris Youngblood

2/24/09: Our friend Renee Yohe celebrates three years of sobriety.

Renee, 3 Years. from To Write Love on Her Arms. on Vimeo.

Comments (59) | Posted in General by Chris Youngblood

Hi Everyone,

Some of you already know me, but for many others let me introduce myself - my name is Aaron Moore.  My wife Michelle and I both work as professional counselors in the Orlando area.  We first got involved with TWLOHA a few years back, back when there were only a few of us.  Being a counselor, I have always loved the vision of the organization and our common desire for helping others find hope and healing from the issues of addiction, depression, self-injury and suicide.   

One of the things that we often talk about with TWLOHA is that we want to begin a conversation about issues like addiction, depression, self-injury and suicide.  A conversation about things that are not usually talked about, but instead kept hidden.  All too often, these issues carry with them a deep sense of shame, which only keeps them in the dark.  We have attempted to start a conversation that begins in hard and dark places, but one that continues in hope, and ultimately moves towards healing.

We believe that hope comes in the context of relationships, in a place called community.  One of the questions that we usually ask whenever we are on the road is, “As a friend or family member of someone struggling through hard issues such as these, what makes it so difficult to talk about?”  While there are many different answers, one of the most common things that we hear is ‘fear.’  Often it’s the fear of not knowing the right words to say to someone or what to do or say to make sure they get help.  Sometimes we fear our friends might get angry at us for talking about it, or worse, we fear that if we talk about these issues in their life then we might have to face the issues in our own.  

Our hope is that these conversations battle the stigma and shame by bringing these issues out of the darkness, but also that they fight the fear by helping us understand and know the truth about issues like addiction, depression, and self-injury.

To continue these conversations this year, TWLOHA is hosting MOVE conferences that will allow small groups of people to dig a little deeper.  At these conferences, we want to look at each of the issues relevant to TWLOHA in order to gain a deeper understanding of them, as well as what help, healing, and treatment look like for each.  The goal is not to learn how to counsel our friends or to learn the right steps that will solve all of these issues and fix everything.  Instead, we want to educate ourselves about the issues, while looking at how we can go deeper in caring for those around us and allowing others to care for us in community.  

Our hope for the MOVE conferences (this spring break) is that we can all walk away with greater understanding, and while we won’t have all the answers, we can have confidence that we can move together towards hope and healing.   

For more details on dates and cost for MOVE 09, CLICK HERE.

We hope to meet you there.
Aaron and Michelle Moore

Comments (5) | Posted in General by Chris Youngblood

HEAVY AND LIGHT Live Webcast!!

Hey Guys,

We've been busy getting ready for HEAVY AND LIGHT and we have some really exciting news to announce. There are still tickets available for tomorrow night but, for everyone who isn't able to make it to Orlando, we will be broadcasting the entire show right here. This live webcast is being made possible by SyncLive.com and they are helping us make this happen and there are a couple different ways you can watch the show and help spread the word. The night starts at 6:00 PM EST and ends at 10. You can watch it right here in this blog or you can go to our profile on SyncLive where the format will be chat style and you can join in a conversation with people from all around the world by clicking the link under the video player. You can tell your friends to watch by grabbing the embed code from our profile and posting the player to your page (blog, bulletins, etc).

Comments (23) | Posted in General, Music by Chris Youngblood

Last summer, we were approached by a music video director named Robby Starbuck about working with him on a music video project for the band A Skylit Drive. After hearing why he wanted to incorporate TWLOHA into this video and the response from the guys in the band when he pitched the idea, we had no hesitation.

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Comments (23) | Posted in General, Music by Chris Youngblood

Hey Everyone,

I'm sitting here at the bungalow. It's been a very busy week for us. Right now, Jamie and several members of the team are headed up to Athens, GA to kick off the east coast tour, "An Evening with To Write Love on Her Arms." This was an idea created over chicken fingers and burgers just over a month ago, and it's something we've been looking forward to ever since.

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Comments (9) | Posted in General by Chris Youngblood

The vision is that we actually believe these things…

You were created to love and be loved. You were meant to live life in relationship with other people, to know and be known. You need to know that your story is important and that you're part of a bigger story. You need to know that your life matters.

We live in a difficult world, a broken world. My friend Byron is very smart - he says that life is hard for most people most of the time. We believe that everyone can relate to pain, that all of us live with questions, and all of us get stuck in moments. You need to know that you're not alone in the places you feel stuck.

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Comments (36) | Posted in General by Chris Youngblood

hey guys.

i just sat down to write a quick bulletin, but it seems there's more to say...

it's pretty late in florida, a little less late in south dakota, which is where i woke up this morning.  spoke to something wild last night, like 50,000 people, at a festival in sioux falls.  they gave me a few minutes before switchfoot went on... such a privilege to have the opportunity to talk about real things - pain and hope and help and the idea of community - in front of so many folks.   and who would have thought that our biggest crowd ever would happen in south dakota?

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Comments (6) | Posted in General by Chris Youngblood

Hello Hello.

The guys from Bayside are on a list of friends who feel like family.  It's been one of our favorite parts of TWLOHA - the stories that we've been invited into and the friends that have become a part of ours, perhaps yourself included.  Bayside has spent the last six weeks making a record in Los Angeles and i had the privilege of being there for the grand finale...  So Anthony was handed a copy of the final mixes Friday night and we jumped in my little rental car to go meet some friends for dinner.  

Anthony puts the CD in and i turn it up and he gives me a little intro for each song.  We're on the 405 north and the sun is low and bright against the hills.  The songs are good and so i tell him and it crosses my mind that this is probably one of the cooler things ever to happen in a Dodge Caliber.  We get a few songs in and it comes to a place where there's a whole bunch of people singing.  The part really stands out and so i ask him about it.

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Comments (3) | Posted in General by Chris Youngblood

Hey Guys.

Every now and then we come across something special, and it's exciting for us to be able to share it with you.  We don't do this a lot because we want our words to weigh something, and we think your time is valuable.  As we've said before, this blog is perhaps also something like a stage and we love to lend the stage to things that we believe in.  It might be a song, or a story that found us, or some bright moment.  The criteria is pretty simple: This stage exists to point to hope and help, and to inspire community...

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Comments (0) | Posted in General by Chris Youngblood

Hey Everyone,

Chris here, writing from a very chilly Saskatoon, Canada today. This is my first experience out of the states and so far all I've been able to accomplish is to find one of six Olive Gardens in this country. Jon, Emily and myself are out here to wrap up the rest of this year's Warped Tour. This entire summer has been really great to us. From experiencing the response from everyone coming out to the tour and showing their support for TWLOHA, to witnessing a traveling community day after day - a convoy of buses tunneling through the night to the next venue where we build our city of tents and stages in a strategic and routine fashion… it's quite amazing to say the least. 

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Comments (0) | Posted in General by Chris Youngblood

From Renee:
The entry below is taken from the first page in my book, Purpose for the Pain. It is the beginning of one of my first journals.  Sitting here reflecting on where I was then, and where I am now, I hardly recognize the girl that wrote these words…

Read more

Comments (15) | Posted in General by Chris Youngblood

Comments (0) | Posted in General by Chris Youngblood

This blog isn't really about Coldplay. 

They are on the cover of pretty much every music magazine in the world at the moment, so i think they're doing okay whether we talk about them or not.  This is more about our map.  What i mean is, i think that part of the point of this blog is to share things that feel true - things that remind us how we ended up here and where we're trying to go and why and how, things that feel relevant to our journey - our journey as TWLOHA and our journey as you and me.  i like the idea of this being a place where you can find things that are encouraging and honest and inspiring and hopeful.  i like the idea of this being a place where you can find things that remind you to keep going, or that it's okay to be honest, or that you're not alone...

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Comments (0) | Posted in General by Chris Youngblood

Hey Guys.

Hello from California.  We had a great first day on Warped Tour yesterday.  It's really a cool thing to have so many friends in one place.  Exciting to see all of the new faces as well.  We spent a lot of time with the Anberlin guys yesterday.  It's a special time for them as they're playing Main Stage all summer and then their new record "New Surrender" comes out in September.  i heard some of it last night and it's seriously amazing.  We love those guys.  They feel like family and we are honored by their part in our story.

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Comments (0) | Posted in General by Chris Youngblood

Hello from California.

First off, i want to say thank you. That Father's Day blog was a big one for me and i want to thank you guys for your response. The comments meant a lot. i think we all need to be reminded that we're not the only ones with elephants, and maybe it's even more important to begin to believe that we can ask them to leave.

i asked my dad about the blog and it meant a lot to hear him say he liked it. He was honest and said it felt a little weird having our stuff "out there", but if other people can somehow be encouraged by our story, then it's worth it.

Hard to explain but i've felt different since Sunday night. Maybe we don't realize how much we're carrying around until we begin to let go of some of it. It's like that, i think. It feels really good, and i haven't been able to say that in a long time.

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Comments (0) | Posted in General by Chris Youngblood

Hi Guys.

This blog is for my dad and yours and for you and for the dads we've never met, 50 years ago and 50 years from now.  There are some things we can't change and there are some things we can.  This blog is about the idea that if we're not careful, the days turn into years and our rooms fill up with elephants.  This blog is also about asking the elephants to leave.

i had planned to write this blog last night - it was Father's Day and we've talked about how it's a difficult day for a lot of people and i told you there would be a new blog... i thought about it all day - things i wanted to mention.  The basketball game was on at my parents' house and my dad was sitting on the couch across from me.  i had told him we would watch the game together, and i guess i was pretending that if i wrote the blog in the same room as dad and game, a case could be made that we  "watched the game together."  Basically, i had two things to do and both felt important and i didn't know what to do.

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Comments (2) | Posted in General by Chris Youngblood

Hey Guys.

Part 1:
A lot of you know have you heard me talk about a guy named Donald Miller. Don is my favorite author and probably my favorite speaker as well. He wrote a book called Blue Like Jazz and it changed a lot of things for me. It's a pretty special thing when one of your heroes becomes one of your friends and that's how it's gone for me with Don.

Anyway, Don is doing a cool thing right now. He is riding a bicycle across America. Now, you might be asking, "Why is Don riding a bicycle across America?". Good question. He is partnering with an organization called Blood:Water Mission to help build wells in Africa, so that people there can have clean drinking water. It is something that most of us reading (and writing) this blog don't think twice about. Clean water is just part of life. Hot when you want it hot, cold when you want it cold. Whatever whenever we want... But this isn't realty for millions of people around the world.

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Comments (2) | Posted in General by Chris Youngblood

Hi Guys.

Please watch this. This video says so many things. It's a picture of what we want to be about. It's what we mean when we say that your story is important, and that we're all in this together. This is that Jimmy Eat World lyric, "Believe your voice can mean something." This is a reminder that suicide prevention is real and possible. This is a reminder that hope is real. And we all have a part to play.

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/world/2008/06/10/lah.japan.suicide.cliff.cnn

Let's live like this.
Peace to you.
jamie

Comments (0) | Posted in General by Chris Youngblood

Hey Guys.

Our friends in Switchfoot do a really cool thing every early June. It's an event they call the Switchfoot Bro-Am and it's a day of surfing, music and fun. Each year, the Bro-Am benefits a different local charity - this year it's the Oceanside and San Diego branches of StandUp For Kids, a national nonprofit volunteer outreach organization that began in San Diego and is dedicated to making a difference in the lives of at-risk, homeless, and street kids.

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Comments (0) | Posted in General by Chris Youngblood

Between the Trees. These guys are our friends. We are so proud of them for all they've accomplished over the last year. This is a young band attempting to make music that matters, and they're a band that you will continue to hear more and more about.

Between the Trees has been part of the TWLOHA story since day one. I wrote in the original (TWLOHA) story "Ryan sits in the corner strumming an acoustic guitar, singing songs she's inspired." Ryan is Ryan Kirkland, from BTT, and one of those songs was this one, "The Way She Feels".

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Comments (6) | Posted in General by Chris Youngblood

Hey Guys.

i just got an email from my friend Nicole, who works at a Hot Topic store in New York. Sounds like TWLOHA (Title) shirts are back in Hot Topic stores.

Now, this is Part 3 of the TWLOHA/Hot Topic adventure. If you're feeling a little out of the loop...
Here's Part 1.
Here's Part 2.

We call our original shirt "Title", because before "To Write Love on Her Arms" was the name of an organization or a movement, it was the title of a story. Well, the shirts that just showed up at Hot Topic look the same on the outside, but there's something new on the inside. There's been a lot of questions about this. i want to be clear that it's not "the new story". This is simply something new that i wrote for those shirts. i wanted to write something that would introduce TWLOHA, how we started and the surprising journey we've been on for the last two years. More than anything, i wanted to introduce hope.

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Comments (0) | Posted in General by Chris Youngblood

Hey Guys.

How are you?  How was your week?  Weird week for me.  i've been sick.  Rest of the team is busy as we've got 12 new folks showing up tomorrow, to spend their summer interning with TWLOHA.  Michael and Jon are getting ready for two months of Warped Tour.  Michael led the charge for us last summer, so he's an old pro at this point...

There's a couple people i want you to meet, and i've asked them to say hello.  They are our friends from far away.  Climbed the borders to be here...  Byron and i met Gemma when we were in Australia back in March.  She came all the way from Melbourne to spend some time working with us.  So, meet Gemma the Australian:

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Comments (2) | Posted in General by Chris Youngblood

Hi Guys.

Hello from home.  It's good to be back in Florida.  Strange timing, just getting back and then these fires.  Been watching all of it on the news for the last three days.  On Monday, from my back porch, you could see the smoke blowing in from across the river.  300 acres burned just a few miles from our office ("the bungalow") in Cocoa.  According to FEMA, there were 120 different fires burning throughout Florida as of today.  Nearly 26,000 acres burned.  Thankfully, no lives were lost and it sounds like the situation is under control tonight. 

It feels small even mentioning the fires in light of the recent cyclone in Burma and the earthquake in China.  The numbers are staggering - thousands dead and thousands more missing.  i don't know what to say.  Life is a fragile, uncertain thing.  Our thoughts and prayers are with those across the miles tonight.

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Comments (0) | Posted in General by Chris Youngblood

Hello from a road called 81 in Virginia.

Virginia is looking good today - doing it's best impression of England. We had a great night last night in Asheville. Such a cool town and it's always good to be back in North Carolina. i was born there (NC) and it always has a way of causing me to remember...

Two weeks ago, we posted a blog announcing that TWLOHA shirts would be available in 650 Hot Topic stores around the country. We saw a pretty incredible response as the news was met with a ton of excitement and it was also a chance for us to wrestle with and respond to criticism. An honest conversation, you might say...

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Comments (0) | Posted in General by Chris Youngblood

Hello Hello.

A few weeks back, we posted a short video of Renee talking about her two years of sobriety.  The response has been pretty incredible.  Below is an extended version, filmed the same day.  We love and believe in Renee.  We believe that she will be moving people with her story for the rest of her life, and we're excited to say that you'll be seeing and hearing more from her soon...

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Comments (1) | Posted in General by Chris Youngblood

Hi Guys.

Yesterday marked 13 years since the Oklahoma City bombing, and today is the nine year anniversary of the tragedy at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado.  We want to begin by acknowledging those who lost loved ones, and the many people who continue to live life in these communities.  Today we stand with you and say that the lives lost matter, that those stories, and yours, are important, and that  community matters.  Thank you for the bravery you've displayed in picking up the pieces.  We can't imagine what you've been through.  We are sorry beyond words.  We pray some healing has come as the days have passed.  We know nothing can replace what was lost, but we hope and pray that life can be good again.  We stand with you in the moments you remember.

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Comments (0) | Posted in General by Chris Youngblood

Hi Guys.

It is enormously late.  2:21 am, according to the clock in this Iowa hotel room.  Chris (the amazing intern) is asleep, so i shall do my best to type quietly...

Wanted to apologize as i had been planning to write something for the one-year anniversary of the lives lost at Virginia Tech... didn't realize until about an hour ago that today was the day.  The last couple weeks have been hugely busy - feels like i've been living in airports and airplanes - lots of good stuff, but it's easy to get lost in the travel as well.  i can't remember the last time i turned on a television...  So i completely missed it and just wanted to take a moment to say it matters.

  It matters because people matter, and hundreds of people were affected by what happened a year ago.  Thousands more sat by our televisions, shocked by the news...  The ones who died were sons and daughters, best friends and brothers and neighbors.  They would be mothers and husbands.  They would be so many things. They were people with stories, and we would hope for them what we hope for ourselves, that we are early in these stories, that the best is yet to come. 

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Comments (0) | Posted in General by Chris Youngblood

Hey Guys.

Take a moment today and remember Martin Luther King. Learn from his life. He was dangerous in the best way. There are things worth fighting for and he fought well. Martin Luther King believed that freedom was justice, that change was possible and that hope was something true. Maybe hope is believing in something before it can be seen. My friend Byron says it begins by believing we’re not alone. Martin Luther King spoke to problems and solutions in a day when neither were popular discussion. His voice led a movement that changed the course of history, and his words are no less true today.

i’ve been in California for an event and some meetings this week, some exciting stuff that we’ll be sharing with you very soon...

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Comments (0) | Posted in General by Chris Youngblood

Hey Guys.

The Up in Arms tour with Switchfoot is off to a great start. There’s been some great nights and we’ve had the chance to meet a lot of great folks. i had a conversation in New Orleans with a fella named Jake - he told me how much Switchfoot and TWLOHA mean to him, and how SF’s song "Dare You to Move" basically saved his life. It’s a conversation i won’t forget. I’ve told people before, that if TWLOHA could be a song, we would be that song.

We are having such a great time getting to know the guys from Athlete. They are incredible and their songs are no less. London is home for them so we’re all loving their accents and talking lots about the UK. Been remembering our time there with The Rocket Summer, and getting excited for what’s to come.

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Comments (0) | Posted in General by Chris Youngblood

Hi Guys!!

It’s been too long. A new blog is long overdue. i always want them to be great, as writing is something that means a lot to me. There’s lots to update you on as we had a great trip to Australia and then another great week of events last week in southern California. Some of my favorite nights ever have happened over the last month. And while i was on the west coast, Byron was in D.C. connecting with our friends at Hopeline. We’re excited and grateful to be able to work with them.

i’m home in Florida for a few days. TWLOHA Spring Break is in full effect - this is week three and it’s been so cool to get to know the 20 new folks who are spending their spring break with us. There’s folks here from all over the country this week - San Francisco, Seattle, Boston, New York City... Two weeks from now we meet new friends from Germany and England. How awesome is that? The Switchfoot tour starts next Thursday in San Antonio, and that’s something we’re all excited about. Hope to see a lot of you guys on the road over the next five weeks.

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Comments (2) | Posted in General by Chris Youngblood

We're having a press conference with Hopeline today in Washington DC, and we're able to bring a live video feed to you guys at home!  Press conference is from 4-5pm eastern time.

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Renee celebrated two years of sobriety last Sunday, February 24th. We filmed this interview on January 23rd, at our bungalow in Cocoa, Florida.

Comments (0) | Posted in General by Chris Youngblood

Hi Guys.

Hello from Australia. Got in yesterday. Exhausted, but excited to be here. I ran into an old friend at LAX, and we ended up sitting together on the 14-hour flight. So great when stuff like that happens. Yesterday i got my first peak at the Gold Coast and then headed back up to Brisbane for a Benefit Show, which turned out to be a truly great night. We're up early for Soundwave Fest in Brisbane at the moment. More on Australia in a sec. Let's get to some other exciting news that's long overdue…

STREET TEAM. We've heard from literally thousands of you, who have asked "How can I help?" Street Team is going to be a huge part of that answer. We've been working on it and you've been waiting for it - for quite a while now. Well, it's finally ready to go. We've partnered with a company called FanCorps. Their name may be funny but we believe they are the best in the business when it comes to this stuff.

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Comments (0) | Posted in General by Chris Youngblood

Hello Hello.

We talk a lot about honest conversations and community. We talk a lot about issues that most people don't talk much about. We believe that depression, addiction, self-injury and suicide are important issues because these are issues that affect people. We believe people are super important - a lot more important than t-shirts or hype... We believe that everyone has a story and that every story matters. We also think music is pretty great in it's ability to move people. Absolutepunk.net is a site that represents people and music. When they reached out to TWLOHA about doing a Live Chat, we were super excited.

i will be logging in to Absolutepunk.net tomorrow night, from 8-10pm EST, answering questions on behalf of TWLOHA. Questions about anything and everything...

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Comments (0) | Posted in General by Chris Youngblood

Hi Guys.

The UK tour ended two nights ago in London, my friend Bryce alone on a stage, pounding a keyboard and pushing simple strong words: "You tell me to live".

i wish you could have met Stuart in Glasgow and Lucy in Oxford and Chris in Southampton. Stuart was a long lost friend and Lucy was so alive and Chris was kind and strong beyond words. His story has stayed with me and i remember it now. There was the girl at the sandwich shop in Bridgend and there were so many more.

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Comments (0) | Posted in General by Chris Youngblood

Hi Guys.

i am writing from the fifth night of a wonderful adventure in a place called the United Kingdom. It is cold and wet here but the people have been kind and warm and so we're loving it. i am here with three American bands: The Rocket Summer, The Secret Handshake, and Between the Trees. Before The Rocket Summer plays, i get a few minutes to talk about TWLOHA - mostly i talk about pain and hope and community and all the things we're excited about and all the things we're learning. And then i introduce The Rocket Summer, which is a lot of fun because everyone screams. We had a show in Glasgow, Scotland tonight. It was one of my favorite nights ever. It is amazing to be far from home but to realize that we have so much in common with people here. They drive on the left and we drive on the right and they think we talk funny and we think they talk funny, but those are not the most important things.

We've been talking about pain and hope and community, and we're learning that we were right about the hunch we had. The problems that we talk about - depression and addiction and self-injury and suicide - they exist here as well. It's been an amazing privilege to stand on their stages and say that these issues are not American issues. These are people issues. We didn't know how they would respond, because these people didn't come to hear some guy talk, especially some guy who talks funny. But people have been listening and even cheering sometimes. We've been meeting the kindest folks and having the greatest conversations. Some of it is heavy, as life is really hard for a lot of people. i met a girl tonight who said she lost her best friend to suicide. i met a guy who said his friend cried during my talk. He gave me a hug in the hallway and he thanked me and i thanked him and it meant a lot. But even in the heavy stuff, there is something hopeful. It seems like there's hope in community.

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Comments (0) | Posted in General by Chris Youngblood

My friend Josh texted me this afternoon, before either of us had heard the news. Josh lives in Lower Manhattan and wrote to say that i missed an epic game of Scrabble last night in NYC. Coffee, laughter and impossible words had my friends up 'til 4 in the morning. Josh wrote to say that he wished i could have been there. His text made me smile, and i wished it too.

That text meant a lot to me, as i really love the folks who gathered for that game. And obviously, it was less about the Scrabble and more about the people. We need to laugh. We need to talk. We need to play.

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Comments (0) | Posted in General by Chris Youngblood

global - (adjective)
1. of or relating to the whole world; worldwide
2. of or relating to the entire earth as a planet
3. relating to or embracing the whole of something, or a group of things

humanity - (noun)
1. the human race; human beings collectively
2. the fact or condition of being human

hope - (noun)
1. a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen
2. a person or thing that may help or save someone
3. grounds for believing that something good may happen

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Comments (0) | Posted in General by Chris Youngblood

Hi Guys.

i was reading the last few pages of "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" as 2007 gave it's place to 2008. i only knew for the fireworks outside my window. i am quite possibly the world's slowest reader, and i tend to do dumb things such as leave books on airplanes... But i really enjoyed this book. i loved the honesty and the innocence of Charlie. These things matter and you feel them in this book, because they arrive in the face of pain and confusion. The book was so many things and i suppose it was an appropriate way to say goodbye to 2007.

2007 was the best year of my life.
i've never found so much. i've never grown so much.
And yet, it also feels true to say that 2007 was the hardest year of my life.
i've never lost so much, and i've never hurt so much.

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Comments (0) | Posted in General by Chris Youngblood

Hi Guys.

Meant to write something sooner.  Wanted to say more about Omaha as it was a really great night, but apparently we're not very good at cold weather, because Byron came home with bronchitis, and i've spent the last five days in bed with tonsilitis.  (Swallowing = not fun)  But i think we would both agree it was worth it as Sunday night in Omaha was one that truly meant the world to us.  To be handed a microphone in that setting was something i'll never forget, and even more significant were the conversations we got to have.  It was all an honor. Thanks again to (the band) Sick Puppies for inviting us, and thanks to everyone we met for making us feel so welcome.  Omaha is a special place.  We're excited to come back, but we should probably wait 'til it warms up a bit : )

So anyway, Byron has been, in his words, "coughing like a 90 year-old man" and i've watched 16 episodes of LOST in the last two days, but i think we're finally starting to feel a bit better.

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Comments (0) | Posted in General by Chris Youngblood

Hey Guys.

i got a call a couple hours ago from the manager of the band Sick Puppies. Sick Puppies are a band from Australia, and they were recently introduced to TWLOHA by Evanescence. Amy Lee from Evanescence and her husband Josh have been hugely supportive of TWLOHA - Josh has a counseling background and has become a great friend to our team and to me.

Anyway, Sick Puppies have been asked to headline a memorial/benefit concert in Omaha (this sunday) 12/16. The show is happening in response to the shootings at Westroads Mall in Omaha last Wednesday. The band said yes and this afternoon, they invited TWLOHA to be there with them. So it's looking like we're going to have a table at the show, and i will be speaking briefly before Sick Puppies take the stage that night.

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Comments (0) | Posted in General by Chris Youngblood

Hi Guys.

Exciting announcement...

To Write Love on Her Arms presents
Heavy and Light: An evening of songs, conversation and hope.

With acoustic performances by:
RONNIE WINTER (of the Red Jumpsuit Apparatus)
AARON GILLESPIE (of The Almost / Underoath)
ANTHONY RANERI (of Bayside)
[url=http://www.myspace.com/joshuamoore]JOSH MOORE[/url]

a conversation with J.T. WOODRUFF of Hawthorne Heights

Also, Renee and i will be speaking...

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Comments (0) | Posted in General by Chris Youngblood

Hi Guys.

Exciting announcement...

To Write Love on Her Arms presents
Heavy and Light: An evening of songs, conversation and hope.

With acoustic performances by:
RONNIE WINTER (of the Red Jumpsuit Apparatus)
AARON GILLESPIE (of The Almost / Underoath)
ANTHONY RANERI (of Bayside)
[url=http://www.myspace.com/joshuamoore]JOSH MOORE[/url]

a conversation with J.T. WOODRUFF of Hawthorne Heights

Also, Renee and i will be speaking...

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Comments (0) | Posted in General by Chris Youngblood

Hi Guys.

First of all, i want to say thank you for your incredible response this week. It has been beautiful to see. This has been a difficult week for a lot of people. We've been in touch with the guys from Hawthorne Heights all week, and we have a lot of friends who are hurting right now.

This is an important moment for us. i think i knew that as soon as i heard the news, that it was important for us to respond well, to try to lead in this moment. We have been embraced (beyond words) by Casey Calvert, by his band, and by this unique community, and now this is a moment where we need to do our best to return the favor, to try to be something strong in this moment, and to continue doing the work that Casey believed in.

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Comments (5) | Posted in General by Chris Youngblood

hi guys.

it's late but it's not as late as it feels. it feels really late. i took the red eye home from seattle last night. they call it the red eye because you fly through the night and you don't get enough sleep and you wake up with red eyes. sidenote: seattle is amazing and you should go there as soon as possible.

just wanted to wish everyone a happy thanksgiving. i picked up chris the amazing intern this morning on the way home from the airport. he spent the day with my family and it was a really great day, great to have him there and great to see a bunch of family. ran into some old friends at the beach before we ate. it's funny how the years just fall away. do you know what i mean? i hope you feel some of that this weekend.

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Comments (0) | Posted in General by Chris Youngblood

Hey Guys.

Couple things we want to share with you, with Saturday in mind:

First is [url=http://www.afsp.org/]www.AFSP.org[/url] (American Foundation for Suicide Prevention)
Lots of great info there, including some conferences happening around the country on Saturday. They're also broadcasting online with a live chat to follow, so that everyone who wants to can be involved. [url=http://www.afsp.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.viewPage&page_ID=FEE7D778-CF08-CB44-DA1285B6BBCF366E]Here's a great link specific to Saturday[/url].

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Comments (0) | Posted in General by Chris Youngblood

Hi Guys.

i am in Florida at the coffee shop and they're playing Cold War Kids and it's good. i think everyone should have a coffee shop. A place that's yours, you know? Not for the coffee but just to have a place where you know people and they know you. i have a theory that people go to coffee shops to feel less alone. Even if you don't talk to anyone, i think somehow you feel less alone. i think that's why i come here. That and they play good music.

The wind is blowing just outside the window, as it has been for the last week. It's strange but it's good. It seems that Tropical Storm Noel fell asleep on top of us. Or maybe she just hasn't finished saying whatever she came to say...

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Comments (0) | Posted in General by Chris Youngblood

California,

We are sorry. We're so sorry. For what you've lost and what you're losing and for the fear. We mourn the smoke that filled your sky today. We mourn the flames that took your homes. We can't imagine. We're mad, though we don't even know who to be mad at.

You are brave and beautiful and strong. You are important. Please keep fighting and breathing, and please know that you are in our thoughts and hopes and prayers tonight. In this moment, in a thing as small as a blog, we say we're with you... from across a country, from across a planet, we say we're one tonight.

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Comments (0) | Posted in General by Chris Youngblood

Hi Guys.

Just got home from NYC. Thursday was an unforgettable busy day. Here's a few highlights:

1. i was a guest on Steven's Untitled Rock Show on FUSE. Our friends from Bayside were on the show as well. It meant a lot to get to be there with those guys, and we're honored to be part of their Fall tour. Oh and don't worry, you didn't miss any of it. The show airs this Monday (10/22) at 4pm EST, 1pm PST, and the Bayside tour begins Thursday in Baltimore. i'll be speaking briefly before their set in NYC, Orlando, Ft. Lauderdale, Dallas, Anaheim, LA, Portland and Seattle. (Michael will be at all dates with info & shirts. Check Bayside's MySpace or the twloha.com calendar for all dates.)

2. We had a meeting to discuss a program that will allow us to launch street team in a major way. So many of you have signed up to join the street team, we know that so many of you want to help, and it's time we give you the tools. Coming soon, we promise.

3. Had a couple meetings with record label folks to discuss a TWLOHA compilation CD. This has been a dream of ours since the beginning, to invite our music-making friends to help us create a record full of songs that capture what we're trying to be about. Basically (with this), we want to create something with great songs, and we want to create something full of hope.

FAQ.
We've updated the FAQ section of twloha.com this week, and we want to share those questions and answers with you. We get a lot of questions from you guys, and we know people ask you guys questions too. Our hope is that this helps provide a lot of answers. We're still working on it, as there's a few more questions we want to address, and there's some answers we'll be adding to as well.

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Comments (0) | Posted in General by Chris Youngblood

Hi Guys.

Forgive me! This has taken much too long! It's been a pretty amazing month, but before we dive into all that, i want to acknowledge yesterday and today.

Today is September 11, the six-year anniversary of the day that our world changed, a day we felt fragile like never before. Our thoughts and prayers go out to those who lost loved ones on that day. We heard so much about "a country under attack" in those first moments, but for thousands of people, on that day and every day since, this was something much deeper. People lost fathers and friends. Sisters. Sons. Mothers. Dreams. This was their heart, their home, their family. Today we say we're sorry. We can't imagine what you've known. We stand with you. We cry with you. We remember.

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Comments (0) | Posted in General by Chris Youngblood

Hi Guys.

This update is long overdue and for that I apologize. Lots going on! We are updating the [url=http://twloha.com/find_help.php]FIND HELP[/url] and FACTS sections of [url=http://twloha.com]TWLOHA.COM[/url] this week, and we have a meeting tomorrow to discuss all-things-counseling, which includes the LIVE HELP that I mentioned in the last update. LIVE HELP will be a way for people to communicate with counselors in a real-time, anonymous setting. We want to be the greatest possible first step to recovery, and we believe this is going to be an amazing element.

[url=http://WWW.WARPEDTOUR.COM/]WARPED TOUR[/url]
I had two conversations in Dallas, back-to-back, in the same hour. It was a month ago but these conversations have stayed with me. I met a girl who battles both bipolar disorder and cancer. In the face of all of this, she spoke the kindest words, and she asked what she could do to help - she wanted to volunteer. She ended up spending most of the day with us - the Anberlin guys came by to meet her - it was something I'll never forget.

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Comments (0) | Posted in General by Chris Youngblood

Hi Guys.

Our first video blog. Made this afternoon in a Las Vegas hotel room, on a day off from Warped Tour, just before a dip in the pool...

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Comments (0) | Posted in General by Chris Youngblood

Hi Guys.

Our first video blog. Made this afternoon in a Las Vegas hotel room, on a day off from Warped Tour, just before a dip in the pool...

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Comments (0) | Posted in General by Chris Youngblood

So today is the day we celebrate our dads. Today is the day we say "Happy Father's Day".

My dad is a hero of mine. He is one of my best friends. He is a dreamer, a surfer, a music-lover, a writer, a thinker. He showed me all of those. More importantly, he gave my sisters and I the great gift of growing up in a home filled with love and laughter (and lots of songs). We grew up in a home where we knew that we were loved, and we knew that our mother was loved, and I am certain now that there is no greater gift.

That's a bit of my story - an easy reason to celebrate. But I am writing this because I know that not everyone has been so fortunate. I know that today is not an easy day for everyone. 

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Comments (0) | Posted in General by Chris Youngblood

Hi Guys.

This update is long overdue and for that, I apologize. We'll call this Part 1, since there's a lot more to follow. You ready? Okay, here we go...

Last month, thanks to your support, TWLOHA donated $28,500 to the treatment and recovery of young people struggling with depression, drug addiction, self-injury and suicide. The money was split between several organizations, all of which we're committed to supporting each month for the rest of 2007. 

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Comments (0) | Posted in General by Chris Youngblood

Hey Guys.

Just wanted to say hello and let everyone know that our friends in Paramore released a really amazing new record yesterday. It's called "Riot!" and it's in my ears as I'm typing this. A giant storm just came thru, and I'm listening to the song "We Are Broken" and everytime it ends, I find myself going back and starting it again. I was going to send this out as a bulletin but this song is too good and too important. So now it's a blog : ) If you have a buck, go buy this song. If you have ten, go buy the record.

I am a big fan of good words, and honest music. Here's the lyrics to "We Are Broken":

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Comments (13) | Posted in General by Chris Youngblood

Hi Guys.

We got a lot done at our meetings in Grand Rapids last week.  We're about to give away the first big chunk of $100K money, and we are really excited about it.  In Grand Rapids, we worked through the details of what we're able to give, and where it will go.  We're supporting and partnering with a diverse group of organizations, meeting needs as close as Central Florida and as far away as India and Australia.  Lauren is on vacation this week, and I want to wait for her before saying more.  We will have a bunch of info for you next week.

I want to thank you because you guys are the ones that make all of this possible.  You guys are the ones that started this fire.  Your support is what allows us to do what we do, and your support is about to come to life as thousands of dollars in support for young people in need of treatment and recovery. 

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Comments (0) | Posted in General by Chris Youngblood

Hi Guys.

I want to begin by saying that our hearts and prayers continue to be with the Virginia Tech community. I can't imagine what you see and feel and know, what you remember, what is missing now. Please know that your beautiful response is inspiring to the entire world.

Life is difficult beyond explanation. We live in a world where so much is possible. Great beauty and terrible pain, sickness and health, grace and terror. Tomorrow is always uncertain. Love, in all it's different forms, seems to be the one true thing. May you know it now and always.

***********************************************************************

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Comments (0) | Posted in General by Chris Youngblood

Hi Guys.
My dear friend Kasey in NYC shared this with me a couple days ago. He lost a friend to suicide and these are his words. Thank you for reading.
jamie


My Friend Brian.
by Kasey Taylor

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Comments (0) | Posted in General by Chris Youngblood

My friend Byron says that life is hard for most people, most of the time. He is a very smart guy.

I suppose that hope suggests a need, and it suggests that something has not yet ended. To have hope is to believe for change, to believe for a better ending. I have been thinking a lot about hope because I have reminded lately that I am a person in need of hope.

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Comments (0) | Posted in General by Chris Youngblood

Jamie here. This is just the intro...
People often ask if I'm surprised by everything that's happened with TWLOHA over the last year; the way it's spread, the doors that have opened, the friends we've made. And of course, in many ways, I am. But another truth is that surprising doors have been opening in my life for a while now, beyond my ability to explain. Some of the guys that inspire me the most, I have known the privilege of their friendship. My life has long been loaded with reminders, and examples, of what is possible.

I have known some dangerous dreamers, and at the top of this list is a guy named Jon Foreman. Jon lives in and loves a place called San Diego, and he plays in a band that behaves like a family, a band called Switchfoot. Jon is a man of enormous vision, talent, passion, kindness, and humility. He is a thinker, a lover, a fighter, and a phenomenal leader who has been singing about his aches and dreams and desire for change, for the last ten years.

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Comments (0) | Posted in General by Chris Youngblood

Hi Guys.

"I'm wearing this tonight."

I remember my friend Jon saying those words.  It was a year ago this Friday.  We had just opened the first box of TWLOHA shirts.  We were in south Florida for a Switchfoot show.  Florida Atlantic University.  Sold out show.  2500 people.  Band Marino opening, on about eight hours notice. 

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Comments (5) | Posted in General by Chris Youngblood

Hello from Arizona.

First off, thank you for the amazing response to that last blog. Your kind words mean so much. Thank you for embracing those stories.

The tour is going great. The days have been going by so fast, too fast. We're out of the cold and into the warmer west now, enjoying each new day, all the many new faces and places.

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Comments (0) | Posted in General by Chris Youngblood

Hello from Detroit, where it is 36 degrees, feels like 22, and it's raining. : )

We will add some photos and resources later tonight, but I want to share this now, a great moment from one of the recent shows, and another that someone just shared with us.

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Comments (0) | Posted in General by Chris Youngblood

Hi Guys.

We are on the road and have become fast friends with the guys from Bayside. They are an amazing band from New York City, and their story is something important.

On October 31, 2005, Bayside's van crashed while on tour, and their drummer, John "Beatz" Holohan, was killed. Many wondered if the band would go on, if they could continue to to tour and make records in the face of such tragedy. Bayside surprised a ton of people when they returned to finish the tour only two weeks later, playing acoustic each night. They turned down interview requests from various mainstream media outlets, refusing to capitalize on the death of their friend. On February 6, Bayside released "The Walking Wounded", their best work to date.

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Comments (0) | Posted in General by Chris Youngblood

Hello from Boston.

We woke to snow on the ground but the sun was somehow warmer today. Stopped for round two of showers, which we're learning to value like gold on this tour. David and Lauren seem to have friends in every city we go to. Our day began with a family and a fireplace.

Thank you for the many kind comments regarding our "birthday". I tried to post this last night but couldn't get online. Yesterday we celebreated Renee's one-year mark for sobriety. We are so proud of her as we know that every day has been a battle. We know that recovery is a life-long journey but we want to take this moment to congratulate her on this significant day. 

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Comments (0) | Posted in General by Chris Youngblood

Hello from D.C.

Donald Miller is my favorite author. He is both a hero and a friend to me. Don said one of my favorite things when he said "I'm better with my hands". He was talking about words, that he is better behind a computer screen vs. standing on a stage. Well, I would say the same and last night was one of those nights. I didn't get to say the things I had hoped to, so I'm going to try to say them here.

There was a different sort of weight to yesterday for me… In telling the TWLOHA story, I usually say that it began last February, a year ago this week actually. But in some ways, for me, it began last January, when my friend Zeke took his life. I was sitting in a meeting at Hurley in California when I found out. (Zeke was a Hurley rep in Virginia Beach) Hurley Founder & CEO Bob Hurley interrupted our meetings to make the difficult announcement. We were given a 30-minute break, which most of us spent crying in the parking lot. After the break, the meetings resumed but in some ways, I never went back. Zeke's death changed a lot of things for me.

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Comments (0) | Posted in General by Chris Youngblood

Hello from Norfolk, VA. I tried to write after the show last night, around 3am, but I just couldn't keep my eyes open. David and Lauren have friends in Norfolk so we're all feeling better after some sleep, a hot shower and some good local food. (I am a fan of crab cakes and free wireless internet, so this is a good place to be.)

We had a wonderful night last night, opening night in Charlotte. All the bands were super kind and played great sets. This really is an amazing lineup – four talented bands. It was super good to reconnect with Anberlin, and we became fast friends with the Jonezetta guys. Dia stopped by and said hello before their (Meg & Dia's) set. She spent a couple minutes with Lauren and Trisha and checked out the story before taking the stage. It was really cool to get to see Meg & Dia after hearing so much about them recently.

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Comments (0) | Posted in General by Chris Youngblood

Hi Guys

Just wanted to say a quick hello from the road. We picked up our RV and our dear friend Jake yesterday, and we're headed north now. Jake flew all the way from Portland and today begins his long drive home. Trisha, Lauren and David are asleep, I'm online, and Jake is at the wheel, heading towards Atlanta. We're going to sleep for a couple hours, pick up shirts in the morning, and then tomorrow is opening night in Charlotte : )

We are so excited. As we mentioned before, we're going to do our best to bring you along for this ride. We will be posting photos and video as often as possible, and I'm planning to write every day. We're going to be working on all that tomorrow and will let you know as soon as there's more to say...

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Comments (0) | Posted in General by Chris Youngblood

Hi Guys.

It's late and I have to wake up in a couple hours to fly to Raleigh, but this can't wait.

Anberlin has invited us to join them on their nationwide Spring Tour. Anberlin's amazing new album "Cities" comes out on February 20, and the tour begins the next night in Charlotte. These shows are going to be so good as, along with Anberlin, it's Bayside, Meg & Dia, and Jonezetta.

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Comments (0) | Posted in General by Chris Youngblood

Hi Guys

A few days have passed since our return from India. Thank you so much for your kind words and prayers while we were away. I've been waking up earlier since we've been home, this last bit of jetlag a welcome reminder of a land and people I wish never to forget. I'm trying to stay on this schedule as it feels like some small connection to India. I've wanted to write sooner but could not find the words. It is hard to describe the things we saw and the ways we were changed by our time in Kolkata. In short, we didn't want to leave.

Bono says that laughter is the evidence of freedom and it is true. We have said ourselves that rescue is possible, and those words took on a different degree of meaning in India. Words like "freedom" and "rescue" only matter because they rise against words like "evil" and "slavery". We can only imagine what those children have seen, what they have lost and how it haunts them. Our time with them was something sweeter, something hopeful, singing and dancing and drawing, the building back of innocence. 

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Comments (0) | Posted in General by Chris Youngblood

It's like 3 in the morning right now, jet lag is officially mauling my life. It just doesn't seem right to not be woken up at 5 in the morning by an indian man belting a Muslim prayer/song over a city wide PA system. (A speaker being conveniently located right outside our window) There are many many memories to look back on and laugh about from my trip to India. From the 5am prayer calls to the insanity that is public transportation; enough to spend a lifetime telling about. But then there's something else. Something that feels different inside me. Other things that will also stay with me for my lifetime, but can't be put into a story to share at parties.

There is more there to tell of than I could possibly share here, but let me begin to stumble through. India is the most contradictory place on earth. It is both beauty and destruction. Spirituality and corruption. I have been away from it for a few days now and it's as if i have been made into a different shape, and the struggle now is to fill that shape. Not knowing or understanding what exact shape that is or how to fill it. The easy way being to just cram any worthwhile sorta thing into those places instead of feeling through the process of filling it out.

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Comments (0) | Posted in General by Chris Youngblood

Hi Guys

I am writing from a room full of travellers and computers in Kolkata (Calcutta, India)... I will write a more-detailed version later but I wanted to send something...

India is wild, poor, sad, broken, beautiful. Beyond words. 

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Comments (0) | Posted in General by Chris Youngblood

Hey guys,

Last week we were honored to be able to spend some good time with a girl named Janette.  She flew out for a bit of a vacation/life retreat at my husband David and my house.  Like so many of you, we have been able to form a relationship with her during one of the most trying times of her life.  Through our time together Janette has gone from some extremely dark places to choosing to take steps towards healing one day at a time.  This is a long process and there is so much to be learned along the way, but just like so many that have gone before her and so many that will come after her she is choosing to walk the road to healing.  

I don't say any of this to brag on one person, even though I am so proud of the choices Janette has been making.  Rather I say all these things not for Janette but for those reading this who are right now in similar dark places.  I say all this in hopes that those reading this will see Janette and realize they are not alone in their struggle.  That if there is hope for her than there is hope for them.

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Comments (0) | Posted in General by Chris Youngblood

Hi Guys.

We leave for India in one hour!

I am sitting at Gate 10 in Terminal 1 at JFK in New York, borrowing the good man Clint's shiny PowerBook. Trisha and Emily are here. For me, it's a few close friends and a lot of new faces.

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Comments (0) | Posted in General by Chris Youngblood

Something happens at midnight. Or something is supposed to, right?

I think the big idea is change. The thing we want to believe is that things can change, things can be new, that at midnight it might be possible to leave some things behind. Start over. Hope. New.

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Comments (0) | Posted in General by Chris Youngblood

Hi Guys.
 
I begin on a sad note.  Many of you responded to my sister Emily's bulletin a couple weeks ago.  She was writing to ask for your prayers for Sean Hargreaves, an 18 year-old high school senior from our hometown of Melbourne, Florida.  Sean has battled leukemia for the last two years and his fight has been met with so much support from our community.  It is with a heavy heart that I write to say that Sean's battle with leukemia ended this week.
 
I am thankful that Sean is free today, that the pain is gone.  Our prayers now are for his family and friends as they begin this difficult new life without him.  It is estimated that Sean's family is now facing $1 million in medical and travel expenses.  It feels small in the face of that debt, but TWLOHA is proud to donate $500.  I was touched by this article today: [url]http://floridatoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061221/NEWS01/612210345/-1/archives[/url]

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Comments (0) | Posted in General by Chris Youngblood

Hi Guys.
 
Raw Talent is our partner for the online store. We know that many of you have been waiting weeks for orders placed online.  We want you to know that we're working with Raw Talent to do everything possible to get your orders shipped as soon as possible.  And we want to say that we're sorry.
 
Every great thing that's happened and is happening with TWLOHA, from Renee's needs being met to us being in a position to hire staff, to the situations we're pouring into now; all of these things have been made possible by your orders.  We know that your time, and your money is valuable, and no one should have to wait weeks for their order. 

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Comments (0) | Posted in General by Chris Youngblood

Hi Guys

Happy Thanksgiving from Memphis, Tennessee.  I hope this finds you full and smiling.  I am on a borrowed computer in a house full of family.  A great-grandmother's voice is alive in the living room as I type.  It's a beautiful sound (her voice, not my typing).  A tiny little girl named Lilly is trying to sleep on a cot closeby, so I'll have to keep this brief.

I just wanted to say thank you...

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Comments (0) | Posted in General by Chris Youngblood

Hi Guys

First off, I want to thank you for the way you've responded to the death of Brittany Maxwell.  Thank you for your prayers and kind words.  We have heard from many of her friends and are hoping to connect with her family very soon.

We leave Tuesday night for Nashville.  Stop the Bleeding begins Wednesday at Rocketown.  I've always wanted to go to Nashville so I'm really looking forward to it. You may have noticed a new friend in our top spot.  Stop the Bleeding has it's own MySpace (a music page!), so [url]http://www.myspace.com/stopthebleedingtour[/url] will serve as home base for this tour, future shows, booking, etc.  Also, you'll be able to listen to songs (and a poem) from some of the bands we're taking on the road.  I've posted an intro blog there, along with our first press release - hope you'll check it out.

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Comments (0) | Posted in General by Chris Youngblood

Hey Guys.

I am sitting here reading through the responses to last night's bulletin... Thank you so much for all the kind words.  (There's something crazy like 13 pages of them!)  Honestly, I wasn't sure how that bulletin would be received.  i was sitting there on my friend Nathan's computer, making us late to the Mute Math show, and i just felt like i needed to write that...

Anyway, thanks for receiving it.  Seems I'm not alone in wrestling with things like yesterday.  Thanks for letting me be honest, and thank you for your honesty.  I keep saying this, keep learning and believing this more and more; the idea that we're in it together.  We're not alone.  We're surviving together.  Asking hard questions and learning to love people, we're a giant conversation, and I am so thankful for that. 

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Comments (0) | Posted in General by Chris Youngblood

Hi Guys.
 
I'm in Michigan, heading back to Florida in a few hours.  It's late and there's so many great things happening.  I don't know where to begin… The world is feeling small, and that's a great feeling.  It means that much is possible.
 
[b]"Stop the Bleeding"[/b]
We had a great night at "Stop the Bleeding" in Peoria, IL last Saturday.  Folks came from all over Illinois, and as far away as Missourri and Wisconsin.  There were two great bands, paintings and poets, and several speakers, myself included.  We had an extended Q&A time, which included two counselors.  Thanks so much to Chris Schaffner and all the artists, counselors and volunteers who made it happen.  See you in July.

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Comments (3) | Posted in General by Chris Youngblood

Hi Guys.

I'm writing from a basement in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Trisha is at School of Rock with Hayley and Paramore, across a river from that Manhattan skyline. Jake is back home in Portland, a couple days break from Bradley's Happy Fun Tour. Renee is settling into her new apartment and I'm guessing the thought of that has you smiling right now.

Where are you tonight? How is life? What is new? 

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Comments (3) | Posted in General by Chris Youngblood

I don't want to sound like the blog version of "Everybody Hurts" by R.E.M., but man, life's a bitch sometimes.

Today is the six-year anniversary of my brother's death.

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Comments (0) | Posted in General by Chris Youngblood

Today is a really cool day. As of today, Renee has been sober for six months! I want to invite you to post comments for her (on [url2=http://www.myspace.com/towriteloveonherarms]our myspace[/url2]). Your kind words and support continue to mean the world to her.

And for all of you who are somewhere along a similar journey, those comments are for you as well. This love is yours, and you are not alone. We are all in this together, shouting back at the darkness, a little louder each day.

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Comments (4) | Posted in General by Chris Youngblood