http://twloha.sitecrafting.com/blog/ Latest blog entries from TWLOHA en-us Fri, 03 Feb 2012 20:26:38 PST Fri, 03 Feb 2012 20:26:38 PST SiteCrafting, Inc. CMS http://www.twloha.com/blog/small-overlap-1/ A few years ago, when I was in college, I wanted to work at TWLOHA.  I dreamed of a life sleeping in a van or bus, traveling around the country telling people about this vision I believed in.  Then, I arrived, and my job wasn’t really about traveling at all.  I also learned I’m not really designed for being on tour; it is a life of movement, and I am actually a fan of being still. But sometimes, I get to represent TWLOHA outside of our small Florida town.  Like a couple weeks ago when I went with Jessica to California to visit four organizations and counseling centers.  It’s really important to us to create and sustain a relationship with the organizations and counseling centers we recommend to our supporters.  We hear from people working with resources, and we were very fortunate that last year, four separate centers in California reached out.  I worked with them for months to organize a trip where we could visit all four places in just a few days to get a sense of the work they do and who they are as teams. I should tell you about the amazing people I met, people who are changing the world with the care they are providing on the west coast.  I should talk about how I met a couple of people who are a part of TWLOHA’s story, people I have heard about for years and finally met in real life.  I should explain how awesome it was to travel with Jessica, who understands when I need to just read a book and not talk to anyone.  I should detail my love for California’s mountains and how its slightly cold weather made a smile spread across my face and stay.  I should tell you about the peace I felt looking out at the Pacific for the first time in my twenty-four years, the quiet way the wind whipped around, and how grateful I was just to be breathing. But this what I want to share:  “Home is: where I will lay my bones when I die.” I saw this quote at A Home Within, the first organization we visited.  It was on the first page on an art book, with “Home is:” as a prompt at the top, and there were several sentences that followed that line, scrawled by a child in the foster system, whose age I don’t know and whose face I will never see but whose words stayed with me all the same. I was reminded that we bring our lives, memories and baggage and aches and chances and expectations, to the table when we color in the lines and add definition to our stories. What would the world look like if we encouraged the differences and appreciated them in each other?  If we made an effort to look at the world from a perspective we may not understand at first? I don’t know what it’s like to be switched around from family to family without feeling like I belong to one or becoming attached to people only to be taken away from them without warning.  I don’t know what it’s like to live in a group home with other kids who are in the system.  I don’t know what it is to live a life of movement with change an ever-present reality on the horizon. But I know what it’s like to long for home, a place to feel rooted and safe. That’s the beginning, this tiny common ground, a small overlap, a thread that connects my story to this stranger’s story, a signpost to remember to share grace.  I am a fan of being still, but these moments on the road are some of my favorite TWLOHA memories, the moments when I remember that sometimes our stories run together.  Thank you, California, for letting yours run into mine. --whitney ... Fri, 03 Feb 2012 12:29:00 PST http://www.twloha.com/blog/fight-goes/ In a world where many people wear masks as a way to feel safe, honesty is sometimes hard to find, especially in the world of social media where we can paint our masks carefully. We allow people to see only what we want them to see, except when we have the courage to be vulnerable. Jenny Lawson (aka The Bloggess) writes with such boldness, telling a part of her story with honesty because she believes it's a part of healing. We hope the words below give an invitation for you to do the same.----If you follow me on twitter you already know that I’ve been battling off one of the most severe bouts of depression I’ve ever had. Yesterday it started to pass, and for the first time in weeks I cried with relief instead of with hopelessness. Depression can be crippling, and deadly. I’m lucky that it’s a rare thing for me, and that I have a support system to lean on. I’m lucky that I’ve learned that depression lies to you, and that you should never listen to it, in spite of how persuasive it is at the time. When cancer sufferers fight, recover, and go into remission we laud their bravery. We call them survivors. Because they are. When depression sufferers fight, recover and go into remission we seldom even know, simply because so many suffer in the dark…ashamed to admit something they see as a personal weakness…afraid that people will worry, and more afraid that they won’t. We find ourselves unable to do anything but cling to the couch and force ourselves to breathe. When you come out of the grips of a depression there is an incredible relief, but not one you feel allowed to celebrate. Instead, the feeling of victory is replaced with anxiety that it will happen again, and with shame and vulnerability when you see how your illness affected your family, your work, everything left untouched while you struggled to survive. We come back to life thinner, paler, weaker…but as survivors. Survivors who don’t get pats on the back from coworkers who congratulate them on making it. Survivors who wake to more work than before because their friends and family are exhausted from helping them fight a battle they may not even understand. Regardless, today I feel proud.  I survived.  And I celebrate every one of you reading this. I celebrate the fact that you’ve fought your battle and continue to win. I celebrate the fact that you may not understand the battle, but you pick up the baton dropped by someone you love until they can carry it again. I celebrate the fact that each time we go through this, we get a little stronger. We learn new tricks on the battlefield. We learn them in terrible ways, but we use them. We don’t struggle in vain. We win. We are alive.  ********** I wrote this post a month ago, but I couldn’t bring myself to post it then. I was too weak from fighting to shout, and so instead I whispered this into the night and left it unpublished until I felt like I could speak to it with the battle-cry it deserves. Years ago, coming out about depression and anxiety disorder was something frightening, but now people are more honest and open and so much of the shame has dissipated. We may not have pink ribbons or telethons but we know that someone out there understands. That is, until we’re honest about how it affects us. I’ve never written about this because I can’t talk about it without it being a trigger but I think it’s important to be honest even when it’s scary. Especially when it’s scary. I self-harm.  I don’t do it all the time and it’s not enough to put me into an institution or threaten my well-being, but it’s enough to make it frightening to live in my body sometimes.  I’m far from suicidal.  I do it to self-sooth, because the physical pain distracts me from the mental pain.  It’s one of those things that’s impossible to explain to people who don’t understand impulse control disorder.  Honestly, I find it hard to understand it to myself and I’m working my ass off to fix it now before my daughter is old enough to see the things I don’t want her to see.  It is one of the hardest things I have ever done. I am safe.  My disorder is fairly mild and is becoming more controlled.  I’m in therapy and I’m not in danger.  I avoid triggers and I’ve found therapies and drugs that are helping.  I’m getting better.  But I sort of feel like I can’t completely heal from this without being honest about it.  So here it is.  Judge me or not, I am the same person I was before.  And so are you.  And chances are that many of your friends, family and coworkers are dealing with things like this.  Things that are killing them a little inside.  Things that kill people who don’t get help.  Silent, bloody battles that end with secret victors who can’t celebrate without shame.  I hope that this post changes this somehow.  I hope that you feel safe enough to be honest about the things you are the most ashamed of.  I hope you have someone there telling you “It’s okay.  You’re still the same person to me.” I hope to one day I see a sea of people all wearing silver ribbons as a sign that they understand the secret battle and that they  celebrate the victories made each day as we individually pull ourselves up out of our foxholes to see our scars heal, and to remember what the sun looks like. I hope one day to be better and I’m pretty sure I will be.  I hope one day I live in a world where the personal fight for mental stability is viewed with pride and public cheers instead of shame.  I hope it for you too. But until then, it starts slowly. I haven’t hurt myself in 3 days.  I sing strange battle-songs to myself in the darkness to scare away the demons.  I am a fighter when I need to be.  And for that I am proud. ... Fri, 27 Jan 2012 12:41:00 PST http://www.twloha.com/blog/fears-vs-dreams-hollywood/ For the second year in a row, TWLOHA was chosen as the featured charity for the Secret Rooms Golden Globes Gifting Suite. Chloe and I were able to introduce TWLOHA to the celebrities who attended and ask them to be a part of our Fears vs. Dreams Campaign, and thanks to our awesome photographer Jered Scott, we have photos to share with you. No matter what someone's social status may be, at the end of the day, celebrities are people like us, humans who struggle with an array of different things. Admitting what scares us or what makes us feel alive might be intimidating or embarrassing, but there is power and strength in owning who we are. We're thankful for the attendees who were willing to share their fears and dreams.  May reading them be a reminder that grace is free and everyone deserves it.--Katie ... Tue, 24 Jan 2012 08:24:00 PST http://www.twloha.com/blog/come-closer-shake-dust/ At the end of our HEAVY AND LIGHT intro video, the crowd stood looking toward the stage, expecting the curtain to open to the first song of the night. Instead? An invitation from a very special poet in the balcony. Did you know we collaborated with Anis on this special shirt based on another one of his poems? The words to "Shake the Dust" are printed inside the shirt. Watch Anis perform the poem at HEAVY AND LIGHT 2010 by clicking HERE.To view the shirt in the TWLOHA Online Store, click HERE. ... Fri, 20 Jan 2012 08:06:00 PST http://www.twloha.com/blog/four-new-videos/ Did you know that we've released four new videos in the last two weeks?  The first two are from the American Giving Awards presented by Chase, which was the biggest night and moment in the history of TWLOHA. In case you missed it, we won a million dollars!! And beyond the money, we were given time on national television (NBC) to introduce the message and mission of TWLOHA. For me personally, it was a night i'll never forget as i had the privelege of speaking on behalf of not only our team but also our amazing community of supporters (You). The first video includes an intro from Miley Cyrus, three stories from the TWLOHA family - Kaitlyn, Jenny and Joel, and then a short speech that i was honored to communicate. The second video is the moment that the million dollar winner was announced.The last two videos are from HEAVY AND LIGHT, our annual evening of songs, conversation and hope, which took place January 7 at House of Blues Orlando. It's our flagship event, a concert that is hopefully much more than a concert. HEAVY AND LIGHT is our favorite night of the year, the thing we would create if we could create anything. How do the videos fit together? Well, part of our "big idea" for the American Giving Awards was (and is) to take HEAVY AND LIGHT to cities across America in 2012. We're working on that now and we'll tell you more just as soon as there's more to tell.  For now, sit back and enjoy. Peace to you. jamie ... Tue, 17 Jan 2012 14:09:00 PST http://www.twloha.com/blog/welcome-to-midnight/ Five. Four. Three. Two. One. The ball drops and fireworks. Resolutions are made. People scream and people kiss and is it possible to change? Is it really truly possible to leave the past behind? Welcome to Midnight. Another year comes to a close. Another year begins. With a moment in between. Why the fuss? Why the fame and fireworks? Is it more than hype? More than something else to sell us? Is there something to this holiday? Something true inside it? Because isn't there something inside us that aches for change... Dreams it to be possible... To let go. To hold on. To leave it behind. To start again. To be new. Is it possible? If you're reading this, if there's air in your lungs, then you're alive today tonight right now. And who can know how long we have here... And is it a gift? Was it ever a gift? Did that ever feel true or could that one day feel true? Are there things to fight to live for? Moments and people... Weddings and children and all your different dreams... Love... Is your life more than just your own? And are there broken things you were made to fight to fix? Broken families, broken friends... Injustice. Will you move for things that matter? Wouldn't it be nice if change took just a moment? Wouldn't it be nice if it were that easy? Midnight and we're new. Midnight and the past erased. Midnight and we're free. It seems to come slow. It seems to be a surgery. Forgiveness. Healing. Sobriety. Letting go. Starting over. It seems to happen slowly over time. One day at a time, the choice made new each morning. Will you fight? Will you fight to be healthy? Will you fight to be free? Will you fight for your story? Will you fight to get the help you need? Change takes more than a moment, but maybe there's also something to this celebration of a moment, something to the way it speaks to us, something to the way we fear it, and dream it to be true. Maybe it's the most honest moment of the year. It's possible to change. Welcome to Midnight. Here's to the possibilities. Peace to You. jamie PS: Join the conversation at #welcometomidnight on Twitter. We're getting together a week from tonight to sing some songs and talk about it. You're invited. ... Sat, 31 Dec 2011 14:57:00 PST http://www.twloha.com/blog/personal-introduction-part-two/ On October 1st, we started accepting applications for our first ever high school campaign The Storytellers. Below is Part Two of a blog from our coordinating team for The Storytellers. Katie shares a bit about a high school friend and why co-leading The Storytellers matters to her.  (To read Part One, click here.)--During my junior year of high school, I went to a basketball game with a group of friends. After the game, a bunch of us went to my friend Jessi's house. I had never talked to Nick before. I knew who he was, and we had friends in common, but our paths hadn’t crossed until that night. I spent the better part of the evening sitting on a couch, talking with and getting to know him. He was unbelievably genuine and incredibly funny.It was the first and last conversation I’d have with Nick—six months later he died by suicide. I’ll never forget receiving that phone call just a few days before starting senior year. His death came as a surprise to everyone. I couldn’t piece together anything that made sense. Nick’s close friends knew there were some problems at home, but no one knew the deep loneliness he felt.Losing him made me fully understand the concept of what’s going on in someone’s heart may not reflect what we see on the outside.I’m passionate about The Storytellers because it’s a way to encourage your friends and classmates during a time that can be really difficult. It’s a starting point to a conversation that may otherwise never happen, a conversation that can change, and sometimes even save, a life. My hope for The Storytellers is that it helps high school students connect with each other beyond the superficial layers seen in the hallways. —Katie--We believe in the power of high school students. You all have a voice that can change your communities. We hope you will join us for the first term of The Storytellers or pass this along to someone you know that might be interested (in case you’re not in high school anymore). The idea is simple: invite people who are passionate about TWLOHA, who have a unique platform every day of the school year, to tell our story.  You, the high school students, get to use your creativity to decide how to tell the story, and we give you the resources to raise awareness and funds for an organization that matters to you. Applications can be submitted here until January 15, 2012. The first term will begin on February 1, 2012 and conclude on May 15, 2012. You can find more specific information here. For any questions, please read our FAQ section, and if you don’t see an answer to your question there, please email thestorytellers@twloha.com. With Love,Chloe and KatieP.S. We’re proud to announce the first 85 high schools accepted into The Storytellers. Two countries and 30 states, as far as Alaska, are represented in the list below. Welcome, Storytellers. : ) North Mac High SchoolMauston High SchoolTopsail High SchoolGulf High SchoolThe Visual and Performing Arts Center High School & Early CollegeMinarets High SchoolWestern Reserve AcademyBradford Area High SchoolCanyon Ridge High SchoolEau Gallie High SchoolBuchholz High SchoolRegina High SchoolHulett High SchoolFranklin Community High SchoolAlamogordo High SchoolBluefield High SchoolLicking Heights High SchoolSoddy Daisy High SchoolPueblo Central High SchoolGeorge Washington High SchoolHemet High SchoolPutnam County High SchoolAlvirne High SchoolWest Islip High SchoolAndover High SchoolEast Hall High SchoolWrangell High SchoolRichmond High SchoolCoopersville High SchoolDysart High SchoolColorado High SchoolLincoln Park Performing Arts Charter SchoolMarengo Community High SchoolBergen County AcademiesMorgan County High SchoolDecorah High SchoolPortal High SchoolPositive Outcomes Charter SchoolSt. Elizabeth High SchoolKeith Country Day SchoolMountain Vista High SchoolGreater Hartford Academy of the ArtsKennett High SchoolRiver Hill High SchoolPerrysburgh High SchoolJohn Paul II Catholic High SchoolFelicity-Franklin High SchoolHermitage High SchoolCharter School of WilmingtonBloomfield High SchoolMilton High School Mountain View High SchoolEast Rutherford High SchoolBlue Valley Northwest High SchoolCole Valley Christian High SchoolOakville High SchoolPinckney Community High SchoolScranton High SchoolAlWood High SchoolCelebration High SchoolSherman High SchoolSouth Sumter High SchoolOklahoma Christian SchoolNorth Davidson High SchoolWestern Branch High SchoolMethacon High SchoolUdall High SchoolBillerica Memorial High Schoolécole Secondaire Cochrane High SchoolMackenzie Mountain SchoolCentral CollegiateDelta Secondary SchoolSerrano High SchoolCamden County High SchoolThe Athenian SchoolWoodland Regional High SchoolSebring High SchoolHoly Trinity Episcopal AcademyWaterloo West High SchoolBenjamin Franklin High SchoolLawton High SchoolSOAR High SchoolSanborn Regional High School ... Tue, 20 Dec 2011 09:51:00 PST http://www.twloha.com/blog/personal-introduction-part-one/ On October 1st, we started accepting applications for our first ever high school campaign The Storytellers. Below is Part One of a blog from our coordinating team for The Storytellers. Chloe shares a bit about her own high school experience and why she is so excited to co-lead the program.  Check back next Wednesday to hear from Katie.--My first day of high school was in August of 2001. I feel old just saying that, even though I’m only 24. Despite the fact that it has been a decade since I started high school and six years since I graduated, I can still remember what it felt like to be a high school student struggling with anxiety and depression. I remember how even with my close group of friends and loving family, I didn’t feel I could share with them what I was going through. I didn’t understand why I felt anxious and sad when, for the most part, my life was good. I had great grades, played sports, spent the majority of my free time with friends and family. I had a car, two jobs, and a boyfriend.And yet I was uncomfortable in my own skin.I was scared. Unsure. Frustrated. Confused.I also didn’t know this was something a lot of other people were going through. For some people, high school is a place where they feel alive, flourish, and achieve. For others, it’s a struggle, a land of bullies and loneliness.TWLOHA has answered thousands of messages from high school students over the years. There have been sad stories and happy stories. Our hearts have both ached and rejoiced. Your words motivated our team to create a program specifically for high school students. The Storytellers is important because it actively engages high school students to share their story, talk about the things often kept in secret, bring the TWLOHA message to their campus, and most importantly, live life with other people. I feel lucky to be a part of making those things a reality.—Chloe--We believe in the power of high school students. You all have a voice that can change your communities. We hope you will join us for the first term of The Storytellers or pass this along to someone you know that might be interested (in case you’re not in high school anymore).The idea is simple: invite people who are passionate about TWLOHA, who have a unique platform every day of the school year, to tell our story.  You, the high school students, get to use your creativity to decide how to tell the story, and we give you the resources to raise awareness and funds for an organization that matters to you.Applications can be submitted here until January 15, 2012. The first term will begin on February 1, 2012 and conclude on May 15, 2012. You can find more specific information here. For any questions, please read our FAQ section, and if you don’t see an answer to your question there, please email thestorytellers@twloha.com.With Love,Chloe and KatieP.S. We’re proud to announce the first 75 high schools accepted into The Storytellers. Two countries and 29 states, as far as Alaska, are represented in the list below.Welcome, Storytellers. : )North Mac High SchoolMauston High SchoolTopsail High SchoolGulf High SchoolThe Visual and Performing Arts Center High School & Early CollegeMinarets High SchoolWestern Reserve AcademyBradford Area High SchoolCanyon Ridge High SchoolEau Gallie High SchoolBuchholz High SchoolRegina High SchoolHulett High SchoolFranklin Community High SchoolAlamogordo High SchoolBluefield High SchoolLicking Heights High SchoolSoddy Daisy High SchoolPueblo Central High SchoolGeorge Washington High SchoolHemet High SchoolPutnam County High SchoolAlvirne High SchoolWest Islip High SchoolAndover High SchoolEast Hall High SchoolWrangell High SchoolRichmond High SchoolCoopersville High SchoolDysart High SchoolColorado High SchoolLincoln Park Performing Arts Charter SchoolMarengo Community High SchoolBergen County AcademiesMorgan County High SchoolDecorah High SchoolPortal High SchoolPositive Outcomes Charter SchoolSt. Elizabeth High SchoolKeith Country Day SchoolMountain Vista High SchoolGreater Hartford Academy of the ArtsKennett High SchoolRiver Hill High SchoolPerrysburgh High SchoolJohn Paul II Catholic High SchoolFelicity-Franklin High SchoolHermitage High SchoolCharter School of WilmingtonBloomfield High SchoolMilton High School Mountain View High SchoolEast Rutherford High SchoolBlue Valley Northwest High SchoolCole Valley Christian High SchoolOakville High SchoolPinckney Community High SchoolScranton High SchoolAlWood High SchoolCelebration High SchoolSherman High SchoolSouth Sumter High SchoolOklahoma Christian SchoolNorth Davidson High SchoolWestern Branch High SchoolMethacon High SchoolUdall High SchoolBillerica Memorial High SchoolSerrano High SchoolLewis and Clark High Schoolécole Secondaire Cochrane High SchoolMackenzie Mountain SchoolCentral CollegiateDelta Secondary SchoolBurnaby North Secondary School ... Wed, 14 Dec 2011 12:01:00 PST http://www.twloha.com/blog/thank-you-fall-2011-interns/ This weekend, the TWLOHA team said goodbye to a very special group of people. It’s hard to even know what to write about the Fall 2011 Interns leaving; their contribution to TWLOHA as an organization and to our team has been monumental. They walked with us through a major transition, moving our office from Cocoa to Melbourne; they were our nomad interns, living in three very different houses between August and December; they answered a total of 1,814 messages during their time here, sharing a message of hope each time they clicked “send.”And they just helped us win a $1 million grant that will help provide countless individuals with hope and healing, as well as treatment and recovery.The Fall Interns were arguably the most diverse group of interns TWLOHA has ever hosted. But even though the six of them grew up on four different continents, they put their hearts and souls into this idea of community that is so important to this internship, and they have created something entirely unique and special for themselves: a group of people that will fight for each other and continue to choose to do the hard work of loving one another. And they have the tools to take the principles of building healthy community back to their homes.Thank you Raquel, Abi, Barry, Joel, Lindsey, and Jeung Hwa for spending these months with us. Our hearts break as you leave us, but we take joy in knowing that you have become a part of our TWLOHA family during your time here. Even as we say goodbye, we know that you are not leaving entirely. The effect you’ve had on us cannot be erased, and we’re definitely okay with that.EmmiIntern Program Director ... Mon, 12 Dec 2011 13:58:00 PST http://www.twloha.com/blog/jonahs-video/ Four months ago, a 14 year-old named Jonah Mowry made a video. He wrote on index cards and held them in front of the camera, one after another, owning his words bravely for the world to see. The world is seeing it. The video is seemingly everywhere this week, and we think it's great. We are proud to share it with you. Jonah is in eighth grade and no stranger to being bullied at school. He shares his journey through school, how bullying started in first grade and never stopped. There at the end, he acknowledges that things can't keep going the way they've been going, but his recognition doesn't imply defeat, rather it fuels his fight for his own story. He is stronger than giving up. He is worth more than giving up. He has a million reasons to live. In the dark, tangled up in his fears, Jonah seizes his own strength.It is a hard road to find and hold on to the truths Jonah finds and holds in his video, and some of us don't know how to get to the strength locked within ourselves. And it is in this place that I'm reminded that we need each other, that hope and goodness and truth and love, definitely love, can change a life.People need you.You need people.What would the world look like if we lived like we believe in that? What would the world look like if we helped each other find the strength locked up within us? If, instead of tearing each other down with hate, we built each up with truth and love?What would happen if we simply used our words for kindness?Your words have power, and the way you shape them matters. Use them carefully, and use them often.Wishing you hope and grace.whitney ... Tue, 06 Dec 2011 10:51:00 PST http://www.twloha.com/blog/8-days-8-votes-1/ Today, December officially begins and so does the final round of voting for the American Giving Awards presented by Chase. TWLOHA is one of five charities with a chance to win $1,000,000. Your support helped us win Round 1 back in October and now we’re looking at the chance not only to win this money but to do it on national television, as the Awards will be broadcast nationwide on NBC. Your support got us here and we need you now more than ever. Winning this money would allow us to take our message of hope and help on the road to more places and in more creative ways than ever before. Beyond that, we think the chance to speak to a national television audience is something pretty special.You can vote once daily 12/1 thru 12/8, so we’re asking for 8 votes over the next 8 days. If you want to do more, you can tweet, retweet, post on Facebook and Tumblr, even host a voting party at your school or in your community. There’s room to get creative. There’s room for your passion and your voice.TWLOHA started small and we’ve seen amazing doors open as we’ve continued to journey together. That’s what it’s all about…To see our big idea (how we would spend the money) and to cast your first vote, go here. On behalf of the entire TWLOHA team, thank you for supporting us and thank you for caring about other people.  Peace to you.jamie ... Wed, 30 Nov 2011 15:41:00 PST http://www.twloha.com/blog/thanksgiving-note-to-say-youre/ We hope that today is a good day, a day spent with family and friends and a day to pause with thanks. We know for some it’s not, or it’s simply not that simple.To everyone heavy with the weight of things missing or fractured today,It doesn’t mean you’re ungrateful or unthankful.It only means you’re human. And you’re not alone in that.We lose things in this life. We all do.Things are taken. Things break and leave and we are kept from what we love. We are kept from peace.If today finds you more aware of what you’ve lost than what you have, this is for you, a note to say you’re not alone. A lot of people feel what you feel today.Perhaps today finds you with the same faces as one year ago today. And when they ask how you are or if anything is new, perhaps you wish you had some different answers. Answers that sound like change or pride or progress.  Maybe you wanted this year to be about change but not a lot has changed. Or maybe changes came but they were not the ones you hoped for.It’s okay. Where you are and what you feel and what you wish was different. It’s okay.You’re still here and this day will pass and tomorrow has never happened before. The same is even true for the rest of today. Things can still be new. There is room for healing and surprise and even room for change.This life is not a race. It’s not a contest or a competition. It’s a patient broken story breaking more and healing more with all our different days, rich with winning as well as losing. The beauty is that we get to go together.The highlight of my 2011 has been to get to know someone walking through the hardest year that they have ever known. For them, it's been a year of loss and losing. To get to know this person in this time, it’s been nothing like a burden. It’s been a privilege and a blessing and a surprise. It’s caused me to believe in better things, reminded me of dreams I used to dream and how i hope to live. We’re meant to win and lose together. We’re meant to know some people on this journey, to walk it together, to mourn and cry one day, to laugh and dance the next. We get to carry each other and we get to remind each other all that’s true, of everything not lost. We get to remind each other that we absolutely positively can't give up, can't settle. We get to say that these terrible wonderful journeys are priceless and we must keep going. Not because we have to but because our stories our bigger than ourselves and because we just might be surprised.On behalf of our entire team, please know that we’re grateful beyond words for you and your support. We could not have dreamed this thing up, this story that you let us live, the chance to do these jobs that we believe in, this work of bringing hope and help to people all across the planet. We’re thankful and we say thank you.Peace to you today.And Happy Thanksgiving.jamie ... Thu, 24 Nov 2011 14:29:00 PST http://www.twloha.com/blog/first-crowd-funded-baby-1/ So there is this certain member of our staff and her name is Jessica and she is great and wise and stable and strong. She's our MVP, in my opinion. Jessica's dream is to be a Mom and it has been no easy road.  Tears. Tests. Needles. Countless Appointments.  She was basically told it wouldn't happen. She was told it would cost a small fortune.  Jessica is in the New York Times today. Her and her husband and their dream. She's pregnant and her story is being told.  The.  New. York.  Times. It's in print as well as online. In print, it's the Science Times section, page D5. Here it is online. "The first crowd-funded baby." How freaking cool is that? Kid is already a social media legend. Proud Brother. jamie ... Tue, 22 Nov 2011 16:25:00 PST http://www.twloha.com/blog/carrying-ourselves/ At the beginning of the Fall 2011 Intern Term, the interns, Nichole, and I spent a day at UCF’s Challenge Course. We played team-building games, practiced trust falls, and tackled low and high element challenges. That day, I saw interactions that made my little community-building Intern Program Director heart sing. I saw a group of six people, collectively from four different continents, who had met each other just weeks before, form into a cohesive, supportive unit and respond to one another with patience, grace, and love. They have carried that with them through their entire term. With a few major moves and the American Giving Awards, they have had more than enough challenges to overcome as a group. And I am proud to have watched these extraordinary people learn and grow in the midst of those challenges, both individually and collectively. Below, one of our Fall interns Lindsey shares her perspective of our day on the Challenge Course and the way that it has woven itself through the rest of the term. --EmmiIntern Program DirectorI have always been fascinated with high places. Something about the phrase “bird’s eye view” captivates me. Maybe it’s tied to my wanderlust and the illusion of freedom that heights provide, maybe I just like the complete change in perspective of being up high. Either way, I was excited about our merry TWLOHA band of six interns and two staff members traipsing off to UCF to tackle the ropes course.  What we experienced during that trip far exceeded any expectations I could have had. I saw people struggling with basic trust falls allow themselves to be lifted over the heads of the rest of the group. I saw people whose lips were itching with the words “I can’t do it” push through until they succeeded. I saw people paralyzed with fear and blinded by tears walk across wires solely on the knowledge that they had seven other people behind them 100 percent. I saw a group of people who had only a few days earlier become too fast friends bond into a cohesive unit – a supporting, encouraging community. A family.  But mostly, forty feet in the air on finger thick wires, I saw eight perspectives change.  In those moments, I understood the things TWLOHA says in a completely different way. We are not alone. We are not meant to do these things on our own. Maybe in life we don’t have a safety net, but harness or no the easiest way to walk the wire is with two other sets of shoulders to lean on. -----------------As I reflect back on these words I wrote at the very beginning of our term, I can see now that in many ways, though I didn’t know it at the time, it served as an indication of what the rest of this four-month experience would hold. Community is hard. People and relationships are hard. I don’t know if I had an accurate understanding in August of just how hard these things are, but together the six of us have tripped and stumbled through this thing called community building. There were times when it didn’t seem possible -- didn’t seem worth conflicts and tears. Times when we stood on the ground, gazing up at the obstacle course forty feet in the air, wondering how we could ever come out victorious, how we could ever come out whole and unscathed. But this was because we had no idea that while we stood safely on the ground, six individuals filled with our own ideas and expectations, we were far from “whole.” Maybe we didn’t realize we could come out on the other side of it more complete than we started.I learned something very important over these last few months. I learned something while I watched people begin to tap into an inner strength they never knew resided in them, while I watched people learn how to let themselves be loved, while I watched people make some of life’s biggest decisions and allow themselves to trust and be supported by our newborn community.  I learned that when it comes right down to it, you are the one that has to decide to step down onto that tiny wire. You are the one that has to take a deep breath, set your jaw, and trust yourself.  The decision is only yours.  No one else is going to move your foot for you, no one else is going to take that first step. And that can be terrifying.  But there is a world of difference between taking the step “on your own,” and taking it “alone.” How much easier is it to step onto that wire when you see a handful of others taking their own first steps on their separate wires? How much easier is it to overcome the obstacle, to put one foot in front of the other, when you step with eyes locked on a friend’s who has just conquered it themselves? How much quieter is the sound of your own fear, when your ears are filled with the encouragement and love of the rest of your community?  Albus Dumbledore says, “It is our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.” It was our choice, standing there on the ground not so long ago as six individuals in awe of the insurmountable course in front of us. Six choices were made that day that community was worth it, that maybe we wouldn’t claim victory but that staying on the ground was uncomfortably safe. Six people chose a change in perspective, and we have gained more than we ever thought possible.--LindseyFall 2011 Intern ... Mon, 21 Nov 2011 07:41:00 PST http://www.twloha.com/blog/chasing-freedom/ Sometimes the things that tear us down can lead us to freedom. Battling demons within ourselves is a vicious work. We may even get beaten down to a point where we don't know how to fight anymore. That's what Allie talks about in her "Adventures in Depression" post on her blog Hyperbole and a Half. If you follow Allie's blog or take a look at her archives, it's clear that she's hilarious. She creates these terribly awesome pictures on her computer and uses them to tell a story.  In this post, as the name implies, she discusses what it was like for her to struggle with depression. I wanted to share this with all of you because of just how well she tells this story about her life. Her sadness seems to come out of nowhere, the impact hitting harder for all that she didn't see it coming. Then, she carries us through the moments she shamed herself (and although it's serious, it's serious in a funny way). The shame starts inside of her, because of what she believes, because of the story she lived, because she thinks she doesn't deserve to feel the way she feels. And yet, through all of that darkness, she finds freedom. The freedom presents itself in a situation, and she has the option to pursue it or to further cultivate her self-hatred. She chooses freedom. That's my favorite thing about the post--the way she saves herself. May we all find the courage to do the same.Happy reading. :)whitney ... Mon, 07 Nov 2011 12:10:00 PST http://www.twloha.com/blog/telling-ghosts-to-go/ What does it mean when something is haunted? What exactly is a ghost? Is it when something from the past refuses to leave? Is it when something dies but doesn't go?It's easy to talk about haunted places. A haunted house. A haunted building. We smile at those stories. We get excited. There is no stigma, no shame. But what about haunted people? Isn't it true that, as people, our lives can become haunted things as well? The past can haunt the present. The past can steal the future. Isn't that what most of this is about? Something painful in our past? Something breaks or something dies and in living with the pain, we begin to live with ghosts. And  by our choices, we either ask the ghosts to leave or we help them make a home. If we can talk about haunted buildings, then we should be able to talk about haunted people. We should be able to put a hand up and say, "I'm not doing well" or "I need some help" or "Can we talk?" Maybe we begin to ask the ghosts to leave when we begin to ask some other folks to join us in our haunted places. In the broken parts of stories. Our messes and our questions. To meet us, to know us, to help, to care, to listen. Maybe we begin to help our friends become unhaunted when we let them know we're not afraid of their pain. When we ask to really know them. When we ask to see inside. When we do our part to go beyond the distance and the smile, deeper to "who are you?" and "how are you?" and "are you okay?" i have been a haunted house. i have had things die but stay and i didn't know how to make them leave. And there were certainly times i didn't want them to leave because they were beautiful. They were no longer real but they were beautiful. They were bridges to brighter days. i thought they were my dreams. But reality is the best place to live. Reality is where healing happens. In the honest light and by the voices of our friends. We all have our past. We all have our pain. We will all know ghosts from time to time. But if our life is like a building, then we should open our doors to let some people see inside. And into our darkest places - into those rooms that hold our fears and dreams - we will begin to walk together. Friends with hope like candles, telling ghosts to go. ... Mon, 31 Oct 2011 23:59:00 PDT http://www.twloha.com/blog/well-keep-walking/ This fall, I had the opportunity to represent TWLOHA at three Out of the Darkness Community Walks in Indiana. I’m very proud to say that one of the walks I attended was one I helped organize. This year, I volunteered for the job of Walk Chair for the Evansville Out of the Darkness Community Walk.I attended two walks last year, and I found that most of the walks were occurring in upstate Indiana. Any Hoosier knows that northern Indiana and southern Indiana are practically two different states.  Being a southern Indiana girl, most of my friends and family live in the southern half of the state. I know many people who have been affected by suicide, and I knew most of them couldn’t make it to the walks up north. So I decided to bring the walk to them.I’m a sophomore in college, and along with being a full-time student, I’m also the President of my school’s TWLOHA UChapter. Many people thought I was crazy for taking on another project (and trust me, sometimes I think so, too), but I knew this was something I had to at least try. I knew if I didn’t try, then the Evansville OOTD Walk wouldn’t happen. At least if I tried, then there was a chance to bring resources, hope, and support to my own community.A random meeting on a hot summer day in June gave me the encouragement and assurance I needed. I was walking around my hometown (about 40 miles from the actual OOTD Walk location) posting flyers about the walk, and I went into a local ice cream shop. The place was empty except for the workers and a twenty-something young woman who was on the phone. I was arranging some flyers on the table when I heard her end her phone call and walk over to me. She asked to see a flyer and introduced herself. Her name is Ashly. I told her about the walk and what we hope to accomplish with it. She looked at me with a surprised expression and said, “I think you are a godsend. I lost my brother to suicide almost two years ago, and I really need something like this.” We went on to talk for twenty minutes. She told me about her brother and how it felt to lose him.  We talked about the need for resources for survivors and what we can do to help. She added me on Facebook a few days after we met, and almost every week I saw a new advertisement for a fundraiser or benefit she organized to raise money in honor of her brother. Ashly went on to be the top fundraiser for the Evansville Out of the Darkness Walk.  Seeing her put so much effort into the walk was a constant inspiration and encouragement.I’ve always been inspired by stories of people who have used their pain to fight for something greater than themselves. It shows what the human spirit is truly capable of accomplishing and how strong we can be, even through the darkest times. These walks not only provide resources and encouragement for survivors, but also give them a positive outlet for their pain. Most of the people who volunteer and donate to this cause are people who have been affected by suicide.  These are people who are fighting to save lives and keeping the memories of their loved ones strong.As long as these walks exist, we’ll keep walking. Walking for the ones we’ve lost and the ones who are still fighting and surviving. Walking for the survivors. Walking for the hope that one day the stigma of suicide will be silenced. ... Thu, 27 Oct 2011 11:19:00 PDT http://www.twloha.com/blog/move-community-conference-update/ Before we update you on our MOVE Conferences, I thought it would be good to give you a bit of information about what they are first, for long-time supporters who may need a refresher and new supporters who've never heard of them.   MOVE Community Conference is a two-day, in-depth, engaging workshop that exists to begin a conversation about issues often left in the dark.  It is our way of equipping and educating communities about the topics we address at TWLOHA:  depression, addiction, self-injury, and suicide, and also the role a trusted community plays on the path of recovery.   Our aim is to battle stigma and shame with honesty and compassion.  MOVE is for people who are looking for a way to engage others in conversations about topics we believe matter very much.  MOVE is for students, mentors, parents, friends, pastors, professionals, and for everyone in-between.  This conferences stems from the idea that uniting our resources helps take people from places of pain to places of hope and healing.  In a discussion led by professional counselors, we explore what is behind these struggles, what drives them, what recovery looks like, and how we can make a difference. We hope to meet you at a MOVE Conference and are excited to share two conference dates to finish out 2011.  Whether you want to attend a conference to become more knowledgeable about the issues we talk about there, to use this info to help a friend or a loved one, or to meet the necessary requirement to start a UChapter on your campus, we're grateful you're considering MOVE this December.  Our conference dates and locations are: - MOVE St. Augustine - December 2-3, 2011 in St. Augustine, FL - MOVE Chicago - December 9-10, 2011 in Chicago, IL We understand that attending a MOVE Conference is a requirement in creating a TWLOHA UChapter on a college or university campus. We are still determining the best way for this training to take place, but regardless of whether this training is offered at the conference itself or held at a later date in a different format, such as online, attendance at a MOVE Conference by the prospective UChapter leader is still necessary in order to apply to become an official UChapter on your campus. Finally, we have one last important piece of information for you to consider. Several changes have taken place on our MOVE team over the last few months and will continue to take place into next year. Because of this, MOVE St. Augustine and MOVE Chicago will be the only conferences held until next summer at the earliest, if not the fall of 2012. We know that there is a large interest in MOVE, as well as UChapters, so if any of you are weighing the options of attending one of the conferences in December, please know that these are your only options to do so for the next several months.Deadlines to apply are: - MOVE St. Augustine - November 21, 2011 - MOVE Chicago - November 28, 2011For more information about MOVE Community Conferences, please visit our webpage here. Further inquiries, as well as requests for applications to attend MOVE, can be sent to move@twloha.com.As always, we truly appreciate your continued interest in joining us in conversation at MOVE. We hope this update answers some of your questions, and we look forward to seeing you in St. Augustine and Chicago in December! With Hope, Nichole ... Tue, 25 Oct 2011 10:25:00 PDT http://www.twloha.com/blog/new-video-story-harlee-lowder/ At age 13, Harlee was raped by her father. Now, six years later, she talks about her journey from pain and loss to healing, forgiveness and community. ... Tue, 18 Oct 2011 07:55:00 PDT http://www.twloha.com/blog/bungalow/ Two weeks from today will mark the four year anniversary of the day I threw all of my possessions into two garbage bags, put them in my truck, and drove eight hours from Atlanta, GA to Cocoa, FL to become the first official intern of To Write Love on Her Arms. The morning I left, I printed out directions to The Bungalow to ride as my passenger (this is how people navigated the land once upon a time before a GPS was a likely possession). I stopped by Chick-Fil-A for breakfast to eat on the road, and I began my drive down I-75 without realizing I'd revisit the place I had known my entire life only five times over the next four years—without realizing I was driving toward a new kind of home.I assumed I was driving to a house on the beach, to be quite honest. A house on the beach with lively young neighbors and burrito stands all around. When you live west of Atlanta all of your life, this is the kind of romance you create in your head about places outside your bubble. As I made my way toward the city of Cocoa, a water tower with a giant American flag painted on it came into view. I share this because a couple days before I left that water tower was in the background of a CNN story covering gas station robberies and shootings in Cocoa. It was also when I realized I had about a mile and a half to go before I reached my destination. The butterflies came. So did a little rain. And with a left turn I pulled into the driveway of a yellow house with pink shutters and a white fence that had pineapples cutouts, and there was a little sign over the door that simply read "Welcome to Our Bungalow."Byron greeted me, and we walked through the door. The house had Ikea boxes in each room, and I was a fresh face ready to do anything and assemble everything. It's how I spent my first night there, putting all that furniture together. The house was empty and mine, well mainly TWLOHA's, and I didn't know for how long. I didn't quite know how many people would walk through that broken old door over the next four years. I didn't realize how many people would sleep on the couches and bunk beds I built that first night when I was scared and couldn't keep my eyes closed. I didn't quite know I would have over a hundred strangers sleep in the backyard or on the floor during a month and a half of spring break, and that a few of them would be the most important people in my life today. I didn't quite know how many people would call that house their home, and I feel lucky to have been the first.For all that those walls witnessed and for the home we made there, I would like to share some of the memories from other people who have called The Bungalow home.Chris ---------------I'll never forget that little pineapple gate. It was quirky, cute, inviting . . . but the people were what made The Bungalow feel like home. The late nights together. The dinners, the conversations, and the friendships. Friends I still talk to today. The Bungalow was like a symbol of community, because that's exactly what we formed there—a tight little group that could face anything together. And a lot of us faced some hard trials during those short few months. We celebrated the good times and faced the difficult things together. We didn't just know community, we were community. A family that could tackle anything.LizSummer 2010 InternThat sweet little Bungalow held a lot of heart. I miss it, but I'm glad I still have the memories. :]carraSummer 2010 InternI will always carry fond memories about the room that I slept in while staying at The Bungalow. Since there were only three girls during my internship, we decided to sleep in one room. We took the cot from the boys’ room and put it in the first of the two girls’ rooms. Some of my favorite nights were the one where all three of us would lay in bed and just talk about the day, about life, or just giggle. In that room with those two girls, I learned so much about what it means to be vulnerable and to let other people love you even when it’s scary. That room became a safe haven for me to be sad, happy, silly, angry, or whatever I was feeling at the time.SarahFall 2010 InternSitting at the dining room table eating my lunch and watching  Friends or I Love Lucy and just being with the people that I spent almost every waking minute with for four months. Having community suppers in the Florida room or in the backyard. Making dinners all at the same time in the small cramped kitchen. Locking Lauren in the laundry room. The Bungalow holds many memories. It holds beginnings of great friendships, and it holds honest and deep conversations with people that I learned to rely on and trust. It changed my life and gave me a sense of community I can never forget. It shaped and changed the things I want to do with my life and the paths I want to walk. The Bungalow will always be a place that will mean so much to me. It’s going to weird if I ever go back to that place and see it again, to see that its different and that TWLOHA has left it. But the memories will live on, and they will always be mine.KraigFall 2010 InternBeing an intern, and living at The Bungalow in particular, meant relying on each other in a way that's unlike most anywhere else I've ever lived. Working together and coming home together meant a lot of communication, and this all kind of collided in the community dinners. We would pull together the menu and the gathering of food and then invite the guests all at the last minute almost every time.  But the community dinner talks normally turned into talks on the porch swing or talks on bunk beds and talks on bike rides down the road from The Bungalow.  The details of that house are etched in my memory—the pineapple cutouts in the fence, the stretch of the porch swing, the view of the shed from the kitchen window, the lines of the living room couches.  Constant conversation and digging and growth happened within those details and walls, and that house will always mean so much to me.LaurenFall 2010 InternLooking back, I have come to realize The Bungalow developed into more than just our temporary home. It was this tangible place we shared that quickly became a representation of the many intangible experiences we also shared. When I think of The Bungalow, I am reminded of all the great friendships and memories I still have from living there.JoeSpring 2011 InternI left The Bungalow a few days after my fellow interns, and as the term had been difficult for me personally, I was glad to have some time to breathe before driving home.  But as I sat on the front porch, contemplating the fence with its pineapple cutouts, I couldn't bear to be at The Bungalow by myself anymore.  I realized that I had grown so much in that little Florida house—and that all of my growth had centered on the relationships with my fellow interns.  That's what the bungalow was to me . . . a safe place to step out of my comfort zone and into the sticky, interpersonal world of community.  The Bungalow was a place of togetherness and fireworks, of love and shared meals and laughter.Kelsey =DSpring 2011 InternFor four months I called The Bungalow my home. It existed at the same time as the home I came from, yet it sometimes feels like my time in The Bungalow was all a long dream, or some alternate reality. Whether times were good or bad, The Bungalow is, and always will be, a special place. It's amazing to think of all the different stories that have passed through that ancient front door (that kept breaking), and the movement that found its footing there years ago. All of us really are part of a bigger story—one that is made up of pieces from the stories we've lived there.BrendanSpring 2011 InternOne Saturday, the girls all went to Universal. So we had BOYZ NIGHT and made a big fort inside the bungalow. We were cool like that.KevinSpring 2011 InternWe had many campfires in our short unforgettable time at The Bungalow. Some were short, some were quiet but all made us closer as a family. One particular campfire night we had a couple TWLOHA staff members over for customary bi-weekly dinner and a campfire, and Joe, always the curious one, found some fireworks in the shed. Before we knew what was happening, he lit one and we turned around just in time to see him running toward us with a huge grin on his face. A few seconds and a huge boom later, the sky was filled with beautiful light. We were all so shocked, we just starting howling and tumbling over with laughter. It made the whole night, one we talked about for weeks afterward. The Bungalow is a hard place to describe in terms of what it means to me. It will forever be the home where being broken and being happy could happen at the same time, where tears and laughter met somewhere in the middle, where telling stories and listening to stories had equal importance, and where six people from completely difference backgrounds came together and made a family that is there for each other no matter what. It is special, and it worked its magic on all of us. AlyssaSpring 2011 InternFor my birthday (in December), I got a new perfume from my dad, DKNY Be Delicious (my favorite smell I was never able to afford).  Of course I brought it to Florida for my internship in the spring and wore it basically everyday. Recently back in Idaho getting into the school swing, I sprayed it, and it instantly took me back to The Bungalow. The girls room, the living room, the creaks of the hardwood floor, and the yelling as we all wanted to win Monopoly.  It's funny how smells do that because in Florida the smell reminded me of home, my dad, and my family.The Bungalow is full of awkward moments, Parkour, ballet moves, lizards, laughs, cries, and silence.The Toy Story cup in The Bungalow was mine. Well, I found it when I moved in . . . but I took ownership. I loved it. We made jokes I could probably find it at Wal-Mart for a dollar, but really I found it at Wal-Mart in Idaho for seventy-five cents when I returned home.  Everyone knew not to touch my Toy Story cup.Since I was probably the only Pocahontas to live in The Bungalow . . . it's my fault the raccoon lived in the backyard. We could knock on the kitchen window, and Meeko (the raccoon) would wave. Chad once thought I was weird for asking about animal predators, I mean I have to make sure cougars aren't following me in the woods, but in Florida Chad told me to watch out for the raccoons in the daylight. I'm pretty sure I could take one on.In the mornings, everyone was too tired to talk, or have manners, so we bumped, pushed, and ran into each other, then mumbled sorry in the cramped kitchen. I miss that.AmandaSpring 2011 InternHere's what I think of when I think of The Bungalow:- The old TWLOHA office . . . man oh man, those were the days. Storing all the merch in what is now a boys' closet?! Haha.- Sleepovers on tiny Ikea beds with Katie- Honest convos on the porch swing- The cake ball disaster with Holly- THE KOLSCH WEDDING! <3- Discovering I had a twin in Carra- So many dinners- Brainstorming meetings- My writing group on the back porch / the day nearly everybody cried and respected each other / amazing- Meeting Renee and June - Dreaming of going back to school one dayKaitlynFormer TWLOHA StaffWell, The Bungalow was the place I got married. The place I had my first "adult" job. The place where I learned to love being a "gardener" and seeing people grow and change.LindsayFormer TWLOHA StaffI'll always remember walking through The Bungalow door with my sister, meeting Byron and Chris for the first time, on my first day in Florida. Little did I know I'd walk through that door hundreds of times and even live there for a short while. I have so many memories involving The Bungie, but my favorite would have to be the time Chloe and I lit small fireworks in the backyard. Turns out, they were not small fireworks and we did not have the best aim. I'll leave it at that. KatieTWLOHA StaffThe Bungalow will always hold so many memories for me. I lived there with Katie for a few months. I lived there alone as well. I had a desk in two different rooms. It's where I decided to change my major from Pre-Med to Communications. I was hired in the backyard at the patio table. It's a special place. It will be strange to never walk in the front door with the broken handle again, but change can be a very good thing.ChloeFall 2008 InternTWLOHA Staff ... Thu, 13 Oct 2011 11:28:00 PDT http://www.twloha.com/blog/we-need-your-support-now/ With under 48 hours left in American Giving Awards, TWLOHA is in 1st place!! That is all you. We owe you a huge thank you for everything you have done to get us here. It shows you believe in us. You believe in our mission. You believe that investing into treatment and recovery is important. You believe in bringing hope on the road. You believe in the programs we have to end the stigma surrounding these issues.That said, we need your help to take this a step further. We're in the home stretch of Round 1, and the gap is slowly closing. We need your support more than ever. We need your time. We need your creativity. We need your vote.For the next 48 hours we're asking you to devote time to talk to your family, friends, classmates, and teachers; it may even be time to get your grandma to sign up for a Facebook account. Let them know what this means to you—why this is important and why you believe in it. Get creative. We want to hear your stories about how you're rallying people to vote. Show us your creative sharing by tagging your photo with To Write Love on Her Arms on Facebook or @replying TWLOHA on Twitter.  Some simple ideas to get you started:— Change your Facebook and Twitter profile photo to the one below. Make sure to add the voting link to your description making it easy to click and vote for TWLOHA.— Message all your friends on Facebook and ask them to vote. — Create a Facebook event to vote and invite everyone you know.— Direct Message your Twitter followers.— Use Tumblr as a way to share why you want your followers to vote.— Post on your blog.  — Email your coworkers.— If you're at school, ask your teacher if you can share with your class about why this is important to you and how they can vote. Ask them to share with other students and faculty.This would be one of the biggest things to happen to TWLOHA in our existence as an organization, and we can't do it without you. We never would have thought a story about one girl and her struggles would affect millions around the world and put us in positions like this to fund treatment and recovery for people all over as well as bring hope on the road in ways we never have before. Please help us win $1Million and join us in continuing this story together.Please vote. ... Mon, 03 Oct 2011 13:05:00 PDT