http://twloha.sitecrafting.com/blog/ Latest blog entries from TWLOHA en-us Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:11:23 PST Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:11:23 PST SiteCrafting, Inc. CMS http://www.twloha.com/blog/move-conference-toronto/ 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. ... Mon, 16 Nov 2009 12:32:00 PST http://www.twloha.com/blog/nyc-photo-shoot-changed-to/ 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. ... Tue, 10 Nov 2009 14:16:00 PST http://www.twloha.com/blog/jamie-talks-woodie-awards/ Jamie talks Woodie Awards, gets a sweet pair of headphones and has a tough time introducing himself... ... Tue, 27 Oct 2009 17:01:00 PDT http://www.twloha.com/blog/side-by-side-we-walked/ 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: The picture you see below is of TWLOHA's contribution to these memory boards. This year we received donations from friends and families in memory of these loved ones. We hold them and their families close to our hearts. We walked in their honor and on behalf of their loved ones.  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 ... Tue, 13 Oct 2009 12:47:00 PDT http://www.twloha.com/blog/good-news-lets-win-woodie/ 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. Chris ... Sat, 10 Oct 2009 09:24:00 PDT http://www.twloha.com/blog/pick-up-phone-tour-fall/ 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 ... Mon, 05 Oct 2009 15:33:00 PDT http://www.twloha.com/blog/live-webcast-from-twloha-hq/ 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:<a href="http://img43.imageshack.us/i/webcastslide3.jpg/"><img src="http://img43.imageshack.us/img43/194/webcastslide3.jpg" alt="Image Hosted by ImageShack.us" border="0" /></a> ... Wed, 30 Sep 2009 09:28:00 PDT http://www.twloha.com/blog/new-voice-meet-kaitlyn/ 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 ... Thu, 02 Jul 2009 20:26:00 PDT http://www.twloha.com/blog/renee-years-1/ 2/24/09: Our friend Renee Yohe celebrates three years of sobriety.Renee, 3 Years. from To Write Love on Her Arms. on Vimeo. ... Tue, 24 Feb 2009 04:45:00 PST http://www.twloha.com/blog/move-09-meet-aaron-moore/ 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 ... Tue, 20 Jan 2009 09:46:00 PST http://www.twloha.com/blog/heavy-light-live-webcast/ 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). Watch this show and more at SyncLive.com See you tomorrow,Chris PS: There are still tickets available via TicketMaster or the House of Blues Box Office. ... Sat, 10 Jan 2009 18:09:00 PST http://www.twloha.com/blog/skylit-drive/ 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. ... Thu, 27 Nov 2008 08:13:00 PST http://www.twloha.com/blog/east-coast-tour-starts-tonight-1/ 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. ... Sat, 08 Nov 2008 11:48:00 PST http://www.twloha.com/blog/vision/ 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. ... Fri, 12 Sep 2008 18:00:00 PDT http://www.twloha.com/blog/lee/ 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? ... Sun, 31 Aug 2008 01:34:00 PDT http://www.twloha.com/blog/we-fight-sing-hello-los/ 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. ... Sat, 23 Aug 2008 18:27:00 PDT http://www.twloha.com/blog/henry-poole/ 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... ... Fri, 15 Aug 2008 14:26:00 PDT http://www.twloha.com/blog/hello-from-warped/ 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.  ... Tue, 05 Aug 2008 11:02:00 PDT http://www.twloha.com/blog/purpose-pain-new-video-blog/       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… ... Fri, 01 Aug 2008 04:53:00 PDT http://www.twloha.com/blog/off-to-cornerstone/       ... Tue, 01 Jul 2008 02:12:00 PDT http://www.twloha.com/blog/just-loved-boldness-1/ 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... ... Thu, 26 Jun 2008 22:51:00 PDT