# To Write Love on Her Arms

To Write Love on Her Arms (TWLOHA) is an American nonprofit organization that aims to present hope for people struggling with addiction, depression, self-injury and thoughts of suicide, while also investing in treatment and recovery. Based in Melbourne, Florida, TWLOHA seeks to connect people to mental health treatment providers, websites, books, support groups, helplines, and other resources. TWLOHA also encourages people to have honest conversations about mental health, and to live in community. A significant amount of TWLOHA's funding comes from the sale of merchandise with hopeful messages to their supporters, including T-shirts and other apparel, calendars, bracelets, keychains, stickers, pins, notebooks, and more.
To Write Love On Her Arms was founded in 2006 by Jamie Tworkowski. Its name was taken from the title of a short story Tworkowski wrote about his experience with a young addict who self-harmed by cutting the words "FUCK UP" on her arm with a razor blade. Tworkowski and a group of friends stayed with her after she was denied treatment in order to "be her church, the body of Christ coming alive to meet her needs, to write love on her arms". Although there are several references to Christianity in Tworkowski's original story, these solely reflect his personal thoughts about this experience, and TWLOHA is not a faith-based or religious organization.
The group's initial exposure came from musicians and bands wearing the organization's T-shirts in photographs and during live performances. In the years since, TWLOHA has continued to gain exposure through merchandise, live events, and social media campaigns such as their annual suicide prevention campaign in September.

## History

TWLOHA was founded by Jamie Tworkowski in March 2006. At the time, Tworkowski was working as a sales representative for the surfing clothing brand Hurley, but he quit to found TWLOHA. The seeds of the organization were sown by a short story written by Tworkowski in February 2006, titled "To Write Love On Her Arms." Tworkowski wrote the story about his experience with 19-year-old Renee Yohe, who struggled with cocaine addiction, depression, self-injury, and attempted suicide. It chronicles Yohe's life five days before she entered treatment. Unable to get Yohe immediately checked into a treatment, a group of friends, including Tworkowski, stayed with Yohe and offered moral support:
   We become her hospital and the possibility of healing fills our living room with life.
In addition to the story, T-shirts were printed and sold in Orlando to fund Yohe's treatment, and a MySpace page was created to serve as home-base for the project. Bands such as Anberlin and Switchfoot showed their support and began wearing TWLOHA T-shirts, and the TWLOHA MySpace and Facebook pages began to receive messages and comments from young people struggling with the same issues that Yohe had faced. What began as an attempt to help one person in Orlando quickly generated wide interest — as of 2011, TWLOHA had responded to over 200,000 messages from over 100 countries and invested over $2,200,000 directly into treatment and recovery.
On the FAQ of TWLOHA's official website, it was previously stated that Yohe has completed rehab and will have to fight her addiction for the rest of her life. Yohe published a collection of journals in a book titled Purpose for the Pain. Yohe's story, and the organization's story, has also been turned to a major motion picture titled To Write Love on Her Arms. Yohe was portrayed by actress Kat Dennings, and Chad Michael Murray portrayed Tworkowski. Actors Corbin Bleu and Rupert Friend also starred in the film. In 2015, Tworkowski published a book titled, If You Feel Too Much, a collection of short stories including "To Write Love On Her Arms." An expanded, hardcover editon was published the following year.
TWLOHA began operating as a non-profit organization in October 2006 under the umbrella of Fireproof Ministries. It became an independent organization in 2007, and it was granted 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status by the IRS on March 6, 2009, with an effective date of August 28, 2007. The TWLOHA team is made up of under 20 full-time staff members and a rotating group of interns. The organization's offices were originally stationed in Cocoa, Florida, until 2011 when they moved to downtown Melbourne.
Tworkowski stepped down as Executive Director of TWLOHA in 2017 and is no longer an employee of the organization. He remained an independent contractor until 2021, with Lindsay Kolsch and Jessica Haley serving as Co-Executive Directors. On July 7, 2021, Tworkowski announced that he was leaving the organization completely to begin working on other projects. As of 2025, Jessica Haley is no longer listed as a Co-Executive Director on the TWLOHA website, leaving Lindsay Kolsch as TWLOHA's sole Executive Director.

## Charitable work

Much of TWLOHA's work is dedicated to bridging the gap between mental health treatment (e.g., rehab, counseling, helplines) and the lives of people in need of help. The organization meets and interacts with people at music festivals, schools and universities, and various events, and through merchandise and social media campaigns. Their website and mobile app, The Hopeful, also offer a Find Help tool and a Mental Health Toolkit. According to TWLOHA, their Find Help tool has been used for 217,000 searches, and they reach 28 million people every year, with 4.8 million moments of "meaningful connection" and 13,000 connections each day.
Aiming to support existing professional help organizations rather than replace them, TWLOHA has invested in organizations and programs such as Crisis Text Line, StrongMinds, Eckerd Connects – Brevard, UNLV Medicine, Mission 22, S.A.F.E. ALTERNATIVES, Victim Service Center of Central Florida, Self Injury Foundation, Minding Your Mind Foundation, In the Rooms, New Hope C.O.R.P.S., Kristin Brooks Hope Center, IMAlive, Kids Help Line (Australia), and American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.
TWLOHA also invests directly in mental health treatment through their Treatment & Recovery Scholarship Fund. According to their website, they have invested a total of $4.3 million into inpatient and outpatient treatment that people otherwise could not afford, including 31,891 hours of therapy.

## Campaigns and events
### Annual
#### Suicide Prevention (September)

Since 2012, TWLOHA has created an annual suicide prevention campaign around World Suicide Prevention Day (WSPD) (September 10) and National Suicide Prevention Week (NSPW) (US, second week of September), which lasts throughout Suicide Prevention Month (September). Supporters are encouraged to purchase a set of merchandise that promotes a particular suicide prevention theme, or slogan, chosen for the campaign. The contents of these “Suicide Prevention Packs” varies from year-to-year, but they always include a T-shirt or long-sleeve shirt with a design based on the slogan and some form of outreach tool, such a tear-away poster or a fillable prompt card for supporters to share on social media. Some slogans and designs are also reused later in other merchandise. Below is a list of the slogans used for each year's campaign:
* 2012: (None; "Title" shirt with TWLOHA logo)
* 2013: “You cannot be replaced.”
* 2014: “No one else can play your part.”
* 2015: “We’ll see you tomorrow.”
* 2016: “And so I kept living.”
* 2017: “Stay. Find what you were made for.”
* 2018: “Tomorrow needs you.”
* 2019: “You make today better.”
* 2020: “Worth living for.”
* 2021: “Another day with you.”
* 2022: “You are not a burden.”
* 2023: “The world is not better without you.”
* 2024: “Please stay alive.”

#### Mental Health Month (May)

In 2018, TWLOHA began a campaign for Mental Health Month called "Black and White." It consisted of three to four guiding statements they considered to be "non-negotiable," each of which was made into a black or white T-shirt design for supporters to wear. Many of these statements and designs were later reused in other merchandise. Below is a list of the statements used each year:
* 2018: "We Will Not Be Silent," "People Need Other People," "You Are Not Your Pain," "Hope Is Defiant"
* 2019: "I Am Worthy of Hope," "It Is OK to Ask for Help," "Your Story Is Important," "We Need You Here"
* 2020: "We Need Your Presence, Not Your Perfection," "Hope Remains," "No One Else Can Play Your Part"
* 2021: "Stop apologizing for existing.", "I am not broken. Who I am is whole.", "Nothing can take away how far you’ve come."
* 2022: Revisited "favorite" statements from previous years — "Hope Is Defiant" (2018), "It’s Okay To Ask For Help" (2019), "We Need You Here" (2019)
In 2023, TWLOHA decided to discontinue their annual Black and White campaign and Run For It 5k event in favor of a new Mental Health Month campaign. Like their suicide prevention campaign, this campaign featured themed merchandise supporters could purchase and share: “Show up for yourself. And then keep showing up for yourself.” The following year, TWLOHA abandoned this campaign, instead bringing back a version of their Run For It 5k called “Move For It 5k+” The Black and White campaign has not returned.

#### HEAVY AND LIGHT

HEAVY AND LIGHT is TWLOHA's flagship event, an "evening of songs, conversation, and hope" featuring various musical artists, spoken-word poets, mental health professionals, speakers from TWLOHA, and guest speakers. The first event was held in 2007 following the death of Casey Calvert, a member of the band Hawthorne Heights who was outspoken about his depression and a supporter of TWLOHA. Its name was taken from the words printed on T-shirts that were sold to help cover Calvert's funeral expenses: "Our hearts are heavy and light. We laugh and scream and sing. Our hearts are heavy and light." HEAVY AND LIGHT was originally held at The Social in Downtown Orlando, and in subsequent years the event has either been held at that venue or House of Blues Orlando. In January and February 2013, TWLOHA took the event on the road to 17 cities across the U.S. Notable musical artists have included Jon Foreman from Switchfoot, Dustin Kensrue of Thrice, Christina Perri, Noah Gundersen, David Bazan of Pedro the Lion, and many others. Some notable poets and speakers include Anis Mojgani, Sierra Demulder, Tonya Ingram, Propaganda, TWLOHA founder Jamie Tworkowski, TWLOHA Vice President of the Board of Directors Morgan Harper Nichols, and Renee Yohe, whose story inspired TWLOHA. As of 2025, the most recent HEAVY AND LIGHT was held on September 21, 2019 at House of Blues Orlando. The event has not yet returned since it was discontinued at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

### Other

TWLOHA cut all ties and funding to Mercy Ministries and Teen Challenge in 2008 after discovering their alleged mistreatment of patients. TWLOHA actively supports diversity and the LGBTQ community. They participated in the "Wear Your Purple" Day and have promoted the It Gets Better Campaign.
In early 2009, TWLOHA partnered with Kristin Brooks Hope Center to create IMAlive. IMAlive is the first ever online crisis counseling over instant messenger staffed by people 100% trained and certified in crisis intervention. TWLOHA won $125,000 for IMAlive.
The TWLOHA Spring 2010 UChapters Tour, "Evenings of Lyrics and Conversation", featured music by Damion Suomi, Andy Zipf, and Lauris Vidal.
On April 5, 2011, Behind the Brand interviewed founder Jamie Tworkowski about the past, present, and future of TWLOHA.
In the summer of 2011 TWLOHA launched a new campaign titled "Fears vs. Dreams" which asks people two questions: "What is your biggest fear?" and "What is your greatest dream?".
In February 2012 TWLOHA's first ever high school campaign, "The Storytellers", launched. The campaign aimed to give high school students resources and support, and to bring awareness to importance of addressing mental health issues. The top fundraisers received a TWLOHA event at their school for no cost.

## Celebrity endorsements

TWLOHA has risen to prominence through endorsements of celebrities and bands, often seen wearing TWLOHA T-shirts during concerts and events. Jon Foreman of the band Switchfoot was reportedly the first person to wear one of the T-shirts on stage.
Professional soccer players, including Abby Wambach, Alex Morgan, Ali Krieger, Ashlyn Harris and Christen Press, are often seen wearing TWLOHA apparel.
In March 2015, actor Jared Padalecki designed a T-shirt for TWLOHA. Actor Joaquin Phoenix has also shown support for the organization.
Musicians seen wearing TWLOHA apparel and mentioning TWLOHA include: Anthony Raneri of Bayside, 5 Seconds of Summer, Miley Cyrus, Paramore, Boys Like Girls, OneRepublic, A Day to Remember, Panic! at the Disco, Nothing More, The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, Underoath, and many others. The band Between the Trees has written and performed two songs about Renee Yohe, "A Time For Yohe" and "The Way She Feels", while the band Skillet wrote and performed the song "The Last Night".
TWLOHA has been invited to set up booths on tour with several artists, including Switchfoot, Anberlin, The Rocket Summer, Blue October and others.

## Awards and media coverage

In August 2007, TWLOHA was awarded a MySpace Impact Award in the Community Building category.
On September 12, 2008, To Write Love on Her Arms was featured on the NBC Nightly News segment "Making a Difference".
At the end of 2009, organization founder Jamie Tworkowski received mtvU's Good Woodie Award, which is given to artists whose commitment to a social cause has "effected the greatest change this year."
On November 25, 2009, Rolling Stone magazine featured an article about TWLOHA. On November 12, 2009, Jamie invited anyone in the NYC area to join in on the photoshoot in Washington Square Park. The photos were taken by Peter Yang, whose photo of then Presidential Candidate Barack Obama won "Cover of the Year" in 2008. He later commented after the shoot that this was the largest group of subjects he had photographed to date.
In March 2010 TWLOHA won the Best Non-Profit Use of Twitter Award at the 2nd Annual Shorty Awards held in New York City.
In October 2010, TWLOHA was part of a piece on CBS Morning News about preventing "The Youngest Suicides".
On January 6, 2011, TWLOHA won the 2010 "Must-Follow Non-Profit" Award at the 4th Annual Mashable Awards.
In February 2011, for the second year in a row, TWLOHA was a finalist in the Shorty Awards.
As of January 12, 2011, TWLOHA had reached over 1,000,000 likes on their official Facebook page.
On October 6, 2011, Chase Bank announced the five finalists for the American Giving Awards in which the five finalists shared $2 million in grants. TWLOHA was one of those five and gained the most votes in Round 1 over any other organization.
On December 10, 2011, TWLOHA was awarded a $1,000,000 grant towards their mission on NBC's American Giving Awards.

## Film

A film dramatization (formerly titled Day One and Renee) of Yohe's story that Tworkowski documented was released March 3, 2015, by Sony Pictures starring Kat Dennings as Yohe and Chad Michael Murray as Tworkowski.