Words by Smiley Team
To Write Love On Her Arms is a non-profit movement dedicated to finding hope and help for people struggling with depression, addiction, self-injury and suicide. They do this through a combination of encouraging, inspiring and investing directly into treatment and recovery
Their founder, Jamie Tworkoswki, never intended to start a non-profit but instead wanted to help his friend tell her story. When Jamie met Renee Yohe, she was struggling with addiction, depression, self-injury, and suicidal thoughts. He wrote about the five days he spent with her before she entered a treatment center, and he sold T-shirts to help cover the cost. When she entered treatment, he posted the story on MySpace to give it a home. The name of the story was “To Write Love on Her Arms.”
For Mental Health Month, Desert Dreamer have teamed up with the Smiley Company to release a limited edition ‘Peace of Mind’ collection which opens the conversation about mental health. For the entire month of May, Desert Dreamer will be donating 10% of net sales to TWLOHA.
Since the organization’s start in 2006, they have invested $2.5 million directly into treatment and recovery for individuals who otherwise would be unable to afford the professional help they need. Last year alone, TWLOHA sponsored more than 2,600 counseling sessions and is aiming to cover the costs of even more this year.
Across social media platforms, the organisation reaches over 8 million people worldwide, spreading their message of hope. They have been able to platform over 1,200 stories of mental health and healing on their blog and the To Write Love on Her Arms Podcast has created a new way to hold space for these conversations about mental health.
In September of 2018, TWLOHA launched the FIND HELP Tool which connects people to free and reduced-cost mental health services in every zip code in the U.S. Since the launch, they have seen 60,000 program searches. For every four searches, someone will take the next step to make an appointment for a counseling session, attend a support group, or reach out to a helpline. They hope to be able to continuously expand their resources, including their International Resources, in order to get people connected to mental health services all over the world.
Since 2006, they have traveled 3,952,590 miles bringing the message of hope and help to festivals, colleges, and community events. We meet more than 1 million people face to face with this life-saving conversation at the 100+ events we do every year.
Amber Gardner, Director of Partnerships for TWLOHA, tells us that ‘while the work we do is always important, it feels extra necessary right now.’
The pandemic has resulted in increased levels of anxiety even amongst those who have good mental wellbeing, as causing loneliness and also reducing the number of coping mechanisms people have access to. ‘As we look ahead to what a post-pandemic world looks like, we’ve questioned what’s important to share, remind, instill, or revisit. We know that now more than ever, there is a need for messages of hope, and a space for real conversations about mental health.’
‘Times of crisis—whether personal or global—make for a rather difficult terrain to navigate. But what they do present us with is a chance to lean hard into deep truths—an opportunity to reflect on what is non-negotiable and undebatable during unexpected shifts.’
A spokesperson for Desert Dreamer said ‘We hope our donation to TWLOHA will aid the charity in reaching more people to normalize the topic of mental health and encourage people of all ages and situations to reach out for help and to help others.
‘We are by no means experts on the topic, not even close, but if you’re struggling there are so many resources available to help you. TWLOHA is a great place to start. You matter.’
Throughout Mental Health Month, across social media channels TWLOHA will be delivering exciting and informative mental health content which you can find on their Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. They will also be exploring different types of mental health challenges every week on their blog and premiering mini-episodes on the TWLOHA podcast inspired by this year’s Black and White statements*.
To find out how to access their resources and give your support through donations, visit the TWLOHA website.
By Ellen Jones
