To Write Love on Her Arms

580 Words3 Pages
Renee is a 19 year old, cocaine is fresh in her system; pills, pot, and alcohol are not far from reach. Founder Jamie Tworkowski reaches out offering Renee to leave this “broken night” and get the help she needs. Finally arriving at the treatment center, nurses verify her to be “too great a risk” and do not accept her. For the next 5 days she is surrounded by Jamie and his friends to bring lite back into her life with a mix of what Jamie describes as the basics, “lots of fun, too much Starbucks and way too many cigarettes.” Renee’s past is unlike anything Tworkowski has ever seen. She has memories of fear and evil following her from her childhood; she has battled depression and addiction and has attempted suicide. To help pay for treatment, the crew started to sell t-shirts with the “To Write Love On Her Arms(TWLOHA)” title and goal displayed on them. They started a MySpace page to give this idea a home. Members of Switchfoot and Anberlin who were friends with Tworkowski were among the first to wear these shirts and soon enough the idea spread. Before the crew knew it they were receiving messages from people all over who were seeking help for their friends and even themselves. The messages were honest and uncut. The crew then realized that they had stumbled upon a bigger story and something had to be done. This set Jamie Tworkowski and his crew off for an adventure of a lifetime; building a non-profit movement that brings hope and finds help for those struggling with addiction, self-injury, depression and suicide. The vision was not so much what they were going to do, but what they believed to be true. Each person was created to love and be loved. They are meant to live life through relationships with other people, to know and be known. They need to know that their story is important and that they’re part of a bigger story. They need to know that their life
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