To Write Love On Her Arms is one of the most influential non-profit organizations of this generation.  Started in 2006 by Jamie Tworkowski, TWLOHA focuses on opening the discussion of depression, addiction and self-injury in todays young people.  It has grown into a national movement doing speaking tours and concerts all over the country and a yearly presence at festivals like Warped Tour.  With all of their exposure over the years, TWLOHA remains focused on their original goal of helping people in need, bridging the gap between traditional rehab and the lives of people who need help and preaching the power of love and self value.

We want to thank Chloe Grabanski, Director of Fundraising/Supporter Relations at TWLOHA, for taking the time to do this interview with BREATHEcast. 

BREATHEcast: What inspired Jamie Tworkowski to start To Write Love on Her Arms? 

"In 2006 Jamie was invited by his friend David McKenna to meet Renee Yohe. A young woman struggling with depression, addiction, self-injury and suicidal thoughts. Renee agreed to get sober, but the facility they tried to take her to didn't have a detox component and asked them to keep her clean for 5 days because she had cocaine in her system and self-injured the night prior. Jamie wrote a story about those 5 days and titled it "To Write Love on Her Arms". Back then it was an attempt to help one person, but it grew into so much more."

BREATHEcast: What was Jamie's background before starting TWLOHA and how did he recruit his first help for the organization? 

"Jamie worked at Quicksilver and then at Hurley. After TWLOHA began to take off he quit his job full-time and sought advice from friends and people in the non-profit world."

BREATHEcast: You guys had your website, but basically expanded on Myspace at first, tell us how you carved your space out on social media at the organization started? 

At the time, Myspace was the "go to" website for people in high school and college. It was the perfect place for the story to live.The first box of TWLOHA t-shirts arrived at a Switchfoot concert in FL. That night, lead singer Jon Foreman wore the original title shirt and told the crowd, "Check out my friend Jamie's project, 'To Write Love on Her Arms.' You can learn more about it on the internet." We all know the internet is a big place, but since the story was on Myspace, people were able to connect with it directly. Messages and comments started coming in from people saying, "I struggle with those issues," or "I lost my mom to suicide a few years ago." People were finding out they weren't alone in their pain and they could be honest about it. There was no agenda or plan behind it, and with that it allowed people to take the story and ideas behind it and make it their own. 

BREATHEcast: How important was it for you guys to get early support from bands like Anberlin, Paramore and others to help establish you guys? 

"TWLOHA never sought out to establish band support, but we are so incredibly thankful for all the bands that helped get our message in front of people. A lot of those relationships came about from being at the right place at the right time. Those artists and those who support us believe in this message and want to share it with their community. We're always trying to meet people where they are and a lot of times that's in the music world." 

BREATHEcast: When Myspace quickly fell off the radar, were you afraid of losing your voice or did you think you already had a strong enough footing with your own website and other social media like Facebook and Twitter? 

"The world is always changing and we were on Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr early. We still have our Myspace page and interns answer messages on there. We try to make compelling content for a variety of platforms."

BREATHEcast: What has been the impact of TWLOHA having a yearly booth at Warped Tour? 

"Music has always been a big part of TWLOHA's story and we are incredibly grateful to Warped Tour for the support they have given us year after year. Warped Tour is one of our favorite things because it allows us to meet people where they are all over the United States and some cities in Canada. We can get our message in front of so many people and remind them that they aren't alone."

BREATHEcast: How many years have you been doing the Heavy & Light tour now? 

"2013 was our first year of bringing HEAVY AND LIGHT on the road. We have traditionally had HEAVY AND LIGHT in Orlando for one night, but we always wanted to bring it to more places."

BREATHEcast: How important are your concert and speaking dates to your organization and purpose? 

"As I'm sure it's been made clear, we want to meet people where they are. Our speaking events and programs allow us to do this by going to other places. We are so grateful to be invited to colleges and universities and to join bands on their tours. It gives us a unique platform and a way to engage our supporters." 

BREATHEcast: How can people get involved with TWLOHA in their community and circles of friends? 

"There are a variety of ways supporters can get involved and if they visit our "Get Involved" section of twloha.com they can find out more."

What are the plans for the rest of 2013 and beyond for TWLOHA? 

"We will continue to expand our various programs and spread a message of hope and help. We'd also like to continue the HEAVY AND LIGHT tour and hopefully bring it to other countries as well. We have a lot of goals, but one big one already was the launching of a brand new twloha.com in March. We want to continue challenging the stigmas of mental health so people know that it's OK to stand up and say, "I'm not okay and I need help."