Write Love talks suicide prevention

In the midst of a back-to-back campus tour, Jamie Tworkowski, creator of the nonprofit organization To Write Love On Her Arms, took to the stage, wearing the word “Love” across his sweatshirt.

Tworkowski and musician Ryan O’Neal presented music and personal stories from the stage of Alumni Hall.

“It’s a privilege to be here, and it means just as much that you want to be here to talk about the things we sometimes don’t talk about,” Tworkowski said. “It’s fun to talk about this thing that happened almost by accident five years ago when trying to help a friend.”

Tworkowski invited O’Neal to perform several songs for the crowd as a start to his lecture.

“Music has a unique ability to remind us that we are alive, operating with a sense of urgency and passion. Music allows for honesty and reflection,” Tworkowski said.

After performing four songs featuring vocals, piano, ukulele and some participation from the crowd, O’Neal thanked students for coming to the event.

“Performing with Jamie is one of my favorite things to do with my music. It’s such a wonderful thing to play music for people as wonderful and genuine as you are.” O’Neal said.
A short video introduced the organization, which is dedicated to helping those who suffer from depression, addiction, self-injury and suicide attempts.

Made to help people find help, support and love, the organization was founded after Tworkowski lost a friend to suicide and watched a different friend struggle through addiction.

Sharing his personal journey, Tworkowski explained that his organization began by selling T-shirts to help fund a friend’s recovery process.

When bands, including Switchfoot and Anberlin, wore shirts at concerts to help spread the message, Tworkowski’s organization took off.

When the T-shirts became popular, TWLOHA began receiving messages from those in need of help and it began an online network.

Tworkowski and his team in Florida have responded to more than 100,600 messages and donated more than $500,000 to treatment and recovery organizations.

“This is not a black, white or emo conversation. This is a part of the human experience. When you hear the words suicide or addiction, we relate in different ways, but we can all relate to the idea of pain,” Tworkowski said.

“Two out of three people struggling with depression don’t get help and have to deal with it alone, and that should never happen. Our stories deserve other characters and we need other people, even if that means sharing something we might not like about ourselves.”

Chris Meno, a counselor from IU Counseling and Psychological Services, shared information about CAPS and suicide prevention. She spoke about the importance of being honest and using resources to get through college, encouraging students not to feel alone and seek help.

Local organizations provided information on suicide prevention, and merchandise was available for students. Tworkowski and O’Neil stayed to talk and meet with students.

After sharing his personal story and the success of his organization, Tworkowski finished by sharing a quote by Paul Young about the power of having a community in hard times.

“You can have an impressive number of Facebook friends, but you deserve the people that can walk through your story with you,” Tworkowski said.

“We each have a story that is priceless, sacred and incredibly unique that will never be replicated or replaced.”