By Jennifer Russo

Maybe you’ve walked by their booth at a summer music fest and were rushing off to the next stage to see your favorite band and didn’t get a chance to check it out.  Maybe you’ve wondered why sometimes you’ll see someone who has immortalized the word LOVE (whether it be with a Sharpie or a permanently inked design) on his or her arm but didn’t ask the person why.  At a time of year when we think most about doing good for others, let me clue you in to an organization that is nothing but the truest meaning of the word love, so much so that it’s in their very name.

To Write Love on Her Arms (TWLOHA) takes positive reinforcement and rebuilds people from the inside out.  Perhaps someone you know has found himself in the grips of depression ~  to the extent that it has completely taken over his life.  For people who feel completely lost, don’t know who they are any longer, believe they are worthless and that life has no hope left in it and may not be worth living ~ TWLOHA reaches out the hand of rescue and gives that hope.  They are a non-profit movement that believes in helping people love themselves again when they have forgotten how to…or never knew how to in the first place.

TWLOHA makes every day a day to help someone.  Jason, an organizer for the Event & Planning department at TWLOHA, tells me that “The biggest goal is to remove the stigma that goes along with metal health issues.  We really want to educate people.  The way we understand the brain is still rising and hopefully more awareness will lead to a better sensitivity and understanding that it’s okay to talk about these things.”

The Fears vs. Dreams campaign was a unique way to show others that they have common hopes and worries.  At different festival booths, there were cards with only two questions to answer ~ What is your biggest fear and what is your biggest dream?  Jason tells me that “This is a super simple premise, but a powerful one. It gives people the choice to be vulnerable and honest and have it be okay.  Then they see that others have the same fears that they do and they feel that much less alone ~ it is a unique connection…the remedy to isolation is community.  The more people know you, the more you can communicate out, the more you have that outlet to express yourself positively.”

Donating to this movement is as easy as going to their website, organizing your own event to raise money to help, joining their StreetTeam or joining a university or high school chapter.  Jimmy Brodeur, a friend of mine, recently organized a benefit show for TWLOHA where he booked a venue and asked a bunch of local bands (some from our very own Worcester) to play and even held a raffle with some choice prizes.  He was able to raise over $1200 for them and is already beginning plans for another show.  It’s easy to help, just reach out and ask.

Learn more about To Write Love on her Arms, all of the wonderful things they are doing, and how you can help out at www.twloha.org and see some of the people who shared their fears and dreams at www.fearsvsdreams.com. You can follow the organization on Twitter and Facebook as well.