It started with a story.

Our founder, Jamie Tworkowski, didn’t set out to start a nonprofit organization. All he wanted to do was help a friend and 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.” Read the original story


“To Write Love on Her Arms”

The title, “To Write Love on Her Arms,” also represented a goal—to believe that a better life was possible.

But it was more than just a story.

The words and the life it represented shed light on the reality of contrast—pain and peace, addiction and sobriety, regret and freedom.

Soon Jamie and his friends were answering messages from people around the world. They longed to lift the heavy weight of depression. They wanted to be free from addiction or self-injury, to stay alive and live fully. They were mourning those they’d lost to such struggles, and they reached out to ask what they could do to bring hope to their communities.

They sold T-shirts to help pay for Renee’s treatment, but what could they offer those people who were hurting?

Jamie knew he had stumbled onto a conversation that couldn’t be ignored. In 2007, TWLOHA became an official nonprofit organization.

To Write Love on Her Arms is a nonprofit movement dedicated to presenting hope and finding help for people struggling with depression, addiction, self-injury, and suicide. TWLOHA exists to encourage, inform, inspire, and invest directly into treatment and recovery.

We believe:

You were created to love and be loved.


People need other people.


Your story is important.


Better days are ahead.


Hope and help are real.

You are not alone,
and this is not the end of your story.

This is how we’re sharing the message of hope and help:

Since 2006

210,000 messages


We’ve responded to 210,000 messages from people in over 100 countries around the world

3.8 million miles


We’ve traveled more than 3.8 million miles to meet people in their communities

1,100+ blog posts


We’ve shared 1,100+ blog posts and launched a podcast to let others know that they aren’t alone

56,000 FIND HELP Tool Searches


Since 2018, TWLOHA’s FIND HELP Tool has seen 56,000 program searches. For every 4 searches, someone will take the next step to sit with a counselor or call a crisis hotline.

27,000 fulfilled merch orders


In just 2020 alone, we delivered the message of hope to all 50 states and 70 countries through 27,000 fulfilled merch orders.

$3 Million Donated to Treatment & Recovery

We’ve donated more than $3 million to treatment and recovery and granted funding to 105 unique organizations and counseling practices.

What Now?

It’s been 17 years since the original TWLOHA story was posted online, and we’re still here. We’re still working to let people know that hope is real and that they can get the help they deserve. If you want to help support our mission, you can get involved, buy a T-shirt from our online store, or make a donation.