Non-profit organization To Write Love on Her Arms won a Shorty Award in the non-profit category. The Shorty Awards is an award ceremony created for people to pick their favorite Twitter users in specific categories. Categories included in the The Shorty Awards were advertising, entertainment, humor, government, and more.

The Shorty Awards were hosted by Rick Sanchez, a CNN anchor who was one of the first television personalities to ever use Twitter. William Shatner was also in attendance, via satellite, to present an award. Some other Shorty Award winners included Ted Leo of Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, fictional Mad Men character Betty Draper, television show True Blood, and political innovator Newark, NJ mayor Cory Booker.

To Write Love on Her Arms would like to thank everyone who helped them achieve 3^rd place in the Chase Community Giving Contest. Because of everyone who voted and helped spread the word about TWLOHA, theywon $100,000 toward their ultimate goal of launching IMAlive. To read the thank you blog written by TWLOHA founder Jamie Tworkowski, please click here: http://www.twloha.com/blog/twloha-wins-100k-for-suicide-2

TWLOHA will put the $100,000 toward helping launch IMAlive, a live online crisis network which will provide real-time online crisis support to millions of people and will be the first 100 percent certified and trained staff and volunteer crisis line. Users will be able to talk one on one to responders through IMAlive’s instant messaging program.

To Write Love on Her Arms are a finalist in the Chase Community Giving Contest. TWLOHA is up against 99 other charities and the winning charity will be given a $1 million grant with the next 5 organizations receiving a $100K grant. The second round of voting is live now and ends on January 22nd. Please click here to vote: http://apps.facebook.com/chasecommunitygiving/charities/1299927
 
TWLOHA hopes to win the $1 million grant to help suicide prevention. TWLOHA is partnering with Kristin Brooks Hope Center to launch IMAlive, a live online crisis network which will provide real-time online crisis support to millions of people and will be the first 100 percent certified and trained staff and volunteer crisis line. Users will be able to talk one on one to responders through IMAlive’s instant messaging program.
 

WHAT:  “A few years ago, we started imagining these nights that could be more than music, nights where you could fill a room with hope and honesty, nights where you could also point to community and treatment,” said Jamie Tworkowski, founder of TWLOHA.

“Heavy and Light is sort of a dream come true for us. We’re given the keys to this amazing venue, to basically put whatever and whoever we want on that stage. The goal is something truly unique. It’s not a “benefit show”. It’s an attempt to challenge and inspire and encourage. More than anything, Heavy and Light is an attempt to move people, with songs and with stories and with a taste of community…” said Jamie.

WHAT: “A few years ago, we started imagining these nights that could be more than music, nights where you could fill a room with hope and honesty, nights where you could also point to community and treatment,” said Jamie Tworkowski, founder of TWLOHA.

“Heavy and Light is sort of a dream come true for us. We’re given the keys to this amazing venue, to basically put whatever and whoever we want on that stage. The goal is something truly unique. It’s not a “benefit show”. It’s an attempt to challenge and inspire and encourage. More than anything, Heavy and Light is an attempt to move people, with songs and with stories and with a taste of community…” said Jamie.

Back in January 2009, the 2nd annual Heavy and Light saw over 1,600 people come out to the House of Blues in Orlando, from throughout the Southeast and beyond. This year’s Heavy and Light will host acoustic performances by Mat Kearney, Aaron Gillespie (Underoath/The Almost), Bryce Avary (The Rocket Summer), Stephen Christian (Anberlin), Aaron Marsh (Copeland), Zach Williams andDamion Suomi.

Jamie Tworkowski founder of non-profit organization To Write Love on Her Arms won the mtvU “Good Woodie” award last night at Roseland Ballroom in Manhattan. Other nominees in the category were Alicia Keys, Jon Legend, Wyclef, Kenna and Ra Ra Riot. The Good Woodie is an award for the artists whose commitment to a social cause has affected the greatest change this year and Jamie was the first non-musician ever to be nominated for a Woodie of any kind.

“Last night was amazing,” says Tworkowski. “It was exciting just to be in the room, an honor to be nominated and then basically unbelievable to win. We value music and the support of the music community so much, and then we’re so excited by the way our message has been embraced by college students. More than anything, this win belongs to our incredible audience. Their passionate voices continue to open surprising doors for us and last night was a big one – the chance to talk about hope and help on MTV.”

Click below for an interview with TWLOHA founder Jamie Tworkowski talking history, philosophy, mission, message, music, t-shirts, treatment, faith…

TWLOHA started as a story and one-off t-shirt with aims of helping to pay for the much needed treatment of a friend. TWLOHA quickly grew into something much larger.

Within three years time TWLOHA received over a half million on-line subscribers, directly responded and helped over 100,000 at-risk people from over 100 countries, and has invested over $600,000 into treatment and recovery.

To Write Love On Her Arms and Forever The Sickest Kids have been building a relationship for awhile, so this recent collaboration is really exciting for both parties. The t-shirts are available on the TWLOHA Web site and will be coming to the Warped Tour this week.

“I lost one of my closest friends to suicide in sixth grade,” said Jonathan Cook of FTSK. “When I heard about what TWLOHA does for prevention I wanted to do what we could to help support their actions.

“This shirt hopefully will open up more of our fans to the cause.”

For their third Warped, TWLOHA will be doubling their presence in the Take Action! Non-Profit Area. With two tents instead of one, TWLOHA aims to focus more on introducing their message of hope, help and community.

To Write Love on Her Arms announces writing competition with Aaron Gillespie for a chance to win backstage at his solo set this Tues, July 28th at the Atlanta Warped Tour.

For their third Warped, TWLOHA will be doubling their presence in the Take Action! Non-Profit Area. With two tents instead of one, TWLOHA aims to focus more on introducing their message of hope, help and community.

They will be showing PSA’s and other videos that highlight their surprising journey. There will also be computers with internet access so that people can check out twloha.com or sign up to support TWLOHA via SocialVibe.com. But more than anything, the goal is conversation:

To Write Love on Her Arms has plenty of reason to be excited for Warped Tour this summer. For their third Warped, TWLOHA will be doubling their presence in the Take Action! Non-Profit Area. With two tents instead of one, TWLOHA aims to focus more on introducing their message of hope, help and community.

They will be showing PSA’s and other videos that highlight their surprising journey. There will also be computers with internet access so that people can check out twloha.com or sign up to support TWLOHA via SocialVibe.com. But more than anything, the goal is conversation:

“We love Warped because it’s music and people. We believe that music is powerful, that it has the unique ability to bring people together, to remind us we’re alive, to remind us it’s okay to ask questions. With that, we think Warped is the perfect place to connect with people. We’ve learned that when it comes to issues such as depression, addiction, self-injury and suicide – these are things that millions of people live with but very few talk about. We want people to know that it’s okay to talk about these things, that maybe hope and help begin when we start to let other people in.” – TWLOHA founder Jamie Tworkowski