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News Release

Last modified: Thursday, April 7, 2011

Founder of nonprofit To Write Love On Her Arms to deliver music-infused lecture at IMU

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 7, 2011

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Jamie Tworkowski, founder of the non-profit organization To Write Love On Her Arms, will deliver a free, public lecture at 5 p.m., April 21. in the Indiana Memorial Union's Alumni Hall. Doors will open for media at 4:30 p.m.

The event, which will include live acoustic music, is presented by the Indiana University Memorial Union Board.

Tworkowski founded To Write Love on Her Arms in 2006 to help those who suffer from depression, addiction, self-injury and suicidal tendencies. "[The organization] is about talking about things that haven't been discussed. It's saying that people are not alone, and that we're called to live together, and we're called to love each other," Tworkowski has said. "There is hope for people."

He came up with the idea for the nonprofit after learning that the third leading cause of death among 18 to 24-year-olds is suicide. In order to fund a friend's recovery, he posted a blog on MySpace and began selling T-shirts bearing the words "To Write Love on Her Arms." Bands such as Switchfoot, Anberlin and Paramore have supported the cause; the organization now has the largest online audience of any non-profit on MySpace and Facebook and has responded to nearly 100,000 messages from more than 40 countries. Tworkowski has been interviewed by NBC Nightly News, CNN, MTV and Spin Magazine.

To Write Love On Her Arms donated nearly $500,000 to treatment and recovery organizations. Tworkowski now shares his vision of hope, frequently telling students: "You are not alone, and this is not the end of your story."

AJ O'Reilly, director of Canvas Creative Arts, said these issues need to be discussed at IU. "This event is unique because Tworkwoski used the power of creativity to tackle a serious issue like depression and addiction," he said. "No one else is talking about these issues in this way and using music to motivate."

For further information, visit www.TWLOHA.com. To learn more about Union Board call 812-855-4682 or email ubvpmem@indiana.edu.

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