We live in a world where brokenness is a reality, not a possibility. TWLOHA began as a response to that reality, as a way to confront a certain brokenness head on regarding mental health—specifically depression, addiction, self-injury and suicide. We have learned that most people don’t talk about these things. There are thousands of people, people with faces and families and stories, who never get the help they need because they feel there isn’t a space to talk about their pain. TWLOHA is an attempt to create that space.

Starting today, we join twenty-four other charities in Round 1 of the American Giving Awards presented by Chase, a voting contest on Facebook to honor the past winners of Chase Community Giving. Voting ends next Wednesday, October 5 at 12 p.m. EST. We hope you will join us by liking the American Giving Awards presented by Chase Facebook page, voting for TWLOHA, and then asking everyone on the planet to do the same : )

We often talk about TWLOHA as a bridge to help. Taking the first step to talk to a friend about something painful is scary, as is packing a suitcase to go to a treatment center for the first or fifth time. We exist as a safe passage offering hope and encouragement along the way. Winning the American Giving Award will allow us to strengthen that bridge, to take our message of hope and help on the road to more places and in more creative ways than we’ve ever been able to do before, such as:

— Investing in building an interactive platform that will allow people to contribute directly to treatment and recovery in their local community. 

— Providing more widespread counseling scholarships for people with little or no insurance, alleviating the stress of a financial burden that often accompanies treatment and recovery options.

— Expanding our vision by taking HEAVY AND LIGHT - an evening of songs, conversation, and hope - on the road. There is a unique kind of community that happens when people gather in a room with songs and honest stories that resonate. Nights like this can change a perspective for people, and that shift could be the beginning of change or even a life saved.

— Strengthening the launch of our brand new high school campaign called The Storytellers, a way for high school students to bring the story of TWLOHA and message of hope to their own campus through organizing and engineering community events.

We’re honored to participate in this contest and excited to have the chance to work with Chase to carry out this vision. Thank you for being a part of it.

Please vote.