To Write Love on Her Arms: The Music

Kemba
Misc
6 minute read

Hope. Help. Support. These are some of the words that describe To Write Love On Her Arms (TWLOHA), a non-profit organization that seeks to present hope and help for people who struggle with depression, addiction, self-injury, and suicide by encouraging, informing, inspiring, and directly investing in treatment and recovery. Their vision is clear, and is a noble one at that.

The organization—founded by Jamie Tworkowski in 2006—has had a recent surge in prominence through various endorsements of celebrities and bands, including Miley Cyrus, Joaquin Phoenix, Cristina Perri, Skillet, and many others, and continues to raise funds to aid in suicide prevention.

But what does this have to do with music?

“Music is a huge part of our story. We believe in the songs of our friends.”

Who are these friends of TWLOHA who have supported the organization? Some of these artists may be familiar; others may prove to be diamonds in the rough. Either way, check them out below, find out what charities they have involved themselves with, and turn up your speakers!

Switchfoot

You may know this San Diego band for their stellar live shows, but you might not know that they are also involved with quite a few charitable organizations. You may have seen TWLOHA merchandise with the phrase, "Love Is The Movement"; that's one of their songs.

Charities: 

TWLOHA
DATA
ONE Campaign
Keep A Breast Foundation
Habitat for Humanity
Invisible Children
lowercase people
Switchfoot Bro-Am Surf Contest

Choice hopeful lyric:

Love is the movement 
Love is a revolution 
This is redemption 
We don't have to slow back down

Anberlin

Charities:

TWLOHA
Faceless International
Land of a Thousand Hills Coffee

Choice hopeful lyric:

And when you're in doubt
And when you're in danger
Take a look all around
And I'll be there

Evanescence

Both the band and frontwoman Amy Lee has been thanked for supporting TWLOHA. Lee has also been a spokesperson for epilepsy foundation Out Of The Shadows.

Charities:

TWLOHA
Out Of The Shadows
Campaigned against sex trafficking
Written music for charitable causes, including the Haiti Relief Fund
Donated items to local charities

Choice hopeful lyric:

Somewhere beyond the pain
There must be a way to believe
We can break through


Thrice

In addition to TWLOHA, Californian rockers Thrice have donated a portion of record sales to a new charitable organization—for each album.

Charities:

TWLOHA

Choice hopeful lyric:

Come all you weary with your heavy loads
Lay down your burdens find rest for your souls
Cause my yoke is easy and my burden is kind
I’ll take yours upon me and you can take mine 

The Almost

Charities:

TWLOHA

Choice hopeful lyric:

Amazing grace
How sweet the sound
That saves a wretch like me
I once was lost
And now I'm found
Was blind but now I see

Paramore

Charities:

TWLOHA
Invisible Children
Save The Franklin Theatre
Make-A-Wish Foundation
Stand Up To Cancer
United Service Organization

Choice hopeful lyric:

And I won't let you fall away 
From me
You will never fade
And I won't let you fall away
From me 

Bayside

Charities:

TWLOHA

Choice hopeful lyric:

If our world falls down tomorrow 
You be sure I'll be there with a net 
To catch the pieces falling


The Rocket Summer

Musician Bryce Avary created the clothing company Call It Captivate, partnering with a variety of charitable organizations (including Doctors Without Borders, National Multiple Sclerosis Society, International Adoption, These Numbers Have Faces, and others), where 25% or more of each item purchased goes to charitable causes.

Charities:

TWLOHA
Call It Captivate 
Doctors Without Borders
National Multiple Sclerosis Society
International Adoption
These Numbers Have Faces

Choice hopeful lyric:

Here are your new eyes
It's time to see life with brand new sight
How could I now never see positively?


Check out some more TWLOHA-affiliated bands.

Jimmy Eat World

This band has participated in various Sub City Records projects, including a fundraiser that donated $2 million to over 50 charities, and recorded a track for album Maybe This Christmas, which made donations to Toys For Tots.

Charities:

TWLOHA
Contributed a track to Maybe This Christmas (Toys For Tots)

Choice hopeful lyric: 

Live right now
Yeah, just be yourself
It doesn't matter if it's good enough for someone else


Underoath

Metalcore artists Underoath participated in Come & Live, a mini-tour that raised money for Habitat For Humanity, Invisible Children, Teen Challenge, and Samaritans Purse; they've participated in Shirts For A Cure; and of course, TWLOHA.

Charities:

TWLOHA
Habitat For Humanity
Invisible Children
Teen Challenge
Samaritans Purse

Choice hopeful lyric: 

Never forgot the time you made me feel alive
When death was on my mind
Or when you held onto me
When the world let me fall behind


Jon Foreman (Switchfoot, Fiction Family, Solo)

Charities:

TWLOHA
Switchfoot-associated charities
Fast For Darfur

Choice hopeful lyric: 

Two things you told me
That you are strong
And you love me
Yes you love me

Dustin Kensrue (thrice)

This guitarist/vocalist/co-founder of Thrice has donated 5% of the proceeds from his solo album, Please Come Home, to TWLOHA.

Charities:

TWLOHA

Choice hopeful lyric: 

I hope that I will never let you down
I know that this can be more than just flashing lights and sound
Look around and you'll see that at times it feels like no one really cares
It gets me down but I'm still gonna try to do what's right

Copeland

Charities:

TWLOHA

Choice hopeful lyric: 

You don't have to be ashamed
'Cause you're a miracle through and through

 

Josh Moore

Charities:

TWLOHA

Choice hopeful lyric: 

I can see you there
Underneath it all but
Don't be scared
I'll break your fall


Sleeping at last

Charities:

TWLOHA
Charity: Water

Choice hopeful lyric: 

Be brave
Like bridges underwater
Keeping strong beyond their time
I feel the light upon my skin
Reminding me that night must end 

red jumpsuit apparatus

Charities:

TWLOHA
Boost Mobile RockCorps
The Red Jumpsuit Alliance Guardian Angel Foundation
DoSomething.org

Choice hopeful lyric: 

I can be the one
I will never let you fall 
I'll stand up with you forever
I'll be there for you through it all


Hawthorne Heights

Charities:

TWLOHA
Charity shows
Locks of love
PETA2.org
Headcount.org
Stayvocal.com

Choice hopeful lyric: 

The deeper you cut
The deeper I hurt
The deeper you cut
It only gets worse
[…]
And then she opened her eyes
And found relief in his life
And put down her knives
And then she opened her life


Want more music? We've got you covered!

Plain White T's

Charities:

TWLOHA
Charities related to causes for Japan tsunami victims

Choice hopeful lyric: 

And just hold on, hold on to me
Don't let go


VersaEmerge

Charities:

TWLOHA

Choice hopeful lyric: 

Impact is inevitable, and it's up to us


The secret handshake

Charities:

TWLOHA

Choice hopeful lyric: 

Lets all try to sing along
Learn the words to this song
That we'll look back on 


ellington

Charities:

TWLOHA

Choice hopeful lyric: 

We all look the same under these bright lights
But you're shining brighter every day
You illuminate more than I ever could
And make me want to change my ways

the color fred

Charities:

TWLOHA
Invisible children

Choice hopeful lyric: 

You gotta be the change you want to see

meg and dia

Charities:

TWLOHA
Take Action
DoSomething.org

Choice hopeful lyric: 

Even though the days grow longer by the minute
I know there is hope in hope itself
When I'm growing tired, and I feel faith is drifting
I remember love is what I'm working toward

cool hand luke

Charities:

TWLOHA

Choice hopeful lyric: 

I could see for miles
He showed me that the mountain I'm climbing
Is not a mountain at all
But a gentle slope leading home


mat kearney

Charities:

TWLOHA
VH1 Save The Music Foundation

Choice hopeful lyric:

These scars upon my sleeve
Won't get the best of me
You've had yours and I've had my own defeats
This heart upon your sleeve
I'll tread gently
I won't rush in and run away on a breeze


matt wetz

Charities:

TWLOHA

Choice hopeful lyric:

I will not take my love away
When praises cease and seasons change
While the world turns the other way
I will not take my love away


dave barnes

Charities:

TWLOHA

Choice hopeful lyric:

So raise a glass and gather round
Toast the night and friendships found
I lay to rest my troubled face
Breathe deep this amazing grace


derek webb

Charities:

TWLOHA

Choice hopeful lyric:

There's got to be
A love stronger than our fear
Of everything being out of control


bradley hathaway

Charities:

TWLOHA

Choice hopeful lyric:

And I look outside my window
And imagine the future purple pastel pretty moments
Of joy that I will one day have with my wife and my children
My friends and my family


a skylit drive

Charities:

TWLOHA

Choice hopeful lyric:

So don't fear tomorrow
Brings another day for tears
Let laughter fill your
Smile and show your love
'Cause with it, you can
Almost touch the sky


eye alaska

Charities:

TWLOHA
Selling limited-edition Eye Alaska backpacks to sponsor children in Africa

Choice hopeful lyric:

There's no use in stopping rain
But I won't let it pour
I won't let precipitation wash all of you away


gasoline heart

Charities:

TWLOHA

Choice hopeful lyric:

Open your eyes, tell me who you wanna be
If you don't know, don't be scared, you're not alone

mike dunn & the kings of new england

Charities:

TWLOHA
A Gift For Music

For more information about To Write Love On Her Arms, check out their official website.