Four students are part of a campaign to create a support system for anyone struggling with depression, addiction, self-injury and suicide.
“On our most completely honest day, we are completely broken people,” To Write Love On Her Arms (TWLOHA) treasurer Laura Donnelly said.
TWLOHA is a national movement that works to help people feel comfortable talking about their inner battles.
College is a difficult time, and the group wanted to let students know that they are not alone, she said.
The TCU group, one of several UChapters nationwide, held its first meeting Monday night. UChapters are university-based chapters of the organization that reach out to college students.
“We need to be more supportive of each other instead of just cutting each other down, which is so easy to do when we’re this age,” vice president of TWLOHA Kaitlyn Turney said.
The first meeting introduced the group’s mission and vision to students who want to be involved, president of TWLOHA Lauren Blassberg said. The officers said they would listen to what students want to see happen with the organization.
Many students involved as of now have personal reasons to be a part of the organization, Blassberg said.
“People think TCU is this bubble that is protected from everything,” she said.
Four TCU students have committed suicide in the last two years.
Some students said the organization helped them during a difficult time in their life, Blassberg said. While some have seen TWLOHA endorsed by bands and featured on T-shirts, most do not understand the meaning behind it, Turney said.
TWLOHA’s secretary, Lyndsi Hardin, said she would like to have speakers come to spread awareness about depression and suicide prevention.
Turney and Blassberg attended the MOVE community conference hosted by TWLOHA in Austin in the spring. The conference was the first step to officiating the UChapter, Turney said.
Blassberg said she hoped to have a partnership between TWLOHA and Frogs CARE, an organization educating students about substance abuse through peer educators. Frogs Care and TWLOHA are planning a 5K race in the spring, she said.
Hardin, a junior journalism major, said she would like TWLOHA to host a free hug day to spread hope on campus.
Members of the group hope to partner with The Crew and Frogs CARE to bring stress relievers to campus, Donnelly said. The organization may host speakers and will make decisions based on feedback from the meeting, Turney said.
TWLOHA UChapter announced the meeting on TCU Announce, OrgSync.com, Facebook and on posters in the Brown-Lupton University Union and sorority and fraternity houses.
“We can be that community. We can help our fellow frogs,” Turney said.
For more information, e-mail Lauren Blassberg at [email protected].
