Jamie Tworkowski, founder of To Write Love on Her Arms, a nonprofit organization that aims to help those struggling with depression.

LAKELAND, Fla. (Jan. 21, 2011) - Florida Southern College will be the location for a Jan. 26 event featuring major nonprofit To Write Love on Her Arms and a member of the band Thrice.

The program, scheduled for 7 p.m. at Branscomb Auditorium off Lake Hollingsworth Drive on the College’s campus, will be free and open to the public. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.

To Write Love on Her Arms is a nonprofit organization that aims to help those struggling with depression, addiction and self-injury or contemplating suicide. It began in 2006 in Orlando when founder Jamie Tworkowski wrote a story and started selling T-shirts to help a friend pay for drug treatment. The movement took off as others related to the story, and bands such as Switchfoot, Anberlin and Paramore took interest. Within three years, TWLOHA had the largest online audience of any nonprofit on MySpace and Facebook, with more than 700,000 followers.

Tworkowski will speak at the event, as well as Denny Kolsch, the organization’s head of university relations and booking, and Aaron Moore, a licensed mental health counselor with the organization. At such events, TWLOHA speakers engage the audience in discussions about life, struggle, recovery and healing.

Lending music to the occasion will be Dustin Kensrue, singer and guitarist with California-based band Thrice. The band formed in 1998, producing modern rock and heavy music albums such as "Identity Crisis" in 2001; a four-part concept album titled "The Alchemy Index" in 2007 and 2008; and "Beggars" in 2009.

Mike Crawford, assistant dean of student development, said TWLOHA is a welcome guest at Florida Southern because it complements the holistic wellness message of SAGA (Student Awareness Generates Action), a campus-wide initiative.

"We’re lucky to have them because it’s such a relevant subject for today’s college students," he said.