Students raise funds and awareness for suicide prevention

By Dean Galiffa

pretz1 — Social Work Club President Chelsea Diehl sells a pretzel to Lanica Robinson, an early childhood education major in support of mental health awareness.

On Oct. 3, members of the Social Work Club sold soft pretzels and apple cider to raise awareness of suicide prevention and mental health.

All proceeds were donated to To Write Love On Her Arms, a non-profit movement dedicated to presenting hope and finding help for people struggling with depression, addiction, self-injury, and suicide.

To Write Love On Her Arms began when founder Jamie Tworkowski met Renee Yohe in March 2006. After learning about her struggle with addiction, self-injury, and depression, he spent five days with her before she entered a treatment center and sold T-shirts to help cover the cost.

When Yohe entered treatment, Tworkowski wrote about his experience and posted the story on MySpace, naming it “To Write Love On Her Arms.”

pretz2 — Pamphlets of information on mental health awareness and suicide prevention resources are available for students and faculty.

Social Work Club President Chelsea Diehl explained why she and other members decided to donate to To Write Love On Her Arms.

“We know some of the people [involved with] To Write Love On Her Arms, which is why we chose that organization,” Diehl said. “We’re also handing out pamphlets for other resources and hotlines.”

Diehl also mentioned the numerous resources available on and around campus, including the Career and Counseling Center.

The center offers a number of services, including personal counseling. Students seeking an appointment can visit the center at Marple Campus in Room 1325 in the Academic Building. For branch campus information, students should visit http://www.dccc.edu.