Chase Bissell didn’t accidentally forget her jacket Friday.
Although the weather was in the 60s, she knew a sweater would have covered up the word she wrote on her right and left arms. The word scrawled in permanent ink was so thick, it would stain her skin for days to follow — love.
Bissell was one of more than 1 million confirmed guests on the global Facebook event page to take part in To Write Love On Her Arms Day, an event organized by fans of the nonprofit organization but not officially affiliated with the organization.
Participants were encouraged to write the word “love” on their arms to spread the message of the organization.
“Everything about To Write Love On Her Arms resonates with me,” the UF sophomore said. “It’s close to my heart.”
According to the organization’s Web site, To Write Love On Her Arms is a nonprofit movement dedicated to offering hope and help for people struggling with depression, addiction, self-injury and suicide.
In the spirit of the event, Bissell explained the message of the organization to the one person who inquired about the word on her arms. She said this single moment was enough.
“She asked me a lot of questions, actually,” she said.
Bissell is the treasurer of UF’s chapter of To Write Love. UF is one of only 14 active universities across the nation to have a campus chapter for the organization.
Erin Villani, president and founder of the organization, said the club launched this fall.
“The mission of our chapter is to increase awareness about depression, addiction, suicide and self-injury,” said Villani, a UF sophomore. “We hope that by reaching out to people, we’ll be able to build a strong community.”
