You guys have probably been waiting for a report on how Revive went (that's what I'm telling myself anyways). I haven't blogged about it because I couldn't find the words to describe it. Honestly, I still can't. It was an amazing night filled with hope and love; one of the greatest nights I have ever been a part of. The best part about it, I think, is that most of the impact and inspiration that came from it, as someone who helped put it together with a lot of behind the scenes work, I may never have the opportunity to see the impact the night had. Maybe I will be able to in Heaven, but even then, maybe not. A local up and coming artist and a friend of Renown, Jeffrey Cameron, started off with a pre-show. Then Adam Sams, an artist who has toured with Switchfoot before and is from Jacksonville, opened the night. We had a few different speakers but the main one was Jamie Tworkowski, the founder of To Write Love On Her Arms (TWLOHA). He introduced his best friend, Jon Foreman. As much as I love music, TWLOHA was my favorite part of the night because it first impacted me years ago. Founded in 2006, I heard about it shortly afterwards while still in middle school. During that time, I found out one of my friends was cutting, and I didn't know what to do about it. At times she would show me her scars in private and sometimes be "happy" about them. It confused me to no end because I knew it wasn't right, and she needed help - but she wasn't listening to me. She wore bracelets over her scars often and long sleeves so no one would think anything different. I learned this is a common occurrence for those who self-harm in this way. Another friend of mine knew about her and we decided we had to do something - and went to the highest power we knew: the principal. He helped us and the four of us even sat down and talked downtown that day. I didn't know how she was going to react. But I knew something had to change, even the slightest bit. Thankfully, today, I can say that social media has kept us connected, and she has overcome her battle. Although it is an every day battle with choosing to relapse into self-harming tactics, from my understanding, she is doing well. I'm just glad she stopped. TWLOHA helps and gives hope to people who are depressed, suicidal, self-harm, and the like. Because "people need people." To find out more information about them, go to: https://twloha.com/ It wouldn't be right if I didn't talk about Jon Foreman since he was the highlight of the night. First off, he is very much a classy man: very kind and easy going. Actually, he and Jamie came straight to the church from the beach because they were surfing! Board shorts and the whole sha-bang! He was very comfortable with the crowd and even talked to them, asked them what they wanted him to play, and they loved every second of him. If you guys ever read this post, thank you. You guys have no idea the impact you made on DeLand - formerly known as "dead land". Here is a link to our FB page (that you should like!) to see pictures from Revive: https://www.facebook.com/DeLandRenown/photos_stream As my crazy life has died down a bit, because Revive is over and IT'S FALL BREAK THIS WEEK, it's been nice to breathe deeply again. But honestly, I cannot wait for Fall Break. I get to go see my best friend, Kaite, who lives in Marathon & celebrate her 21st birthday (which is tomorrow!). Super stoked! But of course, now I have to start working on the next Renown event that I am the mastermind behind that is a month away. It is most definitely not as large as Revive, but it hopefully will be meaningful. May more craziness commence - hopefully after I enjoy break. Here's a quote from Jon Foreman to end this thing off: "Life is all about learning to dance on the strings For This Time,
~Cambria
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AuthorI'm a die-hard Sixers and Eagles phan, a writer, a teacher, and a dreamer. Archives
December 2017
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