Rock Love Peace Yes One Update
Hello People!
As many of you know I run a small non-profit called Rock Love Peace Yes One that helps to raise awareness about youth and teenage suicide. I wanted to repost a blog that a friend of mine Denny wrote about what we are trying to do. Denny has given so much of his time and talents to the movement.
He created some custom jewelry that I have been able to give to lots of those that support what we are trying to do. I personally wear a bracelet he made everyday that says simply 'I Choose Life'. The pieces have been a wonderful expression of love and hope to many that are involved.
Denny also runs his own custom jewelry business in his spare time. Make sure to stop by his website and see all the wonderful things he creates. Tell him thank you as well for his support of finding a way to help end suicide.
Help be the Difference!
http://www.dmachettejewelry.com/index.html
RLPY1 is the acronym for Rock-Love-Peace-Yes-1, a movement that was begun by Andy Jones (bassist for Third Grade Haters), in response to the rising problem of teen suicide in his hometown of Knoxville, Tennessee. Andy is just a young guy with a vision and a purpose. I want you to know that I have never met Andy, but I have been visited by the tragedy of suicide and I have been altered by it. So, when Andy began to post information about his desire to raise awareness about this critical issue, it resonated with me. I wanted to help him.
When I first saw Andy's posts about suicide, I was reading a book by David Lipsky and there was a quote that I could not stop rereading. I felt like Lipsky had plumbed my soul and managed to put into words the wreckage that suicide had deposited there. He had given voice to a fierce truth that I had been unable to articulate. In his book, “Although of Course You End Up Becoming Yourself : A Road Trip With David Foster Wallace, he wrote, "Suicide is such a powerful end, it reaches back and scrambles the beginning. It has an event gravity: Eventually every memory and impression gets tugged in its direction." Those words and the story of David Wallace Foster stirred the feelings of loss that I have harbored for nearly 30 years.
I wanted to be involved in Andy's efforts. I wanted to lend support in a practical way. He wasn’t asking for money, he wasn’t starting an organization; his purpose was to help raise awareness. As I thought about a way for me to be involved, I thought about using jewelry to make a statement. I floated the idea about donating some silver and some of my time to design some jewelry with a message of hope, as well as a method for getting help. I originally thought he could sell them at shows to raise funds for local organizations or to raise awareness in some way. The message stamped on each piece was: I Choose Life, RLPY1 and 800 SUICIDE (the 24-hour suicide hotline).
Andy has decided to keep his efforts local with his emphasis on the Knoxville area and the youth in his community. That is where his heart is and that is where he has the most influence. If you’d like to find out more about this movement or if you’d like to find a way to support his efforts, I recommend that you contact him at http://twitter.com/thirdgradehater or facebook.com/thirdgradehaters
Denny (Machette) Pizarro
