For Jacksonville, FL's Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, it's a privilege to be a part of the Take Action! Tour, a charity jaunt that brings the issues of suicide and depression to the forefront.

"For me personally, it's like a dream come true," said guitarist/vocalist Elias Reidy. "Every day, I'm appreciative of being alive. The Take Action! Tour, it's so cool for me because it's a tour I've gone to since I was a kid. I'm only 20, and I've seen that tour as far back as six years ago. I got to see a lot of my favorite bands on that tour, like Thursday and Poison the Well. For every band in the modern rock world, it's a must to play the Take Action! Tour to get that under your belt. We're proud to headline it.

"Honestly, we didn't create this band with the intent to really change the world. We were just trying to have fun. Now that we're up and on our feet, we have a choice to make a difference, to actually make our existence count or to just blend in with everybody else and not really make an impact. So I guess we saw where we are now. We have the opportunity to do something good. Our concept is, 'You get what you give.'"

Red Jumpsuit Apparatus hasn't been shy about tackling social issues. Its hit single "Face Down" touches on domestic abuse.

"That was a song personally inspired by Ronnie's own experience with domestic violence," Reidy said. "Every concept of every song is a true event that has happened to Ronnie himself, one of us, or somebody we know. [Domestic abuse is] also something I've experienced myself, as well. We figured, 'What better way to reach out to people and talk about it as a topic than to write a song about it?'"

The gripping "Face Down" appears on the gold-certified album "Don't You Fake It," which debuted at No. 25 on The Billboard 200 album chart. Reidy said the success of the band--which also includes guitarist/vocalist Duke Kitchens, bassist/vocalist Joey Westwood and drummer/vocalist Jon Wilkes--is unbelievable.

"No matter what, through all the hard work we put into it, it's still unreal that we finally have a gold record," he explained.

Most of Red Jumpsuit Apparatus' success can be chalked up to word of mouth, as video channels are just now picking up on the clip for "Face Down." Growing organically means a lot to the band, Reidy said.

"We haven't been overexposed at all. We're very pleased at how our presentation has gone through so far. It's like the channels are just now jumping on the bandwagon. As far as we're concerned, we're into that. We've already gained that hardcore, strong fanbase without the exposure for the last year."

Joining Red Jumpsuit Apparatus on the Take Action! Tour this year is Emery [ tickets ], Scary Kids Scaring Kids [ tickets ], A Static Lullaby [ tickets ] and Kaddisfly.

Take Action, founded by Hopeless and Sub City Records, aims to create a better world, one voice and one action at a time, the tour's publicist said. By working with various non-profit organizations, Take Action strives to educate people about the positive difference that can be made by each of us in our community through activism and charitable work, he added. Alumni of the tour include Anti-Flag, Avenged Sevenfold, Hawthorne Heights, Jimmy Eat World, Matchbook Romance, Silverstein, Sugarcult, The Early November and Thrice.

The 2007 Take Action! Tour and the "Take Action Volume 6 Compilation" will support the Youth America Hotline! 1-877-YOUTHLINE (968-8454). Ten percent of all ticket sales and 5 percent of the retail price for each compilation CD are donated directly to the organization. The benefiting charity was founded by the Kristin Brooks Hope Center to help young people in crisis through peer-to-peer counseling and education about mental health issues. Take Action raised more than $100,000 last year for the Youth America Hotline!, according to a spokesperson.

More than 40,000 fans attended the 2006 Take Action! Tour, surpassing previous tours and exposing more young people to resources that could save their lives. By the end of the 2007 Take Action! Tour, Hopeless/Sub City Records is projected to surpass $1 million in charitable donations to various non-profit organizations.