PRESS RELEASES
VITA LEVU, FIJI ISLANDS •
Scientology Volunteer Ministers, mobilized in the wake of recent floods, are providing relief and helping in the cleanup operation in Vita Levu, the main island of Fiji.
The United Nations Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) estimates the flooding of early April 2012, the worst in decades, caused $71.3 million in damage. And although the waters have receded, entire villages were submerged in floodwaters and the damage continues to impact the lives of thousands.
NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE •
The Church of Scientology & Celebrity Centre Nashville celebrated the third anniversary in its new home, a restored historical landmark at 8th Avenue South.
The Church of Scientology & Celebrity Centre Nashville held a festive celebration for parishioners and distinguished guests at the historic Fall School Building at 8th Avenue South, Nashville, which has served as its new home since its grand opening on April 25, 2009.
WESTMINSTER, LONDON, ENGLAND •
Scientologists Run to Promote Drug-Free Living in England
A team of runners carried out a week-long 130-mile (209 km) multi-marathon through southern England to promote drug education and prevention as a primary solution to drug abuse.
The UK Drug-Free Multi-Marathon began April 14 on the steps of Lambeth Town Hall in the south of London. Over the next seven days they ran to East Grinstead in Sussex and on to Uckfield, Brighton, Crawley, Reigate and Croydon, ending back in Westminster in the heart of London.
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA •
The Religion Communicators Council (RCC) honored the Church of Scientology with two DeRose-Hinkhouse Memorial Awards of Excellence at the Council’s 2012 convention in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
HONIARA, GUADALCANAL PROVINCE, SOLOMON ISLANDS •
The official launch of the Scientology Volunteer Ministers Goodwill Tour in Honiara, capital of Guadalcanal Province of the Solomon Islands, signals the launch of a month of free seminars on the 19 subjects of the Scientology Handbook.
KANANGA, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO •
Thousands lined the streets and filled Stadium de L’Espoir (Stadium of Hope) in Kananga, in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), to welcome the team of Scientology Volunteer Ministers who arrived this week from Uganda, Québec and Brussels to implement Volunteer Minister training for 2,000 Congolese
BUFFALO, NEW YORK •
Among the most striking qualities of Scientologist Patrick Clouden are his friendliness, energy, and intention—traits that explain, at least in part, his success in sales, as a motivational speaker and an entrepreneur. But Clouden describes the inauspicious beginnings of his career and the role Scientology played in helping him accomplish his goals.
“I had just graduated from Canisius College in Buffalo, New York, in 1975 and I was ready to take on the world. But no one seemed interested,” he says. “I couldn’t get a job.”
LONDON, ENGLAND •
An open house at the Church of Scientology of London presented an overview of the Church’s work in support of human rights. Civic and religious leaders and representatives of nongovernmental organizations were also introduced to the human rights education initiative the Church sponsors.
Tracey Colman, Public Affairs Director of the Church, briefed those attending on human rights issues in London, including statistics on human trafficking and child abuse.
JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA •
In response to a request from the Guateng Provincial Police Social Crime Prevention Program, Shaleen Worhnitz, Director of Public Affairs of the Church of Scientology of Johannesburg, presented an overview of the human rights education initiative the Church sponsors.
CLEARWATER, FLORIDA •
Possessed of an inquisitive nature, attention to technical detail, and the will to carry through despite obstacles, Scientologist Leslie Hull has succeeded in an unusual field. She runs sales reps in countries around the world as vice president for sales and marketing in an engineering company that produces polyurethane components for heavy-duty trucks, trailers and buses.
PEORIA, ILLINOIS •
When George Seidler first read Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health in July 1950, the book was already breaking records. Published two months earlier, it rocketed to the New York Times bestseller list, where it stayed for 100 weeks.
MEXICO •
A team of Scientology Volunteer Ministers returned to Mexico City this week after completing a rigorous course of training in disaster search and rescue in various locales around Mexico. The training was supervised by Los Topos, the renowned Mexican search and rescue team featured in a National Geographic documentary on the Japan tsunami of 2011, and other top professionals. The purpose: to leverage experience and expertise gained to direct the activities of the Scientology Volunteer Ministers Disaster Response in the worst possible disasters.
SOLOMON ISLANDS •
The Savulei Paramount Council of Chiefs of the Solomon Islands endorsed the Scientology Volunteer Ministers program in March 2012 and welcomed the volunteers to the island in a traditional ceremony that dates back from the dawn of time.
Lambi is home to Paramount Chief Savulei whose authority extends over the 56 chiefs of the Savulei Council of Chiefs. So impressed was he by the results he saw in his village, he and his council officially endorsed the program and invited the Volunteer Ministers to return for a traditional welcoming ceremony.
AUSTRALIA •
The Church of Scientology in Australia conducts drug education activities to help the community.
LOS ANGELES •
The Church of Scientology Celebrity Centre International hosted a forum and fundraiser March 31 to increase awareness of human trafficking and its consequences in Southern California. Funds raised will go to support human rights education.
Virginia Isaias, whose Foundation of Survivors of Human Trafficking (Fundacion de Sobrevivientes de Trafico Humano) is a resource center to help those who have escaped or been rescued from slavery, urged survivors to speak up to raise awareness of the plight of trafficking victims.
SOLOMON ISLANDS •
Scientology Volunteer Ministers bring seminars to Solomon Islands schools.
The Scientology Volunteer Ministers have begun delivery of workshops to educators throughout the island of Guadalcanal at the request of the Chief Education Officer of the Guadalcanal Education Authority, following the success of training provided to executives and staff of that agency in Honiara, Capital of the Solomon Islands.
INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA •
The Church of Scientology hosted closing ceremonies March 23 for the 9th annual Youth for Human Rights International World Tour at the L. Ron Hubbard Auditorium of the Scientology Community Center at 8039 S. Vermont Avenue in South Los Angeles. The ceremony capped the human rights group’s five-week 28,000-mile journey through seven nations. Youth for Human Rights representatives from Mexico, Liberia, and Japan presented highlights of the 2012 World Tour’s activities in their countries.
SOUTH AFRICA •
Paramount King Molefe of South Africa introduced Scientology Volunteer Ministers and their program to more than 100 tribal kings and chiefs on Mampuru Day, an annual celebration of freedom.
BERLIN, GERMANY •
An interfaith forum at the Public Information Center of the Church of Scientology of Berlin at Otto-Suhr-Allee 30-34 brought members of diverse religions together in one common endeavor: to promote peace in the Middle East through communication and cooperation.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA •
In cities around the world today, Scientologists organize or participate in round tables, petition drives, seminars and marches in support of the United Nations International Day against Racial Discrimination.
The UN General Assembly selected March 21 to commemorate the day in 1960 in Sharpeville, South Africa, when police opened fire on thousands peacefully demonstrating against apartheid, killing 69.