PRESS RELEASES
Church of Scientology Activities
FLORIDA •
Gracia Bennish, President of United for Human Rights Florida, is an active proponent of human rights education and the care of victims of human trafficking. Her 640 hours of volunteer service last year earned her a President’s Volunteer Service Award.
Gracia Bennish received a well-deserved acknowledgement April 24, 2013, for her 640 hours of volunteer service last year—a President’s Volunteer Service Award, presented at a National Volunteer Week celebration at the Fort Harrison religious retreat of the Church of Scientology Flag Service Organization.
PRETORIA, SOUTH AFRICAN •
Introducing the Truth About Drugs to government, community, and religious leaders in South Africa’s capital
To make effective drug prevention broadly available in every sector of South African society, the Church of Scientology of Pretoria invited government, community and religious leaders to attend an open house and presentation April 13, 2013, on the Truth About Drugs, the drug prevention initiative the Church supports.
PADOVA, ITALY •
New Scientology Church in Padova, Italy, promotes aligned community action to lower crime and improve moral values
At a conference and open house April 27, at the new Church of Scientology of Padova, Italy, Church officials released a new brochure aimed at uplifting the community and lowering crime rates.
The brochure, Scientology: How We Help—Creating a World of Honesty, Trust & Self Respect, describes The Way to Happiness, a nonreligious moral code that is improving the quality of lives the world over.
UKRAINE •
Logos, an Applied Scholastics tutoring program in the Ukraine featured in a new brochure published by the Church of Scientology, raised passing rates on state exams to 94 percent from the previous 40 percent average.
MILAN, ITALY •
The Church of Scientology Milan hosted an open house and conference May 3, 2013, to release a new brochure, Scientology: How We Help—United for Human Rights, Making Human Rights a Global Reality.
Officials, NGO representatives and community and religious leaders gathered in the Church Chapel where host Antonella Russo, from the public affairs office of the Church, spoke of the work of two Church-supported human rights initiatives—Youth for Human Rights and the Association for Human Rights and Tolerance of Italy.
WASHINGTON, D.C. •
At a conference at the Church of Scientology National Affairs Office in Washington, D.C., solar energy pioneer Dr. Richard Komp described his program for making affordable energy available to impoverished villages in Africa, Latin America, India and the Carribean.
Washington, D.C.—Solar energy pioneer Dr. Richard Komp of Skyheat Associates, Harrington, Maine, called for a reform in international energy practices at a conference May 15, 2013, at the Church of Scientology National Affairs Office.
BUDAPEST, HUNGARY •
The Church of Scientology Budapest and Applied Scholastics of Hungary organized an education round table where they released the new brochure Scientology: How We Help—Applied Scholastics, Achieving Literacy and Education.
The Church of Scientology Budapest and Applied Scholastics of Hungary hosted a literacy and education round table April 24, 2013, to introduce community leaders to a technology capable of overcoming illiteracy and raising the standard of education.
ROME, ITALY •
Volunteers from the Churches of Scientology of Italy have reached 33,000 students with human rights education.
It was no ordinary theater performance that the 400 guests at Naples’ Palapartenope Theater enjoyed May 4, 2013. The show was part of a movement that is gaining momentum throughout Italy, driven by volunteers from the Church of Scientology.
ST. PETERSBURG, RUSSIA •
Volunteers from the St. Petersburg Scientology religious group distribute drug education booklets to conquer drug abuse on Victory Day
“Victory Day” is celebrated throughout Russia on May 9 to commemorate the end of World War II. Scientologists from the St. Petersburg Scientology religious group spent the entire week promoting victory of a different kind and one that is sorely needed—victory over drug abuse.
KARLOVY VARY, CZECH REPUBLIC •
Volunteers from the Church of Scientology Mission of Prague conduct character education lectures based on The Way to Happiness.
More than 100 young men and women attending a business academy and language school in the West Bohemia city of Karlovy Vary in the Czech Republic are learning what may be the very "secret" to happiness through lectures on The Way to Happiness, a nonreligious moral code based entirely on common sense.
ST. PETERSBURG, FLORIDA •
For the past five years, Youth for Human Rights, supported by the Scientology Churches of the Tampa Bay area, has been one of the sponsors of the Sunscreen Film Festival. Industry professionals see film as the best medium to promote human rights.
SPANISH LAKE, MISSOURI •
The annual international convention of a program featured in a new Scientology brochure focused on simple solutions to raise the quality of education.
HAMBURG, GERMANY •
Volunteers from the Church of Scientology of Hamburg distributed thousands of copies of The Way to Happiness at the 2013 Hamburg Marathon.
More than 10,000 finished the Hamburg Marathon April 21. Following a minute of silence in honor of the Boston Marathon, which took place exactly one week earlier, runners exploded past the starting line and kept up the pace for the 42.2 km (26.2 mile) route, bringing home a course record of 2:05:30 hours by Kenyan Eliud Kipchoge.
SACRAMENTO, CA •
Church of Scientology of Sacramento introduces Sacramento religious leaders to the Truth About Drugs education program to help decrease fatalities and serious traffic accidents caused by drug abuse.
To counter pro-drug propaganda, the International Faith Based Coalition (IFBC) called on religious leaders to speak out at a rally held to draw attention to the deadly consequences of driving under the influence of cannabis, alcohol and other drugs.
MOSCOW, RUSSIA •
A human rights conference at the Moscow Church of Scientology March 26 introduced educators to the human rights educational resources of Youth for Human Rights.
The Moscow Church of Scientology opened its doors March 26 for a special Youth for Human Rights conference to provide Moscow educators with tools to teach the Universal Declaration of Human Rights to their students.
GLENDALE, CALIFORNIA •
Delegates from 13 nations heard remarkable stories of social change in the wake of the distribution of a simple booklet featured in a new brochure by the Church of Scientology.
More than 80 delegates representing 13 nations convened April 26-28 for the second annual convention and awards banquet of The Way to Happiness Foundation in Glendale, California.
BRUSSELS, BELGIUM •
Overcoming the barriers to study was the focus of an open house and conference April 23, 2013, at the Brussels Branch of the Churches of Scientology of Europe.
WASHINGTON, D.C. •
Civic, religious and community leaders met at the Church of Scientology National Affairs Office April 5 to celebrate Youth for Human Rights Day. April 5 is Youth for Human Rights Day and no better place to commemorate the occasion than at the Church of Scientology National Affairs Office in Washington, D.C. The Office was opened in September 2012 at Fraser Mansion in D.C.’s Dupont Circle to facilitate implementation of the Church of Scientology-supported humanitarian and social betterment programs both nationally and internationally.
INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA •
Honor students learn how The Way to Happiness has been used to uplift communities and reduce crime.
A group of 77 students were guests at a special open house and seminar at the Church of Scientology of Inglewood, California, March 12, 2013.
The students are enrolled in a sociology class at City Honors Preparatory High School, a charter school in Inglewood, and the seminar was designed to enhance their studies. It provided an overview of The Way to Happiness, a nonreligious moral code based entirely on common sense.
ST. PETERSBURG, RUSSIA •
In commemoration of the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, volunteers from the St. Petersburg Scientology religious group carried out a week of human rights awareness activities.
St. Petersburg Scientologists carried out a week of human rights activities to raise awareness of human rights and show support for those who are ostracized and discriminated against through racism and xenophobia.