Church of Scientology Forwards the Right to Education for Hillsborough County Youth

The Right to Education was the focus of a fundraiser hosted by the Church of Scientology January 13 at the Fort Harrison Hotel in Clearwater, Florida.

The Church of Scientology hosted a benefit concert on behalf of Men of Vision, an organization of some 100 young men in the Hillsborough County school system grades 6-12.

Men of Vision was founded by educator Ross Anderson in 2010 with the mission “to provide an opportunity for young men to work in a fellowship dedicated to community service, encourage the practices of responsibility and accountability, and promote academic achievement and vision for their future.” Susan Valdes, a former teacher and now Hillsborough School Board Member, is a strong supporter of Anderson’s efforts and Men of Vision.

“When I was a teacher, I saw kids who did not have proper examples, and their right to education was severely hindered because of it,” says Valdes. She sees Men of Vision as “the type of organization that makes the right to education a reality for troubled young men and opens the door for them to a better life.”

The Fort Harrison benefit concert began with a performance by singers Joanie Sigal and Tom Godfrey. The featured presentation was a dramatic reading from the Golden Age of Pulp Fiction—He Didn't like Cats, by L. Ron Hubbard.

“Education is the cornerstone of human rights, as it empowers the individual, opening the door to opportunity,” said Pat Harney, Public Affairs Director of the Church of Scientology in Clearwater. “We are delighted to be able to support the work of Mr. Anderson and Men of Vision.”

Scientologists on five continents engage in collaborative efforts with government agencies and nongovernmental organizations to bring about broad-scale awareness and implementation of the 1948 United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the world’s premier human rights document.

The Church of Scientology published the new brochure, Scientology: How We Help—United for Human Rights: Making Human Rights a Global Reality, to meet requests for more information about the human rights education and awareness initiative it supports. To learn more, visit Scientology.org/HumanRights.

Scientology Founder L. Ron Hubbard wrote, “Human rights must be made a fact, not an idealistic dream,” and the Scientology religion is based on the principles of human rights. The Code of a Scientologist calls on all members of the religion to dedicate themselves “to support true humanitarian endeavors in the fields of human rights.”