NEW SCIENTOLOGY VOLUNTEER MINISTERS
CENTER EXTENDS HELPING HAND TO
CLEARWATER IN PROCLAIMING
“SOMETHING CAN BE DONE ABOUT IT.”

The Church of Scientology-affiliated global program offers unconditional help to the entire Pinellas County area with a new center opened July 11 in the heart of Clearwater.

Carrying a deep commitment to the people of the city that has been home to its spiritual headquarters for the past 40 years, the Church of Scientology dedicated a new Volunteer Minister Center in the heart of Clearwater on July 11. It extends a unique brand of what’s been described as “spiritual first aid” to every person in the Greater Tampa Bay area, so each can benefit from the help that has long defined the Volunteer Ministers throughout the world.

The Volunteer Ministers program was created by L. Ron Hubbard in the mid-1970s with the mandate to help “on a volunteer basis by restoring purpose, truth and spiritual values to the lives of others.” Mr. Hubbard further described the Volunteer Minister as a person who “does not shut his eyes to the pain, evil and injustice of existence.” Volunteer Ministers are trained to help others achieve relief from life’s travails and gain new personal strength as well.

Mr. David Miscavige, Chairman of the Board Religious Technology Center, declared in his dedication of the new center on Saturday, “In times of disaster, whether affecting whole populations or a single household, our Volunteer Ministers prove on a daily basis that ‘something can be done about it.’ We do not discriminate. We do not judge. All we care to do is help. And, as demonstrated time and again, we deliver that help anywhere and everywhere. So, yes, that’s our new headquarters for Volunteer Ministers right here in the heart of Clearwater, for the benefit of anyone and everyone.”

With Scientology’s presence in Clearwater—and more than 10,000 Scientologists calling this city home—the new Volunteer Ministers facility embodies the Church’s passionate embrace of its role to provide solutions for all in the community.

Every day, Volunteer Ministers will be on call to provide one-on-one relief with Scientology “assists”—techniques developed by Scientology Founder L. Ron Hubbard that address the emotional and spiritual factors related to injuries and illnesses.

Members of the public can approach at any time to get help with any issue—a mother whose child has study difficulties, a family that is grieving the loss of a loved one, even domestic violence. The nondenominational center is now open to help.

The center further provides free training in the 19 subjects of The Scientology Handbook to help individuals learn the skills to overcome day-to-day problems and challenges. These include issues in raising children, resolving conflicts, improving relationships, and overcoming the general ups and downs of life.

In carrying out its mission, the global force of Volunteer Ministers has responded to every major disaster worldwide since 2001. The Clearwater and Tampa Bay Volunteer Ministers played a leading role in relief efforts following the World Trade Center tragedy in New York, the South Asian 2004 tsunami, Hurricane Katrina and hundreds of other disaster sites.

• In the wake of recovery efforts from Hurricane Charley in August 2004, then-Florida Governor Jeb Bush presented the Tampa Bay Volunteer Ministers with a Points of Light “Hurricane Heroes” award.
• When the 2010 Haitian earthquake struck, 350 Volunteer Ministers—including many from Clearwater and Tampa Bay—were among the first responders, ultimately delivering 130 tons of medical supplies and emergency materials, transporting over 450 medical professionals, and assisting 600,000 survivors with physical and spiritual aid.
• Worldwide, the Volunteer Ministers have contributed in excess of 27 million volunteer hours, providing timely emergency assistance to more than 29 million people in thousands of communities on nearly every continent.

In keeping with the Volunteer Ministers’ credo, “Something CAN Be Done About It,” the new Clearwater center represents a pledge to extend this help to the entire Clearwater community.

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This new Volunteer Ministers center is one of six new facilities, each dedicated to helping with the pressing issues that impact Clearwater and the Greater Tampa Bay area:

• A museum and operations center for Citizens Commission on Human Rights, the world’s leading mental health watchdog group since 1969, responsible for helping to enact some 181 laws protecting individuals from abusive or coercive psychiatric practices. Its Clearwater information center features the Psychiatry: An Industry of Death museum.
• A new home for United for Human Rights, a global education initiative working to identify and protect the rights of every citizen of the world and now every resident of Pinellas County—where human rights abuses and human trafficking rank among the most severe in the United States. This headquarters promises to spearhead the fight against these unconscionable abuses.
• The new local center for the Foundation for a Drug-Free World, whose international Truth About Drugs program has reached 260 million people worldwide. The program is committed to eradicating drug abuse and providing meaningful drug education to young people.
• A building dedicated to The Way to Happiness, the nonreligious moral code written by L. Ron Hubbard. Published in 112 languages, the 21 precepts have brought calm to communities torn by violence, peace to areas ravaged by civil strife, and self-respect to millions. The new Clearwater office will provide the moral compass needed locally.
• The Criminon Florida headquarters stands as a starting point in carrying out the mission of addressing the causes of criminality and restoring offenders’ self-respect through effective character-building programs.