Scientology Volunteer Ministers have been in Haiti since the January earthquake. Sponsored by a grant by the International Association of Scientologists, they will be there for the long haul.

The Scientology Volunteer Ministers program was created by L. Ron Hubbard in 1976. The motto is "Something CAN be done about it."

The Scientology Volunteer Ministers program came into the forefront when a group of VMs spent months at Ground Zero after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Mr. David Miscavige expressed the gratitude and pride ofScientologists everywhere when he awarded the leaders of that Volunteer Ministers disaster relief action "Freedom Medals" of the International Association of Scientologists. The IAS further acknowledged The Church of Scientology of New York by funding the entire refit and renovation of the New York Org. David Miscavige was the special guest speaker when the New York Org opened in 2004.

Video footage of the grand opening and speeches, including that of David Miscavige, are online at the Scientology website.

Scientology in Clearwater on Scientology.org

Mary Shuttleworth: Youth for Human Rights World Tour

Mary Shuttleworth: Youth for Human Rights World Tour

IAS medal-winner Mary Shuttleworth carried out a three-month-long Youth for Human Rights International world tour this year. Above is a photo of her delivering a workshop at a South African University.

Shuttleworth received the IAS Freedom Medal for her work in founding and developing Youth for Human Rights, a non profit program that educates youth on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. A school principal who grew up in apartheid South Africa, Shuttleworth is passionate about eradicating human rights violations through education. As the Scientology religion is committed to human rights, as stated by the Scientology Creed, Scientology churches started sponsoring Youth for Human Rights groups, and the Church of Scientology International Human Rights Office worked with Shuttleworth in developing properties to make the subject understandable to the man in the street.

One of the most lucid and simple expositions of human rights is the film, "What Are Human Rights," produced at Golden Era Publications. In June 2009 this film was released by Mr. David Miscavige at an annual convocation held aboard the Freewinds motor vessel.

In addition to their annual world tour, Youth for Human Rights holds an annual youth summit at one or another of the UN headquarters.

Shuttleworth says her inspiration in carrying out this campaign to educate youth in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was L. Ron Hubbard who wrote, "human rights must be made a fact, not an idealistic dream."

Scientology in Clearwater on Scientology.org

Scientology expansion in Clearwater

"Nowhere is the growth of the Scientology religion more in evidence than at Flag, its spiritual headquarters in Clearwater, Florida. Planned to ensure the most important Scientology religious retreat continues to meet the increasing need for its services, what began with a single property in 1975 now spans a complex of some 50 buildings over a nine-mile grid, totaling upwards of two million square feet. Here follows a brief but incisive history of that expansion:

First there was the opening of the 172,000 square-foot Oak Cove on January 1, 2008. Its renovation provided both religious retreat accommodations for visiting Scientologists and space devoted to the ministry of Flag religious services in 14 languages.

Next was the grand opening of the new Fort Harrison on March 14, 2009, with more than 6,000 Scientologists from over 50 nations filling the streets and sidewalks as Mr. David Miscavige officiated. The renovation and restoration of all 267,000 square feet of the Fort Harrison beyond its original 1926 grandeur marked the end of phase two.

The final phase of construction on the 377,000-square-foot Flag Mecca building began in March 2009, immediately following completion and dedication of the new Fort Harrison."

My marriage was headed for divorce.

Another great win from the Hubbard Dianetics Foundation of the Church of Scientology of Tampa

"My marriage was headed for divorce. And even though we loved each other, something had come between us and I didn’t know what it was. We tried everything. We went to a marriage counselor, we even went to a psychiatrist and the end result was we still were headed for a divorce.

So just when I was about to file the final papers, a close friend of ours insisted, absolutely insisted, that we try Dianetics. And that is when we knew what had come between us—it was the reactive mind. So not only did Dianetics give us the tools to save and rebuild our marriage, but we love each other more today than the day we got married."

Scientology in Clearwater on Scientology.org