GOOD WORKS IN THE COMMUNITY

It is not at all surprising to find a church involved in charitable works and community betterment, for charity and social responsibility are a logical extension of spiritual values. And that is particularly true of churches of Scientology, which are catalysts for positive change and rallying points for those who seek to improve conditions. Throughout the world, the Church and its members work daily to improve the lives of those in need in their communities.

In cities on every continent, members of the Church donate thousands of hours in community work and provide assistance to a wide range of other goodwill and community groups and activities.

Churches of Scientology support and contribute to a variety of other established community programs such as the Red Cross, the March of Dimes, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles, and local community groups in cities the world over. This support ranges from broad participation in drug-free blood drives, to city-wide collection of holiday toys for needy children, to donations of food and clothing for under-privileged families. Every year, for example, Scientology churches around the United States are drop-off points for toys donated for the United States Marine Corps popular "Toys for Tots" campaign. Similar toy drives are held wherever there are Scientology churches and missions.

For years, the Church of Scientology in Portland, Oregon, has provided assistance to the Northeast Emergency Food Program, sponsored by Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon. In 1997, Portland’s Bureau of Buildings contacted the Church for help in caring for a low-income family it was evicting from a house that was no longer safe. By handling the safety violations the family could remain in their home. Therefore, using building supplies donated by the community, a group of Scientologists, along with members of the Portland Police Department, freely gave their time and labor to the project. When they had finished, the house exceeded every local building standard and the residents were able to remain.

In Orange County, California, Scientologists helped form a local chapter of the "Food for All" program with Lutheran Social Services and Presbyterian and Catholic groups in the area which provides food for the homeless.

In Los Angeles, a murals project sponsored by the Church’s Community Outreach Group and Visual Artists Association has created scores of large murals at Family Courts and related facilities, helping to uplift the spirits of abused and neglected children throughout Los Angeles County. The Community Outreach Group has received city, county and state recognition for its work and was named the community group of the year in Los Angeles. Church volunteers in Los Angeles have also worked for many years with the Red Cross on a variety of projects ranging from community blood drives to disaster relief.

The Church of Scientology of St. Louis carries out a successful education program aimed at steering children clear of crime.

In Arizona, church volunteers participated in a telethon pledge drive to support public television, raising $25,000 in a few hours more than double the target set by the local public television station for that time period.