KARLA JO HELMS, A PORTRAIT OF A SUCCESSFUL PR

Everything in Karla Jo Helms’ life was just fine—on the surface. But appearances were deceiving, she soon found out. Her profile is one of 200 “Meet a Scientologist” videos available on the Scientology website at www.Scientology.org.

Growing up in a high-end suburb of Houston, Texas, Karla Jo Helms lived in a “perfect” world where everything had its place and life was fine. Then she started to realize everything was not what it appeared to be, but no one could tell her why.

“I was 10 years old when I had my first inkling that something might be wrong. Despite the fancy cars and beautiful homes, people really weren’t happy,” says Helms.

Nonetheless, she carried on as expected.

With her sights on a career in dance from the time she was five, Helms attended private schools, college, did everything according to plan—until a back injury when she was 21 slammed the door shut on the one thing she’d always wanted to do in life.

“I was devastated,” says Helms. “And I suddenly realized I had no idea how to put my life back on track.”

Having heard about Scientology, and hoping it might have some answers, Helms walked into the Church of Scientology Mission in Houston. She went in looking for help, not sympathy—and what she found was herself.

“They encouraged me to think for myself and decide based on what was true for me,” says Helms. “In his essay called ‘Personal Integrity,’ L. Ron Hubbard wrote, ‘Personal integrity is knowing what you know. What you know is what you know and to have the courage to know and say what you have observed.’ So I started looking for things that were true for me. That was tremendously empowering. It was a turning point in my life.”

Studying administrative technology developed by L. Ron Hubbard, Helms learned basic skills that contributed to her success in the business world. She gravitated toward public relations, which matched perfectly with her inherent abilities.

After managing the PR for a Florida-based Inc 500 company for several years, Helms decided to open her own PR firm in the first quarter of 2009. It was the height of the economic downturn, and friends were advising caution, but although she understood the risks, Helms assessed her skills and the local scene and went forward with her plans. Her judgment proved sound and her business is thriving.

“I love the Tampa Bay area and I like to give back,” says Helms. “We do quite a bit of pro bono work on community events and activities, including the local Boys and Girls Club. We took on the Clearwater Super Boat National Championship Festival, helping make it a total success. A project like that takes a lot of work, but it’s interesting that the more work we do for the community, the more we expand.”

What she has learned in Scientology has helped Helms pull together a team of very talented people, including the perfect business partner. They all love working hard and helping their clients succeed.

Helms approaches life with energy, self-assurance and the knowledge that whatever comes next, she’s ready.

“Scientology is a big part of me,” says Helms. “It taught me the basics of how to operate in life, how to improve my abilities and reach my goals. It gave me the certainty of who I am and the confidence to be myself, and that’s the best of all.”

View the Karla Jo Helms video at Scientology.org.

###

The popular “Meet a Scientologist” profiles on the Church of Scientology International Video Channel at Scientology.org now total 200 broadcast-quality documentary videos featuring Scientologists from diverse locations and walks of life. The personal stories are told by Scientologists who are educators, teenagers, skydivers, a golf instructor, a hip-hop dancer, IT manager, stunt pilot, mothers, fathers, dentists, photographers, actors, musicians, fashion designers, engineers, students, business owners and more.

A digital pioneer and leader in the online religious community, in April 2008 the Church of Scientology became the first major religion to launch its own official YouTube Video Channel, which has now been viewed by millions of visitors.

Official Scientology News: ScientologyNews.org

What the New Yorker Missed--What Scientology Really Is

THEY ALWAYS KNEW HER BY HER LAUGH

| SOUTH AFRICA • February 06, 2011 |

Scientology restored Heidi Wolfaardt’s happiness and love of life. Her profile is one of 200“Meet a Scientologist” videos available on the Scientology website atwww.Scientology.org.

Scientology is the workable technology developed my L. Ron Hubbard--an incomparable genius who battled the power elite and status quo and never quit when it came to finding the truth and making it known.

It is the Church of Scientology whose ecclesiastical leader, David Miscavige, is tireless in making Scientology available to anyone who seeks to help himself or his friends, family or fellow man.

Scientology is the millions who have benefited from Scientology like this Scientologist:

In her “Meet a Scientologist” video on Scientology.org, Heidi Wolfaardt of South Africa tells how Scientology restored her belief in herself.

“It gave me data about personal integrity, to observe something and really see it for what it is for you, not what somebody else says,” she says. “At a point in my life I felt I lost that. Through Scientology I became my own best friend again.”

Right after she completed university in 1994, Wolfaardt first heard about Scientology from the sister of a friend. She immediately enrolled in a three-day seminar at the Church of Scientology of Johannesburg.

“Everything in the lectures was absolutely real to me—it was how I've viewed things my whole life,” she says. “There’s not a thing that I’ve asked about life or relationships or problems that I haven’t found a solution for in Scientology.”

This statement was truly put to the test in 2006 when Wolfaardt’s mother died of leukemia.

“I experienced an enormous feeling of sorrow,” she says. “It was constantly with me.”

It was then that Wolfaardt moved to Clearwater, Florida—the spiritual headquarters of the religion. She was devastated and needed help, and that help arrived in the form of Scientology spiritual counseling.

“Had it not been for Scientology I would not have been able to feel relief or move on,” she says. “I no longer have those dark clouds about me. Now it’s sunny days ahead again.”

When growing up, Wolfaardt was famous for her laugh—so unique that her friends could pick her out in a crowd just from the sound of it.

Because of Scientology she is laughing again.

View the Heidi Wolfaardt video at Scientology.org.

Official Scientology News: ScientologyNews.org

Meet a Scientologist: Scientology New Yorker and Subway Engineer, Phil

Scientology helped Phil Hargrow, New Yorker and New York City subway engineer, come to terms with his grief and help others

His profile is one of over 200 “Meet a Scientologist” videos available on the Scientology website at www.Scientology.org

NEW YORK, Feb. 6, 2011 /NEWS.GNOM.ES/ — If you are one of 5 million people who daily ride the New York City subway system, Scientologist and Scientology New Yorker Phil Hargrow may be more important to you than you know.

A subway engineer for the past 26 years, Hargrow drives the Q train from Coney Island to Prospect Park in Brooklyn, under the Empire State Building and Times Square in Manhattan and on to Astoria, Queens.

Hargrow, 53, says every day presents unique challenges, from slamming on the brakes to avoid hitting a schoolboy who fell on the tracks as he pulled into the station, to helping a blind man get into the train after several hundred strangers stampeded past him to catch their connection, not to mention being the one on the receiving end of frustrated and angry passenger complaints.

“Irate passengers tend to vent their upsets on the man in the uniform,” says Hargrow. “My Scientology communication skills make it easier not to take it personally. I understand where they’re coming from, let them know I got what they’re saying and that’s usually enough to chill them out.”

But it’s not just when they’re angry that people search Hargrow out.

“For some reason, I’m the type of person people come to — not only for questions on how to get around the subway, but they want to talk. And each and every one of them has a different situation in their life.”

Hargrow credits Scientology with his faster reaction time and helping him stay alert, vital when you’re responsible for the safety of as many as a thousand people at a time.

A personal tragedy prompted Hargrow to look into Scientology. Nine years ago, the death of a close

friend in a car accident shattered him.

“There have been a lot of deaths in my family but this topped everything. For two years, I felt like I was weighted down,” he says.

Never much of a reader before, Hargrow knew he had to heal himself and for two years he read every religious and self-help book he could find.

“One day, I told a friend what I was going through and he pulled out the Dianetics book,” he says. “I started reading it and got the Dianetics DVD. A couple of days later I found an ad for a Dianetics Seminar in a paper someone left on my train and decided to check it out. After just a few hours of Dianetics auditing (spiritual counseling — from the Latin audire, meaning ‘to hear or listen’) that unbearable weight was gone.”

“Dianetics brought me so much relief so fast, I thought about the people in the neighborhood who have lost loved ones, the mothers and fathers who have lost children, how much they need this technology now.”

Hargrow, who now serves as a staff member of the Church of Scientology of Harlem when he’s not driving trains says, “There’s no greater feeling in the universe than to help another person.”

View the Phil Hargrow video at http://www.Scientology.org.

The popular “Meet a Scientologist” profiles on the Church of Scientology International Video Channel at Scientology.org now total over 200 broadcast-quality documentary videos featuring Scientologists from diverse locations and walks of life. The personal stories are told by Scientologists who are educators, teenagers, skydivers, a golf instructor, a hip-hop dancer, IT manager, stunt pilot, mothers, fathers, dentists, photographers, actors, musicians, fashion designers, engineers, students, business owners and more.

A digital pioneer and leader in the online religious community, in April 2008 the Church of Scientology became the first major religion to launch its own official YouTube Video Channel, which has now been viewed by millions of visitors.

SOURCE Church of Scientology International

http://www.Scientology.org

Official Scientology News: ScientologyNews.org

Interactive Video Channel

How do I Help People?

The new video on the Scientology, about how do you help people--the point is with Scientology you CAN. Most people WANT to. They just don't know how.

What goes on in a Scientology Church?

What goes on in a Scientology Church?

Scientology Churches are vibrant centers of activity. Each Church of Scientology provides numerous religious services and materials through which individuals may pursue their studies of Scientology. The following offers a glimpse inside a Church of Scientology."

Official Scientology News: ScientologyNews.org

What does the word Scientology mean?

What does the word Scientology mean?

The word Scientology, conceived by L. Ron Hubbard, comes from the Latin scio which means “knowing, in the fullest meaning of the word” and the Greek word logos which means “study of.” It means knowing how to know. Scientology is further defined as “the study and handling of the spirit in relationship to itself, universes and other life.”

^{Happiness and strength endure only in the absence of hate. To hate alone is the road to disaster. To love is the road to strength. To love in spite of all is the secret of greatness. And may very well be the greatest secret in this universe.~~L. Ron Hubbard, founder of the Scientology religion}

Every Five Seconds

There is a hard-hitting video on the Scientology website that lays out why Scientologists are so involved in social issues, what they are doing, and the results. Twice a hear David Miscavige briefs all Scientologists on the progress of these programs--once in October at the event commemoration the anniversary of the International Association of Scientologists and once in June aboard the Freewinds. Orgs and missions just wrapped up showing the summer event to their congregations this weekend.

Official Scientology News: ScientologyNews.org

Scientology Newsroom

There's a new site— the Scientology Newsroom. Very clean, easy to navigate and full of interesting information.

Excellent, not just for media, but for bloggers and anyone wanting to find out about Scientology.

There's information on new Scientology churches, David Miscavige, what is happening with Dianetics... just about anything you want to know.

Official Scientology News: ScientologyNews.org

Freedom Magazine Exposes Anderson Cooper Lies

If you want a really good laugh at Anderson Cooper's expense I recommend a read through Freedom magazine. In 90-or-so pages the magazine leaves you wondering how anyone Cooper's journalistic irresponsibility can remain on the air. It sure isn't for his ratings.

I labored through his 5-part Scientology series in April and found it tedious, boring, insincere, trite. But then the rest of the show wasn't much better. So I concluded it wasn't only that he is running a hidden agenda against Scientology, although clearly he is. It's also that he's just a very bad journalist.

Since I never watch him I had a misconception that he was Mr. It of CNN. If that's so, CNN had better examine how it serves the public. That is, after all, it's job.

Official Scientology News: ScientologyNews.org

Truth about Drugs

There is a real hard-hitting video on the real affects of drugs on the Scientology web site. It's called Real People, Real Stories.

If I'd watched these videos before I went to college I'd have saved myself mucho trouble.

The Church of Scientology has been involved in drug prevention since about 1980, but even more so since 2004, when David Miscavige announced the strategy to build Ideal Scientology Churches, the Church of Scientology has become more and more involved in outreach actions for broader impact on drug prevention.

Official Scientology News: ScientologyNews.org

Scientology Volunteer Minister helps Haitian Survivor get new leg

In the New Haven Register today is a story of Scientology Volunteer Minister, Ayal Lindeman, and the Haitian earthquake survivor whose life he saved.


Official Scientology News: ScientologyNews.org

Scientology presence grows in Mexico

De10.com.mx published an article on a new Scientology church opening in Mexico City. The new Mexico Church is one of three set to open over the coming weeks, the next stage of a project launched by David Miscavige in 2003 to create Ideal Scientology Organizations in every major city on Earth, beginning first with those where there are already Scientology congregations.

Scientology Presence Grows in Mexico

Open to the public in July its first national headquarters. The building, six floors, was built in seven years on the street corner Balderas Juarez, in Mexico City

Open to the public in July the first Mexican headquarters of Scientology, a system of beliefs and teachings, originally proposed as a secular philosophy in 1952, by L. Ron Hubbard.


The building has six floors and was built over seven years. Located on the corner of Balderas street Avenida Juarez, in Mexico City.

Headquarters

Seven years to finish the building at the corner of Avenida Juarez Balderas in the Federal District. The building was built in what once were the offices of a bank that changed its address to Paseo de la Reforma. The six-story building, includes an exhibition with displays on various aspects of Scientology, a chapel for 250 people, 18 training rooms, cafeteria, rooms for personal counseling and seminar areas.

"This project was carried out with funds from the donations of parishioners across the world. The building has the same status as headquarters in Berlin, Madrid, Brussels, South Africa, London, Toronto and New York," said Jonathan Marduk Rico, spokesman for Scientology in Mexico.

Official Scientology News: ScientologyNews.org

New Church of Scientology in Burmingham

The building here is the new Church of Scientology of Birmingham, as shown on the Scientology web site.


Described in the news this week as:

THE Church of Scientology is set to open its new multi-million pound Midland headquarters in Moseley within weeks.

The well-known Grade II-listed Pitmaston building, in Moor Green Lane, was snapped up by the church for £4.25 million two years ago.

The whole concept of creating these beautiful, Ideal Scientology Churches comes from a directive issued by L. Ron Hubbard in the 1970s and taken up in 2004 by David Miscavige to really make Scientology services available at the correct order of magnitude. The photo comes from a video on the Scientology website. You can watch the whole presentation at http://www.scientology.org/churches/churches-of-scientology.html where you can also see videos on lots of other upcoming Ideal Scientology Churches.

News about Scientology Churches can be found at Scientology Today web site.
Official Scientology News: ScientologyNews.org

Nashville religion writers tour Church of Scientology

(reprinted from the Religion Communicators Council [RCC] website)

Members of RCC's Nashville Chapter toured the Church of Scientology and Celebrity Centre May 19. The church recently moved into the historic Falls School Building on Eighth Avenue South.

Religion communicators saw the public information center and two rooms devoted to educating people in Middle Tennessee about church practices. The Rev. Brian Fesler, RCC member and tour leader, said that Scientology was open to everyone regardless of race, color or creed.

People don't necessarily "convert" to Scientology, Fesler said. Some consider Scientology their only religion. Others attend a different service on their sabbath and come to the Church of Scientology for courses during the week to improve their spirituality and happiness. >>

The church was dedicated in April 2009 by Scientology ecclesiastical leader, David Miscavige. They have an active Scientology Volunteer Ministers program that has been helping in the cleanup after the Nashville floods.


Official Scientology News: ScientologyNews.org

Profile: L. Ron Hubbard - Scientology founder

L. Ron Hubbard [March 13, 1911 - January 14, 1986] lived an extraordinary and adventurous life. Although best known as the founder of the Scientology religion, he was also a Master Mariner, Pilot, Photographer, Musician, Author, Explorer, Philosopher and much more besides.

He lived at Saint Hill Manor, East Grinstead, between 1959 and 1967 during which time he greatly contributed to the local community. He was the East Grinstead Road Safety Committee organiser, an East Grinstead Parade Marshal and he sponsored children's cycling competitions.

He was Vice President of the East Grinstead Horticultural Society and carried out revolutionary horticultural experiments at Saint Hill. He was also involved with and contributed to numerous community events and local organizations such as the St Johns Ambulance brigade and the Adeline Genee Theatre to which he was an original donor.

The East Grinstead community has profited enormously from Mr. Hubbard's decision to make East Grinstead the place to further his research on the mind and life. Countless visitors have come from all over the world to study his discoveries here since 1959 when Saint Hill was Mr. Hubbard's home.

A brief summary of his life reads as follows:

• At the age of 13 years he became America's youngest Eagle Scout.
• At George Washington University Hubbard studied Engineering, Atomic and Molecular Physics.
• In 1933, Hubbard led the West Indies Mineralogical Expedition which completed the first mineralogical survey of Puerto Rico.
• Hubbard's first fiction publication was in 1934 and in the next six years he completed 138 novels and short stories plus he wrote extensively for Hollywood.
• In 1940 he was elected a member of the prestigious Explorers Club.
• In 1941 he was awarded Master of Sail license for "Any Ocean''.
• During WWII, he took command of convoy escort vessels in the Atlantic and then submarine hunters in the Pacific. He received over 20 decorations during his military career. He had been injured in the war and his earlier discoveries helped him to cure his disabilities.
• In 1947-1948 Hubbard served as a Special Police Officer with the L.A. Police Department which gave him the opportunity to study the criminal mind. This led to the development of Criminon, the prison inmate rehabilitation programme, which is in use in over 750 prisons and has the support of Judges, Parole Officers and other penal system professionals.
• In 1950, he published "Dianetics, The Modern Science of Mental Health ", now the biggest selling self-help book of all time, with well over 17 million copies sold. Further research led him to the development of the Scientology religion.
• Hubbard's researches in the spiritual technology of the Scientology religion comprises over 500,000 pages, more than 3,000 recorded audio lectures and in excess of 100 films.
• As an author Hubbard has sold over 120 million copies of his works and is one of the greats of the Golden Age of science fiction. He was equally prolific as an author of western, adventure, romance and mystery.
• He developed a system of administration, which is used in over 35,000 companies world-wide
• He developed the techniques used by the Narconon drug rehab programme which has helped over 100,000 people to kick the habit in 37 residential centres across the globe.
• Hubbard developed a methodology of study, which is now in use by millions of school children in numerous countries with remarkable success.

Posthumously, Hubbard has been awarded numerous accolades such as:

• Los Angeles City Council have renamed a street in his honour "L. Ron Hubbard Way''
• The National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People has awarded Hubbard its highest honours
• Over 150 United States Mayors and Governors proclaim March 13 as "L. Ron Hubbard Day"

www.lronhubbard.org

Official Scientology News: ScientologyNews.org

Scientologists help organize peace march in Southern California

Scientology Volunteer Ministers participated in a peace march. The whole story is here:

Official Scientology News: ScientologyNews.org

Ideal Orgs

There have been nine Ideal Scientology churches opened this year. Nine if one year! When you walk through the new Church of Scientology of Los Angeles, you get the magnitude of what that means. Bottom line--anyone who wants help can come in and get it. That's pretty incredible. Coming up next are Pasadena, Seattle and a Mexico City church called ITD.

This is all thanks to the vision (and hard work) of David Miscavige.


Official Scientology News: ScientologyNews.org

KCAL 9—Inside the Church of Scientology

KCAL 9 visits the Church of Scientology of Los Angeles’ newly redesigned 64,571-square-foot property at the corner of Sunset Boulevard and L. Ron Hubbard Way.

Sharon Tay of the KCAL news team introduces the piece, saying: “The Church of Scientology is opening up tonight. There’s a newly rebuilt Church center in Hollywood where Scientology was founded and KCAL’s Dave Malkoff was invited to look around and ask questions.”

To watch the story, click here.

Official Scientology News: ScientologyNews.org

Los Angeles Scientology Church Reopens

The official reopening of the Church of Scientology of Los Angeles took place on Saturday. I think the reports of 6,000 people attending is much too conservative. There was no room to breathe at all. It was a glorious LA day--not a speck of smog. And the excitement surged through the crowd when David Miscavige walked on stage.

What I didn't know before was that this place isn't just important because it's the oldest Scientology congregation anywhere -- the first Scientology church incorporated in 1954; it's not just because there are more Scientologists here than anywhere on Earth. It's because in addition to serving the immense Scientology field of the greater LA area and the public of the community with its outreach programs and facilities, this is the Church where every Scientology executive on Earth will be trained and apprenticed. This is where new courses and programs will be piloted and exported to the rest of the world, and to make it perfect every detail was accounted for in the construction and furnishing of the Church and all the electronic systems throughout the org.

It is amazing, and it is well worth a trip to Los Angeles if you don't live here to come see what a Scientology Church is.

And you don't have to be a Scientologist to take advantage of these services. Everyone is welcome to come in and find out "What is Scientology?"


Official Scientology News: ScientologyNews.org

Scientology-sponsored Youth Group Brings Truth about Drugs to Los Angeles Thai New Year Festival

LOS ANGELES—The Los Angeles chapter of the Drug-Free Marshals, sponsored by the Church of Scientology of Los Angeles, joined the festivities of the Songkran Festival, the celebration of Thai New Year, getting kids to pledge to live drug-free lives.

Located just blocks from the heart of Thai Town, the Church of Scientology of Los Angeles joined this year’s Songkran Festival, the celebration of Thai New Year, by helping neighborhood children avoid the tragedy of drug abuse. Scientology volunteers distributed copies of The Truth About Drugs drug-education booklets and “swore in children” as Drug-Free Marshals, a program that encourages youth to pledge to live drug-free lives and help their friends and family do the same.

Thai New Year, celebrated each year in April, is a time of renewal, marked by lighthearted fun and enthusiasm. Several blocks of Hollywood Boulevard were closed to traffic and filled with hundreds of booths, offering a variety of Thai products including food and beverages, clothing and gifts. There were also booths from community programs including the Drug-Free Marshals.

“Every 12 seconds another school-age child experiments with illicit drugs for the first time,” said Noelle North, Outreach Program Coordinator for the Church of Scientology of Los Angeles. “Our aim with the Drug-Free Marshals is to reach children with the truth about drugs before they succumb to peer pressure or pro-drug false propaganda.”

The Drug-Free Marshals program was founded by the Church of Scientology International in Los Angeles 17 years ago. The non-denominational program has been adopted by individuals and organizations throughout the United States and in many other countries as well.

For more information on drug education and prevention programs of the Church of Scientology, visit www.scientology.org.