CLEARWATER, Fla., March 28, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- On Sunday 24 March, the park just south of Scientology’s Fort Harrison religious retreat in downtown Clearwater was awash with yellow t-shirts as 70 Volunteer Ministers learned the basics of how to help at disaster sites. Their training included: how to safely use a chain saw to clear debris after disaster strikes; how to pitch a tent; the importance of hydration; and other important skills.
Before the training began, two VMs with over 3500 volunteer hours at disaster sites around the world told stories of how they were able to provide immediate help and give disaster victims the tools and knowledge they need in order to rebuild and carry on.
Shannon Barnes, an Emergency Medical Technician and a member of the international rescue team Los Topos, gave the heartwarming story about arriving on top of a mountain in Nepal to find hundreds of people staring at the ground in apathy, and how he and his team got them smiling and communicating with each other again.
“Living in the southern United States, especially Florida, we know that hurricane season is coming soon,” says Glendy Goodsell, Executive Director of the Clearwater Volunteer Minister Center. “Two years ago, we experienced Hurricane Irma in this area, then last year Florence and Michael devastated the North Carolina coast and Florida Panhandle. Because we were prepared, and well trained and organized, we were able to deploy large numbers of VMs with equipment, supplies, and knowledge to help.”
The Volunteer Minister program was created by Scientology’s founder, L. Ron Hubbard, and has adopted the slogan “Something Can Be Done About It”. Scientology ministers are training in the 19 chapters of the Scientology Handbook to apply specific technology to help anyone in life’s little disasters, such as The Technology of Study, How to Resolve Conflicts, and The Basics of Organizing.
Anyone can train as a Volunteer Minister. Classes are free at the Clearwater VM Center and online at www.volunteerministers.org.
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/786e20fc-4bde-4a9c-9063-38add15b1c1e