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Accepting awards and $1000 pledge at a National Volunteer Week luncheon at the Fort Harrison, presented by Church of Scientology Public Affairs Director Pat Harney (center) are (left to right) Annie Tyrell, Executive Director of the Willa Carson Health Resource Center; Ernestine Carson Heastie, daughter of Willa Carson and board member of the organization; Harney; Muhammad Abdur Rahim, Carson Center board member; and Judy Fagerman, head of Scientology Volunteer Ministers of Tampa Bay.

Willene Hayward accepted the award on behalf of Feeding America Tampa Bay, formerly known as America’s Second Harvest.  Hayward is volunteer coordinator of the food bank that serves 35,000 Tampa Bay residents.

Since 12 January 2010 the Scientology Volunteer Ministers have helped over 250,000 people in Haiti in 73 locations, personally, with supplies or training.

“This award is their award,” Reyher said, announcing that her office is presenting all 1,000 volunteers with copies of the Letter of Commendation.

Marking National Volunteer Week, Scientology Church praises 1,000 volunteers for more than 150,000 hours in Haiti relief effort

Richard Girard, second from the left in yellow, talks with members of a relief team in Haiti last month. Girard went to the island nation as part of a six-week Church of Scientology relief mission. (Submitted photo)

By Ryan Hutton, North Adams Transcript Tuesday April 20, 2010

ADAMS—After spending six weeks in Haiti, Adams resident Richard Girard is back in the Berkshires with tales of his trip.

Scientology Volunteer Minister, nurse and EMT Ayal Lindeman at Port-au-Prince General Hospital in March 2010 with Benitha, whose life he and a Haitian physician saved.

It was January 2010, a week and a half after the 7.0 earthquake hit Port-au-Prince.  Benitha, a dying Haitian woman in a ward at General Hospital, called out for help—to no one, to everyone.  Earlier that day, attempts to help her failed because they didn’t have the needed equipment or medications.  Medical staff were stretched far beyond their ability to cope—with a handful of doctors covering the entire compound and hundreds and hundreds of patients in urgent need of care, there was nothing more they could do for Benitha.  The woman was literally drowning in her own fl

Facing a hopeless future, Ralph met Scientology Volunteer Minister Ayal Lindeman, who moved heaven and earth to get him proper care.

A 22-year-old Haitian engineering student, Ralph Mary Gedeon, who arrived in the U.S. February 18 for the surgery and treatments necessary for him to get a prosthetic leg, is now out of the hospital in a rehabilitation facility.Brought to the United States by Scientology Volunteer Minister Ayal Lindeman, Gedeon has responded to the surgery and massive IV antibiotics, and is well on his way to a full recovery.

The Hornbeam at the dock in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

The "Lifeboat for Haiti" arrived in Port-au-Prince today.  It is loaded with tons of supplies--everything from MREs (meals ready to eat) to crutches, medicine, cooking-stoves and an ambulance.  All the supplies were donated by charities and everything is being distributed to charities in Haiti including schools, orphanages, hospitals and clinics. 

The entire team of Scientology Volunteer Ministers will be unloading and distributing the supplies tomorrow.

A Volunteer Minister training a Haitian police officer in communication skills.

With the immediate medical emergency over, the Scientology Volunteer Ministers have expanded their delivery of other services. They are concentrating on training the people of Haiti in simple tools to improve conditions in life.

Over the past few weeks Scientology Volunteer Ministers in Haiti have trained more than 8,000 Haitians.

In founding the Scientology Volunteer Ministers program, L. Ron Hubbard published an article called “Religious Influence in Society,” in which he wrote: