TAMPA, Fla., May 13, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Way to Happiness Foundation of East Tampa, an organization sponsored by The Church of Scientology and led by long-time neighborhood advocates Marlin and Joyce Anderson, participated in “Saving our Sons and Daughters” event in Tampa. Concerned about the recent increase in shootings in the area, the Tampa Police Department sponsored the event which was held at the NFL Youth Education Town (YET) Center this past weekend.
“The Way to Happiness is a simple non-religious moral code, written by humanitarian L. Ron Hubbard. It’s based on common-sense principles that anyone can apply,” said Mr. Anderson. “We do presentations to youth, we have distributed the Way to Happiness booklet to every home and apartment in East Tampa and we were honored to be included in this festival.”
Saving Our Sons and Daughters is a community outreach group that raises awareness of the increasing amount of teen violence in the area. The group also sponsors teen empowerment workshops. Many volunteer groups, including the Way to Happiness Foundation, were asked to have tables at the Festival to encourage local teens to get involved in their community.
The event began with a twelve-block Unity March from the area’s Police Substation to the YET. The march was led by Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn. Attendees then gathered to learn about community programs and mentoring groups that help steer youth from violence.
Former NFL Coach Tony Dungy and former Green Bay Packers linebacker K.D. Williams were also in attendance and lent their support to the cause.
The Way to Happiness table attracted many different mentoring groups. The Andersons provided complimentary copies of The Way to Happiness, both in book form and as a book-on-film.
“We had a lot of interest in The Way to Happiness,” said Mr. Anderson, “altogether we got out about 100 booklets and about 10 videos. Kids are lacking a moral compass, and the twenty-one precepts of The Way to Happiness provide this.”
Mr. Anderson points to precepts such as “Do not harm a person of goodwill” and “Do not steal” as examples of applicable fundamentals for youth.
“We made some new friends here,” said Mr. Anderson, “and we look forward to working with them in the future to make a safer East Tampa.”
For more information on the Church of Scientology and its humanitarian efforts, log on to www.scientology.org.