By the time they reach the age of 17, some 50 percent of young people in America try illegal drugs.

The Drug-Free Marshals, a program that mobilizes schoolchildren to combat drug abuse, wants to change this. Top members of the New York chapter of this group were honored at a ceremony at the Church of Scientology of New York, held in commemoration of this year’s UN International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking.

The Church of Scientology International launched the Drug-Free Marshals in 1993 in California. Since then, chapters have opened in cities all over the U.S. and throughout the world. The program reaches children with factual information about drugs before they experiment with harmful substances, and encourages them to pledge to stay drug free and help their families and friends do so as well.

The New York Drug-Free Marshals are serious about this job. In fact, they participated in over 60 events in the last year alone. Ten of these Marshals, from the Bronx, Harlem, Manhattan, and New Jersey, were honored at the event.

The audience honored these young people for their exceptional contribution, and then stood, raised their right hands and repeated the Drug-Free Marshal’s pledge.

“The Church of Scientology of New York was proud to participate in this celebration of the UN Day Against Drugs,” said Rev. John Carmichael, President of the Church of Scientology of New York. “It’s vital to help children and teens avoid the scourge of drugs and these Drug-Free Marshals are doing a great job to help their friends and families.”

Meghan Fialkoff, coordinator of the Drug-Free Marshals New York chapter, said one of the main elements of the program is the Drug-Free Pledge. Over 5 million young people around the world have taken this oath in the past 15 years. The program empowers students to make smart choices about drugs. “We really wanted to recognize these young people,” said Ms. Fialkoff. “They are stellar examples to the youth of our community.”

Source: ScientologyToday.org

“I always wanted to help,” said one of the Scientology Volunteer Ministers who went to Parkersburg, Iowa after last May’s tornado. “I just didn’t know how.” But because of the online courses she took over the past year, Rosa realized she could do something about it.

In Parkersburg, Iowa, after the tornado, Rosa demonstrating how to give a Scientology Nerve Assist.

Last May, when a category 5 tornado hit Parkersburg, Iowa, leveling half the city, Rosa realized she had to do something and she put on her yellow t-shirt, joined the Churches of Scientology Disaster Response Team and got to work.

Scientology Today interviewed Rosa to find out what it was like to be on the ground, helping with the relief effort.

Scientology Today: Why did you decide to go to Parkersburg, Iowa and what was it like when you got there?

Rosa: I started taking online courses at the Scientology Volunteer Ministers web site last year. When I heard about this disaster I suddenly realized this is what I’ve been training for. I felt really strongly that I needed to go.

Volunteers were pouring in from everywhere, from all kinds of groups and organizations. There was such a positive feeling despite the devastating damage and you could really feel the attitude of the volunteers lifting the spirits of the people of the town who were hopeless when we arrived.

I was so glad I could be there and help.

Scientology Today: I know the Volunteer Ministers helped with whatever services were needed—food distribution, helping people collect up what possessions they had left, even just lending an ear to people who needed to talk. But I also hear that the Scientology assists were very popular and helpful. (Assists are techniques developed by L. Ron Hubbard, the founder of the Scientology religion. They help orient people to their present environment, and restore their communication with their bodies and the environment). Can you explain how you used them there?

Rosa: That’s true. We literally did anything that would help the people of the town. But the assists were a total hit. The rescue workers, fire fighters and volunteers were under tremendous stress, working very long hours to bring order to this community. We let people know we were there. We set up at the Incident Command Center (ICC)—the headquarters for the disaster effort. One by one they started arriving, and word of mouth must have been good, because there was a steady stream of people coming for help.

One of the leaders of another volunteer group heard that we were giving assists and came to see me because he was sore and tired. I gave him a nerve assist, which is a technique that improves communication with the body. He went away quite happy. He returned several times for assists during our stay there and finally asked to learn how to do them himself.

I gave an assist to one of the Red Cross workers. Afterwards, she told me she felt much better—more relaxed and happy.

A man walked in who looked more like a caveman than an electrical maintenance worker; he was all hunched over, shuffling his feet, and doing more grunting than talking. He was sore, tired, and feeling down. As I gave him a nerve assist, his mood lifted (and so did his posture). He was so happy he decided to learn how to give assists too.

I was giving a nerve assist to an electrical worker and noticed a man with the cell tower repair team watching. He was hunched over, tired, and looking kind of skeptical. When the assist was done, the electrical worker grinned and told him ‘You gotta do this! You’ll feel great!’ so the cell tower worker got an assist too. By the end, he had cheered right up and his eyes were bright. He told me he felt great, that he’d been working 20-hour shifts for a week with very little sleep and this was the best he’d felt since he arrived.

One of the ambulance workers received an assist and she came back and brought her daughter to get an assist of her own.

Throughout the day each firefighter from one of the teams that was there visited me for assists and each one left happy. I heard them bragging to firefighters from other communities and some of them came for assists, too.

Much later that day, these firefighters returned from a long and stressful call, and one of them confided that he’d been very skeptical, but he’d gotten assists first thing in the morning and he STILL felt awesome.

Scientology Today: How did you learn to do what you did there, and what was your training like?

Rosa: I learned about the Scientology Volunteer Ministers online courses last year and I enrolled. The courses were great and the supervision was amazing. Any time I had a question or concern or didn’t understand something, or even if had a personal problem, I could email or call and talk to the instructor. She’s one of those people I can talk to about anything and she knows the information in these courses so well she could always refer me to something to help.

Scientology Today: What was it like to be part of the Churches of Scientology Disaster Response Team?

Rosa: It was an experience I’ll never forget. The team was awesome to work with. I learned so much from each of them. They were so easy to work with, and they always were positive, even though things were really bad, and the damage in the town was devastating. With that attitude they had such a positive impact on the people of Parkersburg.

Scientology Today: What would you say to someone who is thinking of joining the Scientology Volunteer Ministers program, taking an online course or setting up a seminar for his or her group or organization?

Rosa: It’s the best choice they could make. Not only do you learn for yourself and gain tools you can use to deal with life and problems around you, but you can have such a positive impact on everyone around you, not only by helping them but by setting an example of what you can do to help people.

The motto of the Scientology Volunteer Ministers is “Something CAN be done about it.” From what I have learned in my courses, and helping in Parkersburg, Iowa with the Churches of Scientology Disaster Response Team I really know that this is not just a saying—it is absolutely true.