The Church of Scientology of Sacramento and local volunteers joined forces at Robla Community Park's recent National Night Out celebration, distributing hundreds of educational booklets to over 300 residents and community groups. The initiative brought vital resources to the neighborhood through three international humanitarian campaigns: Foundation for a Drug-Free World, Youth for Human Rights, and The Way to Happiness. These programs are designed to be secular, meaning they do not promote Scientology religious beliefs, and are distributed free of charge to community leaders, educators, and law enforcement alike to benefit the community through drug prevention education, human rights education, and raising moral awareness with a common-sense guide booklet.
National Night Out is an annual, nationwide community-policing campaign that strengthens relationships between neighbors and local law enforcement. Police officers, firefighters, and city officials visit these local gatherings to chat with residents in a positive, relaxed setting. Volunteers engaged directly with roughly 300 event attendees, including neighborhood families, local law enforcement, and city officials. The community response to the educational materials was overwhelmingly positive. A local Park Ranger expressed deep gratitude for the anti-drug materials, noting that most of his emergency callouts stem from substance abuse. A Sacramento Police Officer also requested Youth for Human Rights materials to review. Representatives from the Mayor's office and City Councilmember's office met with volunteers and gathered sample materials to share with city leadership. A Sacramento school district administrator expressed strong interest in implementing the complimentary Drug-Free World Educator's Kit within local schools.
The Youth for Human Rights Sacramento Chapter, headed by Christina DiGuilio, and the United for Human Rights Sacramento Chapter, led by Don Pearson, were glad to be a part of it. Christina added: "National Night Out was a fantastic opportunity to bring Youth for Human Rights to the community! Human rights are foundational to interpersonal relationships at every level of society. From individual neighbors to neighborhoods, cities, states and beyond, respect is priceless. Self-respect, respect for each person and each person's rights are necessary to build caring and supportive relationships and networks. We were thrilled to be part of the National Night Out movement!"
Each of these community campaigns was inspired by humanitarian L. Ron Hubbard. Hubbard's humanitarian views center on the belief that human beings are inherently good but are held back by social ills, ignorance, and spiritual degradation. He asserted that a civilization can only survive if it uplifts its individual members and actively combats destructive forces like drug abuse, illiteracy, and human rights violations. His philosophy is built upon several core principles that dictate the scope of his secular community programs. Hubbard viewed the act of helping others as the highest human pursuit. In his famous autobiographical essay, "My Philosophy," he states, "I like to help others and count it as my greatest pleasure in life to see a person free himself of the shadows that darken his days." He argued that true intelligence is measured by one's ability to help others and that a person's value to society is tied directly to their contribution to human survival.
Hubbard argued that widespread social progress is completely blocked by specific, systemic societal traps. To address these, he proposed that humanitarian efforts must focus on three critical battlegrounds: the drug epidemic, which he viewed as a primary catalyst for moral and physical decline; illiteracy and poor education, which he believed trap people in cycles of poverty and criminality; and moral decay, which he observed leads societies to collapse into violence and chaos. He advocated for a return to practical, common-sense moral principles to restore calm and mutual trust to troubled neighborhoods. Hubbard summarized his overarching humanitarian goal through a vision for society that is frequently cited within Scientology organizations: "A civilization without insanity, without criminals and without war, where the able can prosper and honest beings can have rights, and where Man is free to rise to greater heights."
Local Church Public Affairs Director Mike Klagenberg added that this is the vision that inspires him and all the dedicated volunteers to be a part of the solutions that society presents such as National Night Out and these humanitarian campaigns. "It is very fulfilling and fills one with a sense of purpose and value to those around them. We can build better and more vibrant communities together." The Foundation for a Drug-Free World, Youth for Human Rights International, and The Way to Happiness are international secular campaigns sponsored by the Church of Scientology. They use educational booklets, public service announcements, and community workshops to promote sobriety, human rights awareness, and common-sense moral values.
