With dirty, smelly streets a common complaint of those who work or live in LA and care of the homeless being a top community concern, volunteers from the Church of Scientology dedicated their Saturday morning to helping with both in a program that will see expansion to more local areas.

In what has become a monthly tradition, volunteers swept sidewalks, raked trash from grassy medians and filled 60-gallon bags with wrappers, used cups, cigarette butts, drug needles and mayonnaise packets. Throughout the cleanup, volunteers passed out copies of “The Way to Happiness,” written by L. Ron Hubbard, to homeless and passersby. The cleanup is in its sixth month, while Church volunteers have distributed “The Way to Happiness” daily for six years with a goal to make the neighborhood a cleaner, friendlier and happier place.

Each month, cleanup volunteers frequented streets populated by homeless, many of whom join in the cleanup effort. After a past cleanup, one homeless man, asleep when the volunteers came through, woke to find a copy of “The Way to Happiness.” He saw the address stamped on the back and walked to the Church of Scientology Celebrity Centre nearby to tell a staff member that the booklet had saved his life – he planned to jump off a bridge that afternoon. He said that now, knowing that someone cared, he chose to live.

The monthly cleanups are part of a partnership of The Way to Happiness Foundation, the Church of Scientology, and the Los Angeles Police Dept..

“We are extremely appreciative of the partnership that the Church shares with our Hollywood community,” said Captain Cory Palka, commanding officer of the Hollywood LAPD Division, whose senior lead officers took part in the weekend cleanup. “The participation, volunteerism and willingness to make Hollywood a better place to live is evident in the effort put forth by the Church and its members.”

To learn more about participating in the cleanups visit www.facebook.com/hollywoodsvillage.

Submitted by Bari BERGER