TAMPA, Fla., Aug. 13, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- In honor of the International Day of Friendship, five area civic leaders were honored by The Church of Scientology at the Ybor Square Church’s community open house for their work to improve lives in the Tampa Bay community. Special guest of honor was Venezuelan-born actor, Eduardo Galan who presented awards to: Dr. Shawn Robinson, President of the Hillsborough Community College Ybor Campus; Frankie Jones, President of Rainbow Heights Neighborhood Association and Crime Watch; April Jones, Founder and Executive Director of Save Our Students Foundation Tampa Bay; Denise Pate, Program Director for Bound to Rise Mentoring Group and Catalina Kaiyoorawongs, Associate Executive Director of Unidos Now.
Frankie Jones, a voice for the residents and business owners said, “When youth are given a voice and provided opportunities to prosper, communities will begin to observe transformations unimaginable by most.”
The growing Tampa Bay Hispanic community is served by Unidos Now recognizing that in 2012, 27% of Hispanic students did not graduate high school, 78% did not attend college, and 21% lived in poverty.
Throughout the afternoon and during the awards presentation, the Church of Scientology Tampa introduced those attending the open house to The Way to Happiness, a nonreligious moral code written by L. Ron Hubbard and based entirely on common sense. The booklet and brief informational videos that illustrate its precepts provide a roadmap to a happier life through compassion and understanding, virtues essential to accomplishing the purpose of International Day of Friendship—to foster friendship between peoples, countries, cultures and individuals to inspire peace efforts and build bridges between communities.