CLEARWATER, Fla., July 27, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Thousands of Scientologists and community guests gathered on July 11, 2015 to dedicate the new Foundation for a Drug Free World (FDFW) Florida headquarters in downtown Clearwater.  One year later on July 16th, another 2,700 residents gathered in the heart of downtown to celebrate the one-year anniversary of the FDFW and six other humanitarian centers supported by the Church of Scientology.

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/71695bb2-edd6-471b-8c3d-51a79db25faa

But just one week after the anniversary celebration, the Executive Director of the Florida chapter of the Foundation for a Drug Free World (FDFW) received a follow-up surprise in the mail.  As she opened up the UPS package, she read the following on a plaque: 

“Presented to the Foundation for a Drug Free World Florida Chapter in grateful appreciation for your extraordinary service, dedication and support to the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office” – July 22nd 2016.

“I did not expect this but it certainly is a nice surprise following on the heels of our anniversary,” said Roxanne Siero, the Executive Director of the Foundation for a Drug Free World, Florida chapter. 

It was just over a month ago, that the President of the chapter, Julieta Santagostino, delivered a seminar to over 20 school resource and sheriff officers in Manatee County using the Truth about Drugs Educator’s kit. The Educator kit takes the user on a step by step journey through topics such as, “What is a Drug?” and basic truths about drugs that are being abused, including heroin which has seen a resurgence all over Florida.

The FDFW Florida campaign against drug abuse was launched over 10 years ago.  However since the opening of new headquarters in downtown Clearwater, the chapter has increased its outflow of materials from the previous year by six times, with a distribution of over 337,000 Truth About Drugs booklets, DVDs and educator’s kits.

The Drug Free World facility and its campaign could not possibly come at a better or more necessary time, with illicit drug use and abuse at a crisis point in Florida. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement reported that deaths caused by heroin have skyrocketed with 7.8 times as many deaths per capita in the first six months of 2015 as there were in the first six months of 2017. 

A quote by L. Ron Hubbard written across a wall in the reception of the new FDFW Florida headquarters accurately proclaims:  “The single most destructive element in these societies today is drugs.”

For more information on FDFW, call 727-467-6961 or log on to www.drugfreeworld.org.

Foundation for a Drug Free World
The Foundation for a Drug Free World’s international Truth About Drugs program has reached 260 million people worldwide. The program is committed to eradicating drug abuse and providing meaningful drug education to young people. At the forefront of the Drug Free World program are The Truth About Drugs booklets translated into 17 languages with 14 in all.  Inside are fact-based descriptions of mental and physical manifestations of each commonly abused drug reinforced by firsthand accounts from former users.

CONTACT: Contact:
Roxanne Siero, 727-467-6961