On July 18, 2026, a 12-member volunteer force from the Hollywood Neighborhood Cleanup team worked around the Church of Scientology Celebrity Centre International in Los Angeles, combining neighborhood cleanup with distribution of L. Ron Hubbard's The Way to Happiness booklet. The effort aimed to show neighbors, business owners, and tourists a positive action by the Church.
The volunteers cleaned along Franklin Avenue heading west and then south to Hollywood Boulevard, where they shifted from cleanup tools to distributing booklets. They met tourists and shopkeepers, receiving enthusiastic responses. One man selling tourist bus rides on Hollywood Boulevard recognized the booklet, stating, "I know this book! I read this when I was in prison." He added, "Whenever I would read this book, it would just bring me calm. Sometimes you just gotta read, you know, and I remember this book. I liked it. Excellent."
At a coffee shop, a woman behind the counter took the booklet, opened it, and began reading. She became so happy that she requested a stack of booklets to place on the counter. Near a historic Church building next to an underpass, an SUV slowed down and the occupants rolled down their window, saying, "Did anybody tell you yet today that you guys are awesome?" The group thanked them and gave them booklets.
A man standing at a corner stopped and looked at the distributors. He received a booklet and expressed interest and appreciation, agreeing that the area needs cleanup. Mike, a security guard on Hollywood Boulevard, took two booklets, saying he likes to help people. Glen, who works with the Hollywood Partnership—an organization that cleans Hollywood Boulevard streets daily—thanked the volunteers and asked if they had seen the movie "Pay It Forward." He loved the concept of passing along good work, so the group gave him a booklet filled out with "To" and "From," plus a second one to "pay it forward."
Nick Kurtz, the cleanup in-charge, distributed bundles of a dozen booklets. He would approach people and ask, "Hey, do you like to help people?" If they said yes, he explained, "You can really pay it forward with this book. It's a beautiful book about help your parents, love your kids, basically be a good citizen or be a good neighbor to make the world a better place." He added, "You can help someone by giving them this book and you can suggest they give another copy to someone else." A family from the Riverside area took bundles as they got into their car, happy to spread the word. Another girl initially suspicious at a crosswalk eventually took a bundle after talking with Kurtz.
For over eight years, the Church of Scientology Celebrity Centre International has donated The Way to Happiness booklets for local neighborhood cleanup activities. The booklet, written by L. Ron Hubbard, states, "Happiness lies in engaging in worthwhile activities" and "That is my wish for you." More information is available at https://www.scientology.cc.
