Rod Keller keeps an eye on Scientology’s Ideal Org program for us, and has an update from the heartland!
Renovations have begun at the Kansas City Ideal Org. Scientology purchased the building in 2007 for over $5 million and have been raising the funds to renovate it for the past decade. The current org is tiny with very few staff or publics, located on the second floor above an H&R Block tax office. Local Scientologists have donated to the project, but the bulk of the money appears to come from Clearwater, where many large donors live. In the US the Orlando Ideal Org will open very soon, with Detroit and Kansas City next in line.
Until the funds have been raised Scientology enlists untrained volunteers to do demolition work and minor repairs. Volunteers have been working on the Kansas City building, but this month they reached their goal and the professional builders have started. Permits are being pulled with the city for remodeling, electrical work and a fire sprinkler system.
Donors include Tom and Victoria Cummins, well-known Scientology “whales” from Clearwater. Tom is the CEO of American Power & Gas, an energy reselling company. The couple have been involved in many Ideal Org projects around the world, including Mexico City, Miami, North Hollywood and Taipei. They are Diamond Meritorious donors to the IAS, having given over $5 million in addition to their Ideal Org contributions.
Stacy Francis is a Los Angeles actress and singer, known for appearances on The X-Factor US, R&B Divas LA, and Celebrity Big Brother. She previously was involved in the fundraising for the Harlem Ideal Org.
Bill Rhodes is a Clearwater Scientologist and donor. Bobby Newman is an interventionist for Narconon Suncoast in Clearwater. The Newmans contributed $50,000 to the project.
There are many local donors as well, but none that can match the flow of money from outside. Paul and Roxanne Silovsky are the owners of Rebound Physical Therapy in Topeka, Kansas. Laura Williams operates Southport Animal Hospital in Lee’s Summit, Missouri. Bob and Terri Marx own and operate a local dental practice.
As usual in Scientology, reaching the fundraising goal doesn’t stop the fundraising. The next scheduled event is May 5 and the theme is Land of the Titans. In mythology, the Titans were overthrown and replaced by the Olympian gods. In Scientology Kansas City will have their moment in the sun when David Miscavige opens the new org. They may even win the Birthday Game, but they will then be overthrown by the Ideal Orgs of 2020 or 2021 when the opening boom turns bust and Kansas City joins the list of empty buildings. Despite opening dozens of Ideal Orgs, in real terms Scientology is still just Clearwater and Los Angeles, with little anywhere else.
— Rod Keller
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Make your plans now!
HOWDYCON UPDATE
We’re now just two months out, and Chee Chalker is working hard to make sure things are going to run smoothly at this year’s HowdyCon in Chicago, June 21-23. As in past years, we’re looking forward to meeting readers of the Bunker, culminating in Saturday night’s main event.
The biggest difference this year is that our Saturday night event is separate from that evening’s dinner. Chee is setting up an inexpensive pizza dinner that you don’t need to pay for ahead of time, after which we’ll walk over to the theater where our event, hosted by Chicago Fire star Christian Stolte, will take place. Because it’s a separate event, we’re asking that you pay $10 each to get into the Saturday night event, which will help us recoup what the Bunker paid for the venue. (We have never made a penny on our HowdyCon meetups, we only try to break even.)
Please email your proprietor (tonyo94 AT gmail) in order to reserve your spot for Saturday night’s main event. Seating is limited, and we’re going to have some really interesting people on stage and they may make a few announcements that you don’t want to miss.
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Bernie Headley has not seen his daughter Stephanie in 5,092 days.
Katrina Reyes has not seen her mother Yelena in 1,695 days
Brian Sheen has not seen his grandson Leo in 238 days.
Clarissa Adams has not seen her parents Walter and Irmin Huber in 1,301 days.
Carol Nyburg has not seen her daughter Nancy in 2,075 days.
Jamie Sorrentini Lugli has not seen her father Irving in 2,849 days.
Quailynn McDaniel has not seen her brother Sean in 2,195 days.
Claudio and Renata Lugli have not seen their son Flavio in 2,689 days.
Sara Goldberg has not seen her daughter Ashley in 1,729 days.
Lori Hodgson has not seen her son Jeremy and daughter Jessica in 1,441 days.
Marie Bilheimer has not seen her mother June in 967 days.
Joe Reaiche has not seen his daughter Alanna Masterson in 5,056 days
Derek Bloch has not seen his father Darren in 2,196 days.
Cindy Plahuta has not seen her daughter Kara in 2,516 days.
Claire Headley has not seen her mother Gen in 2,491 days.
Ramana Dienes-Browning has not seen her mother Jancis in 847 days.
Mike Rinder has not seen his son Benjamin and daughter Taryn in 5,149 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his daughter Spring in 1,255 days.
Skip Young has not seen his daughters Megan and Alexis in 1,658 days.
Mary Kahn has not seen her son Sammy in 1,530 days.
Lois Reisdorf has not seen her son Craig in 1,112 days.
Phil and Willie Jones have not seen their son Mike and daughter Emily in 1,617 days.
Mary Jane Sterne has not seen her daughter Samantha in 1,861 days.
Kate Bornstein has not seen her daughter Jessica in 12,970 days.
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Posted by Tony Ortega on April 22, 2018 at 07:00
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Our book, The Unbreakable Miss Lovely: How the Church of Scientology tried to destroy Paulette Cooper, is on sale at Amazon in paperback, Kindle, and audiobook versions. We’ve posted photographs of Paulette and scenes from her life at a separate location. Reader Sookie put together a complete index. More information can also be found at the book’s dedicated page.
The Best of the Underground Bunker, 1995-2017 Just starting out here? We’ve picked out the most important stories we’ve covered here at the Undergound Bunker (2012-2017), The Village Voice (2008-2012), New Times Los Angeles (1999-2002) and the Phoenix New Times (1995-1999)
Learn about Scientology with our numerous series with experts…
BLOGGING DIANETICS: We read Scientology’s founding text cover to cover with the help of L.A. attorney and former church member Vance Woodward
UP THE BRIDGE: Claire Headley and Bruce Hines train us as Scientologists
GETTING OUR ETHICS IN: Jefferson Hawkins explains Scientology’s system of justice
SCIENTOLOGY MYTHBUSTING: Historian Jon Atack discusses key Scientology concepts
Other links: Shelly Miscavige, ten years gone | The Lisa McPherson story told in real time | The Cathriona White stories | The Leah Remini ‘Knowledge Reports’ | Hear audio of a Scientology excommunication | Scientology’s little day care of horrors | Whatever happened to Steve Fishman? | Felony charges for Scientology’s drug rehab scam | Why Scientology digs bomb-proof vaults in the desert | PZ Myers reads L. Ron Hubbard’s “A History of Man” | Scientology’s Master Spies | The mystery of the richest Scientologist and his wayward sons | Scientology’s shocking mistreatment of the mentally ill | The Underground Bunker’s Official Theme Song | The Underground Bunker FAQ
Our non-Scientology stories: Robert Burnham Jr., the man who inscribed the universe | Notorious alt-right inspiration Kevin MacDonald and his theories about Jewish DNA | The selling of the “Phoenix Lights” | Astronomer Harlow Shapley‘s FBI file | Sex, spies, and local TV news
