Talent Agency 411

Former Texas Lieutenant Governor Ben Barnes was born in Gorman, Texas, on the 17th of April 1938. He finished and graduated High School at DeLeon in 1956. He initiated his political career while he was still a college student. When he graduated from the University of Texas, he began his law degree in the said University.

Ben Barnes also worked at the Texas State Health Department. Although he faced the risk of losing his job, Ben Barnes bravely uncovered an embezzling plot. It led to the termination of three dishonest Health Department employees. He then went on to run for state delegate at the young age of 21. Barnes won a victory, and quickly rose in the ranks of the Texas Democratic Party. By 1963, he earned the position of Chairman of the powerful Rules Committee.

After retiring from politics, Ben Barnes remained active in Texas philanthropy and community service. He has served as the Council Advisor for the Texas Civil Rights Project, and has also volunteered for the American Heart Association, the American Cancer Society, and the Democratic Majority Trust. He currently serves as the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Boys and Girls Club of the Capital Area in Austin, and is a regular contributor the People’s Community Clinic in Austin, the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library.

A name that is closely associated to party and the zest for life, Bacardi is also a name that displaced families of natural disasters can count on. Bacardi Limited has given out $100,000 to the Pan American Development Foundation (PADF) to help the residents of Cuba, who have been hit by a series of hurricanes.Four recent hurricanes — Fay, Gustav, Hanna and Ike — have left Cuba and other Caribbean countries in a demolished state. Houses, crops, and important infrastructure were destroyed; the lives of the hurricanes’ victims scarred from their traumatic experiences.With its roots deeply entrenched in the Cuban soil, the Bacardi Company has a long history of assisting Cuba during catastrophic times. Indeed, the Bacardi Company was quick to provide relief donations and operations for displaced Cubans — emergency shelter, medicine, food, and hygiene kits. With Bacardi’s example, the management of the spirits company hopes to encourage other private enterprises to help out when the next disaster strikes. Bacardi has already made other significant relief efforts to other countries, most notably in South East Asia (tsunami), China (earthquakes), and the United States (Hurricane Katrina). PADF has expressed their gratitude to the Bacardi Company for the great amount of help the spirits company has provided during Cuba’s trying times. Thanks in part to Bacardi, Cuba will overcome these natural disasters. Aside from relief operations, the Bacardi Company is also an active supporter of nature preservation and conservation and has partnered with various agencies and organizations all over the world to achieve their environmental pursuits. Bacardi’s involvement includes financial endowment, research, and education.Links/Sources:An article discussing Bacardi Family’s relief aid for the victims of recent hurricanes that struck the island of Cuba.An article discussing the new professorship in MIT which is funded by the Bacardi Family and Stockholm Water. The professorship was designed to teach and further improve research efforts in global water conservation.