Maronite Voice - Eparchy of Saint Maron of Brooklyn

Mr. Carlos Slim Helu, Maronite Convention GuestSpeakerby Amira MatarthThe highlight of the 46 Annual NAMConvention!! A once in a lifetimeopportunity!! How often does one get achance to have lunch with the world'ssecond richest man - a great MaroniteLebanese, a super businessman, anaccomplished leader - our very ownCarlos Slim Helu.Theth46 Annual MaroniteConvention, sponsored by theNational Apostolate of Maronitesand hosted by Our Lady of Mt.Lebanon-St. Peter Cathedral, is proudto announce the appearance of a specialguest speaker, Mr. Carlos Slim Helu, ata luncheon on Friday, July 3, 2009. Mr.Slim will come from Mexico in supportof the Maronite community andconvention. Prior to the luncheonthere will be a private VIP reception forlarge and corporate sponsors andanother reception for the guestsattending the luncheon. A largeattendance at this grand event isexpected. Make your reservationbefore it is sold out. Look forupcoming details.Mr. Carlos Slim Helu is a livinglegacy influencing and inspiring peoplein this day and for future generations tocome. He is a citizen of Mexico. A selfmade man who takes pride in hisLebanese heritage, he is the son of aLebanese immigrant. Since hischildhood, Mr. Slim was taught to keepa ledger to record expenditures. He wasencouraged by his father to learn andunderstand finance. The young Carlosshowed a special aptitude for numbers,and by age twelve he was buying sharesin the Bank of Mexico. When CarlosSlim was thirteen years old his fatherdied. He studied civil engineering at theAutonomous National University ofMexico and while still studying, hebegan to teach mathematics and linearprogramming. After a few years ofteaching, Carlos Slim incorporated hisfirst business venture, a stockbrokerage. The same year, he marriedSoumaya Doumit. In future ventures, hecombined the first letters of theirnames, as in the name of his holdingcompany, Grupo Carso.He is the second-richest person inthe world and yet he continues to bekind, sincere and devoted to allmankind. They say that the Mexicanequities market, the performance of hiswireless telephone company and hismany other business entities gave himan immeasurable fortune but behind allof that is a great man with a powerfulmind, an entrepreneur, an industrialist,a philanthropist and a person with a bigheart who is also a generous giver. Hisbusiness endeavors were a source ofcreating jobs and opportunities forpeople in Mexico, Latin America andworldwide.In 1982, Mexico plunged into aneconomic crisis, but Carlos Slim'sconfidence in his country held firm andhe acquired the Mexican affiliates ofReynolds Aluminum, General Tire andthe Sanborn's chain of stores andcafeterias. As the economy recovered,Slim's fortune grew, and hisacquisitions accelerated. He acquiredthe Mexican interests of a number ofU.S.-based brands: Firestone tires,Hershey's chocolate, Denny's coffeeshops. He bought and merged a numberof insurance companies into the giantfirm.Since 1986, the Carso Foundationhas concentrated on developingMexico's human capital througheducation and training programs. Inaddition, the Carso Foundation's effortswere directed to build infrastructure,promote education and reduce poverty,not only in Mexico, but throughoutLatin America. The Telmex Foundationis one of the largest philanthropicinstitutions in Latin America. Inaddition to activities in health,nutrition, conservation and disasterrelief, it has provided universityscholarships for hundreds of thousandsof talented students who wouldotherwise be unable to pursue highereducation. Mr. Carlos Slim Helu wasthe principal donor to the long-termproject to restore and revitalize MexicoCity's downtown, the Centro Histórico.Let us not forget that Lebanon andmany Lebanese were the beneficiariesof charitable, humanitarian, educationaland social contributions.A widower and father of six, Slimis a baseball fan and art collector. Hekeeps his art collection in MexicoCity’s Museo Soumaya, established in1994 and was named in honor of hislate wife who ran the institution formany years. In the midst of thisstaggering success, the family of CarlosSlim remains an unusually close-knitone. As Carlos Slim devotes more ofhis time to his philanthropic enterprises,his three sons have taken the reins ofthe major components of Grupo Carsoand the Slim family still dines togetherevery Monday night. ConventionPre-RegistrationThe Hyatt Regency Century Plazaat 2025 Avenue of the Stars inLos Angeles, California, is thethheadquarters of the 46 AnnualMaronite Convention. The hotel roomrate is $140 a night. The preregistrationdeadline is June 8, 2009.Hotel Reservation is done with yourregistration for the convention, usingthe registration form available throughNAM’s office or online atwww.namnews.org. After you registerfor the Convention, the Hotel willcontact you with your confirmationnumber. You must provide a validcredit card for reservations.Package OptionsFull Adult Package is $300 (lateregistration is $330). It includes allevents Wednesday through Sundayexcept the Friday Lunch.Long weekend Package is $275 (lateregistration is $305). It includes eventsfrom Thursday through Sunday exceptthe Friday Lunch.Weekend Package is $225 (lateregistration is $255). It includes eventsfrom Friday evening through Sunday.Short Weekend Package is $150 (lateregistration is $180). It includesSaturday and Sunday events. Hotelaccommodation is not included in theregistration packages.For more information on the 46 thMaronite Convention, visitwww.namnews.org. The Maronite Voice Volume V Issue No. III Page 17 March 2009