In 1969 after the assassination of Senator Kennedy, Beard founded the National Development Council. The council has since been responsible for billions of dollars of revitalization financing. Beard has initiated and chaired programs for eight
Presidents of the United States, including Presidents Nixon,
Gerald Ford,
Jimmy Carter,
Ronald Reagan, Bush, Clinton and Bush. One highlight of working with the eight presidents is the creation of more than 10 million jobs in impoverished communities across America. Beard ran in the Democratic primary for the
1988 U.S. Senate election in Delaware. In 1992, he helped to create the President's Youth Service Awards for volunteerism. Beard also worked with former Delaware Governor
Pete du Pont and Wilmington Mayor, Bill McLaughlin to revitalize the
Wilmington,
Delaware riverfront. He also served on President George W. Bush's
Social Security Reform Commission. Recently, Beard founded the non-profit organization GIFT (Global Investment Foundation for Tomorrow) to harness the full impact of the mindfulness and meditation movements to solve urgent global problems. The inspiration for GIFT came out of his experience in using mindfulness and meditation techniques to deal with a high stress period. Beard was excited at the far-reaching impact it had in improving all aspects of his life. This interest soon grew into a mission Sam predicts will be the most significant outcome in his life of service - Early Childhood Development - Birth to Three. By the age of three, newborns and toddlers experience the most rapid cognitive and socio-emotional development in their lives. The first three years define a child's success in school and later in life. The goal is to develop limitless potential to every baby. The brain science is proven and globally accepted. == Personal life ==