Ben EmeryBenjamin Emery is a loving son, brother, father, husband, and friend. After three decades of activism focused on various issues, primarily government corruption and electoral reform, Ben has dedicated much of his time to community volunteering and coching athletics. Over the last twenty years, he has also studied and practiced the science of regenerative agriculture while attending nursing school part-time. During his tenure as a co-chair of his home county's political party, Ben campaigned for election to partisan public office-first, as a candidate for US Congress and later, for State Senator. In the end, he determined that it is nearly impossible to change the two-party political system from within, and our focus needs to be setting up peripheral systems that support regional and local economies. In the spring of 2014, at the age of forty-four, the trajectory of his life was altered by a diagnosis of advanced colorectal cancer. As a result, Ben chose to focus his energy on ridding his body of cancer; caring for his elderly parents, who suffer from chronic diseases; and managing a permaculture farm. Though considered cured of his cancer in September 2019, he continues to live with disabilities due to lasting side effects from treatments and surgeries. For years, Ben has participated in online cancer support groups and has offered mentorship to those who are newly diagnosed or are inflicted with his same disability. His lifelong goal is fostering a more cooperative and compassionate nation-from Washington DC, and on down to his local community. Read More Read Less