Porter-Leath celebrated its 160^th anniversary by being named the 2010 recipient of the G. Bradley Wanzer Jr. Award for Excellence from United Way of the Mid-South.

Porter-Leath received the award at the United Way of the Mid-South's annual meeting and campaign celebration. The award is given annually to a local United Way agency that best displays four standards of excellence that were important to Wanzer during his career at United Way – accountability, partnerships, collaborations and outcomes measures. This is the fifth year for the award, which includes a $25,000 stipend to further agency programming. Ellis Haddad, chair of Porter-Leath's board of directors, and Sean Lee, Porter-Leath's president, accepted the award on behalf of the organization.

"2010 is Porter-Leath's 160th year, and being selected for this award is an amazing way to kick off the agency's anniversary. I was thrilled to accept this award along with board chair Ellis Haddad on behalf of Porter-Leath," Lee said. "At Porter-Leath, we have dedicated staff and incredible board members who are out there leading the charge every day to improve the lives of at-risk children and families in Memphis. This award is truly a credit to them, and I want to thank them all for their continued dedication."

Brad Wanzer was United Way of the Mid-South's senior vice president of fund distribution. During his 31-year career, he was responsible for the planning, management and direction of fund distribution activities across the agency's eight-county Mid-South area. After his unexpected death in late 2004, board members, volunteers and staff wanted to honor him in a way that paid tribute to his years of service but also recognized what he saw as important – improving the community. Out of this desire to honor Wanzer came the idea for the G. Bradley Wanzer Jr. Award for Excellence.