29 Apr HONORING A CHAMPION FOR HEALTH AND HUMAN RIGHTS

Editor’s note: We were glad to honor Porter W. Anderson, Jr., a great Miamian, for his selfless dedication to the community issues that matter to him, as our 2017 Donor Next Door Honoree. Below is the short piece that appeared in the Donor Next Door Family Album.  

Porter W. Anderson, Jr. has a passion for people’s physical health, which sparked a deep commitment to preserving humanity, both by investing in organizations championing wellness and advocating to preserve our natural living environment.

The co-inventor of a widely administered vaccine for bacterial meningitis, Porter is credited with saving the lives of nearly 1 million children. He widened his impact through the World Health Organization’s Global Programme on Vaccines and as an advisor to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

His care for the well-being of others inspired him to go further and champion issues around human rights and the global environment. In order to make his local giving more efficient and effective, Porter established The Secular Humanist Fund at The Miami Foundation in 1997. He regularly invests in groups and programs increasing access to health education, teaching about the natural world and advocating the preservation and restoration of habitats to both protect endangered animals and promote sustainable agriculture. To ensure that these important issues are addressed forever, Porter included the Foundation in his estate plans, establishing his permanent legacy in Greater Miami for generations to come.

Roshni Neslage is communications assistant at The Miami Foundation.