The Phil Hardin Foundation is being presented the 2020 Winter-Reed Partnership Award during a virtual tribute event on Oct. 20.

Phil Hardin, known as a visionary businessman of humble beginnings, valued education as the most important ingredient for his success and recognized better educational opportunities for all would also make Mississippi’s communities stronger and more prosperous, according to a news release from the Mississippi Association of Partners in Education.

MAPE launched the Winter-Reed Partnership Award in 2007 to honor former Gov. William Winter and the late Tupelo businessman Jack Reed Sr. for their lifelong contributions to public education and to provide ongoing recognition for Mississippi’s outstanding education leaders, according to the news release.

“The Phil Hardin Foundation over the years has supported programs and organizations that improve educational opportunities for children and lift up communities,” MAPE President Sandi Beason said in a statement. “The Foundation truly exhibits the spirit of the Winter-Reed Award.”

Hardin decided in 1964 to use the wealth he had created as the owner of the Meridian-based Hardin’s Bakeries to “improve the education of Mississippians,” and the Phil Hardin Foundation was born, according to the news release.

The Phil Hardin Foundation works as a catalyst for educational opportunity and community improvement in Mississippi. Its mission is to improve educational and life outcomes for Mississippi children, with a special emphasis on Meridian and Lauderdale County, and to expand access to high-quality educational opportunities, according to the news release.

Over 56 years, the foundation has awarded more than $60 million in grants to improve student achievement; make educational and enrichment opportunities more available and equitable; increase understanding of Mississippi arts, culture and history; and build community and state educational and philanthropic capacity, according to the news release.

Sponsorship opportunities for the Winter-Reed Partnership Award are available by contacting MAPE at 601-573-0896 or visiting www.mapems.com. Individual sponsorships for the event are $50 and may be donated online at www.mapems.com or to MAPE, 141 Executive Drive Suite 1, Madison MS, 39110.