CHARITY SPOTLIGHT {giving back}
LEGACY OF ANGELS The Pearce Family Foundation makes life easier for families of a child facing a life-threatening disease Catie Richman | Contributing Writer
THE STORY Six years ago, Meghan Alfonso started the Pearce Family Foundation to carry on her family’s legacy of making a positive impact on the community. Her family’s influence on the Valley spans decades. Alfonso’s great-grandfather settled in Arizona in the late 1870s. He was known for his feed and grain business before Coors beer approached him to use his large cold storage unit to help bring their product to market. After Prohibition was lifted in 1933, Alfonso’s greatgrandfather became the licensed distributor for Coors beers, which her grandfather then father would take over until the company sold to Crescent Crown Distributors in 2004. 40 FRONTDOORS MEDIA | DECEMBER 2019
“I felt it was important to bring back the Pearce name,” Alfonso said. “I’m fifth-generation Arizonan and wanted to leave a legacy behind that my great-grandfather started and then my father took over.” The Pearce Family Foundation’s mission is to provide financial assistance at the home to Arizona families with a child suffering from a chronic or life-threatening illness. Alfonso, the CEO and founder of PFF, is no stranger to the philanthropic world, having worked for St. Joseph’s Hospital Foundation and then Phoenix Children’s Hospital. It was during her time