Photo Credit: Barbara Sullivan
Meet Meghan Pearce. She's a 5th generation
Phoenician (from Scottsdale, Arizona) with a unique connection to family-- and to business. Not only has Meghan's family lived in Arizona for 5 generations, but they also owned one of the oldest family run businesses in the state. She was raised with the idea of working hard towards what you believe in, and going the extra mile whenever necessary. It takes a strong family unit to run a successful business together; Meghan always valued the importance of family, in addition to a strong work ethic. Not only does she hold herself to a high level of integrity; she's a lot of fun too. Her warm and outgoing personality lights up a room. Meghan found a way to utilize 3 of the things she loves most in life (entrepreneurship, family, and socializing) and tied them all together... creating her very own dream career.
Meghan attended the University of Arizona, where she joined Gamma Phi Beta. Greek life provided her not only with lasting friendships, but also with the feeling of family while away at college. She enjoyed holding positions such as social chair, living in the pretty "pink house" on campus (yes, their house is pink!), and loved meeting new people. Shortly after graduation, Meghan began working at a public relations firm. The firm
marketed and put on events for the Phoenix Law Enforcement Association, and the
Lupus chapter of Arizona. This was the beginning... she started to get her feet wet with nonprofits. The feeling of gratitude that Meghan experienced after working these events left a significant impression; there was a deeper meaning. The people, the lives, the impact it made. Nonprofits were making a difference. As a former social chair and a natural social butterfly, Meghan began to see the potential to connect the two.
Shortly after, Meghan began working for St. Joseph’s Hospital
Foundation, which led to being asked to work at Phoenix Children’s Hospital
Foundation. Once she began working at the children’s hospital, Meghan knew that her life had been forever changed. She was both inspired & compelled to give back, witnessing first hand the challenges that families who have a child suffering from a chronic or life threatening illness endure. The need was there; and Meghan was determined to start her own company to help them.
We sat down with Meghan, to get the scoop on how she came to be the CEO of the Pearce Family Foundation, and created the Angels Around Us grant.
1. How
long have you been involved with charitable work?
I have been
involved with charity work since I was a little girl. My father used to have my
mom, sister and I help pick up trash on the highways every spring, which was a
part of a recycling program he created. He also had us assist with passing out
Thanksgiving turkeys to his employees who worked in the warehouse during the
holiday season. I remember always feeling that warm and fuzzy feeling inside
after hearing how grateful the employees were to be able to bring home a turkey
to their family.
2. What
sparked you to start your own 501(c)(3) public charity?
I spent about two
years coming up with the idea, but what motivated me to start was seeing
how cancer affected a family friend close to me. Their whole life was
turned upside down, and the only goal they now had was to go into battle with
cancer and fight with all of their might. Life doesn’t stop when you're dealing with a chronic illness. They had two battles to focus all their energy and time on; their sick child, as
well as surviving day-to-day struggles. I was also getting the entrepreneurial
itch instilled by my family to start my own company. My great grandfather
started his company on his own-- what once was a feed and grain store turned
into the only Coors beer distributorship in the Southwest after Prohibition
ended. Since I could not take over the family’s company, I wanted to create my
own.
3. What
is your dream goal or accomplishment?
I dream of being a large foundation that not
only helps families in Arizona who have a child suffering from a chronic or
life threatening illness, but also being able to help families from all over the
country. I hope to be able to grant more families the full grant amount
every month. I want to be invited as the Pearce Family Foundation to the “Stand
up to Cancer” event, as well as to be a recognizable name nationwide.
4. What
are your 3 must-have beauty products?
- Mac Powerpoint eyeliner, in engrave
- Maybelline Volum’Express Colossal Mascara, in glam black
- CeraVe hydrating cleanser
5. What
is your schedule typically like day to day?
I get up in the morning and have two things: a cup of coffee, and a mini bagel from my favorite local bagel shop (they come in a dozen to a bag, I freeze one and have one in the fridge). I check my email from my bed, drink my coffee, and watch my favorite morning show... The Today Show! I have to
start my morning off with Matt Lauer and Al Roker. I've been watching them
since I was little, it's tradition. Then, I head into my office. I am
normally doing a bunch of things; checking emails, entering checks into
Quickbooks, making lunch appointments (with potential nonprofits or people I
hope to be working with in the future). I also do one of my favorite things, which is sending grant applications to families who are in need of our grant, Angels Around Us.
My day is also always different. One day I'm practicing skeet
shooting (we are having a skeet shooting fundraiser in
October), others I'm helping garden at St. Vincent de Paul. I love ending the day with a Zumba class and a home cooked dinner. My mom is an amazing cook... I'm trying to practice every chance I get! I think it is important to know how to make yourself a healthy meal. Going out is great, but nothing beats looking in
your fridge and coming up with some type of yummy (and free) meal!
6. What
are the ups & downs of being in the philanthropic industry?
There are struggles for sure. Being a “newbie”
to this industry makes it tough because no one knows who you are. There are
over 30,000 nonprofits in Arizona alone, which is why you have to make yours unique
and your own. I feel with my history of working at St. Joe’s and Phoenix
Children’s Hospital, I have a good start with where I want to take my
foundation. It's tough, there's a lot of competition. Every
foundation wants to "do good,” so you have to think outside the box and
separate yours from the rest. The up side though is that you are giving back to
your community and helping those in need-- no matter what, you're making a difference.
When I tell people what I am doing and for who, they are so intrigued. I can
tell I'm doing something unique, it will grow more in time.
7. If
you can have anyone's closet- who's would it be?
Two people; my grandmother
Charlotte Pearce, and Audrey Hepburn. Both of these women grew up in a time
where dressing up was necessary, whether you were going to dinner or to the
grocery store. My grandmother would wear her jewels while shopping for dinner. I respect a woman who acts like
every day is an affair to remember. If she was still around today, I would beg to borrow from her closet.
I am lucky to have a few of her treasures.
Audrey Hepburn is the epitome of classy; I
can only imagine how organized and perfect her closet must have been! Every girl loves a simple yet flattering black dress, and Audrey put that on the fashion
map. The LBD is still the go-to look when you "have nothing to wear".
8. How did your collegiate sorority experience make you the person you are today?
Being involved in Gamma Phi Beta gave me the confidence I needed to be able to talk to anyone, and to hold a conversation. Recruitment was great practice for learning how to talk to strangers, and be able to get to know someone in 2-3 minutes. I feel I have a good judge of character now, and can tell whether or not someone is who he or she says they are. I enjoyed every moment of being an active. Life is meant to be spent, not saved, which is why I try to live every day to the fullest and to do things that make me happy!
9. Name
3 things in your purse that you can't live without.
- EOS chapstick in summer fruit
- My iphone5s
- My sunglasses {by Victoria Beckham or Karen Walter}
- One more- I always, always, always have a water bottle with me! I probably drink 3-4 water bottles a day :)
10. You
have helped many families and children through the Angels Around Us grant. Tell us about the moments that made
the biggest impact on you.
A family
that inspired me to start the grant program was struggling last December with
bills and life stresses. I hadn’t fully come up with the grant system, so I did
not have an application or anything in place yet. My mom and I decided it was
time to introduce the grant idea to friends and family by holding a holiday
party. Everyone brought a gift card for the family. They
have a 15-year-old girl who has bone cancer in her arm that has come back
twice. The mom has also been sick, so she was only working part time, and her
husband had been having a hard time finding work. The bills were piling up, and they did not know how they were going to have a Christmas for their family.
I rallied behind them, and we ended up
raising about $3,000 in gift cards for the family. The mom kept saying, “why would people help us who don’t know us?" After, she looked at me and said, “what you are doing is going to change people’s
lives." Right then, I knew I was on the right path for the foundation.
Another family we just recently helped were
the Acosta’s. Their truck was in the shop because they needed a new
transmission. They have a son who was born without a lower jaw, and I met them
when I worked at the children's hospital. The mom got in touch with me and told me what was going
on. She came to my office with her son, and filled out the grant
application. She was practically in tears the entire time. She told me she
was just about ready to sell all her furniture in order to pay for her
transmission. I immediately
pushed the application through with my committee-- I went down to Sanderson Ford [a local dealership] and paid the
remaining debt for the family.
Those moments are why Angels Around Us has been
created. We aim to eliminate the extra stress life throws at you. I am so grateful to have this in motion, so I can step in when I am able to and give back to Arizona families in need.
11. What
is your #1 advice for people that are interested in the public charity
industry?
First off, if you want to start a nonprofit-- congratulations! Giving back to our community is life changing and worth every
step of the way. Find people you trust, that you can rely on to stand by your
side when you need advice. Being in the nonprofit world isn’t the most
glamorous occupation. You’re the one setting up your events
and cleaning up at the end. That's a small price to pay when you see the
reward. I would never give up or go back to any other occupation; I find
happiness and peace knowing I am helping those who have no where else to turn.
This is one of my favorite quotes, it's something I believe to be very true: “Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on
earth” -Muhammad Ali
