Cancer inspired the couple’s work with another local nonprofit. Rebecca and Peter, together with Derek and Amy Hall, are co-chairing the Joy Bus More Than a Meal campaign. “It’s a huge campaign for a tiny organization,” Rebecca said. “They’ve never done one before.” The Joy Bus eases the struggles of home-bound cancer patients by delivering fresh chef-inspired meals. They aim to raise $5.4 million to build a bigger kitchen and serve more patients, with the ultimate goal of 2,500 meals per week by 2026. “They didn’t know what they were getting into when we said we’re gonna make this happen,” Rebecca laughed. Turns out, the Fines’ philanthropy doesn’t end with outside organizations. About five years ago, the couple started a donor-advised fund at the Arizona Community Foundation with the hope of fostering an interest in philanthropy in their kids and grandkids. Each year, they have a meeting near the holidays, when the family comes to visit. “Each individual has to submit an organization they want to make a donation to. We have to approve it, and ACF has to verify that it is a legit organization,” Peter said. Then each person — from parents to children to grandkids — has to present their organization for a share of the money. But then there’s a twist. At the end of all the presentations, each person gets another pot of money that they can give to the organization whose presentation impressed them the most, but they can’t give it to their own organization. “So the presentations are important because there’s more money that can come from a good job,” Rebecca said. Over the years, the chosen organizations have skewed toward the environment. “We do lots of fun family vacations with them, so there have been things like saving the sea turtles and protecting the coral reefs,” Rebecca said. The entire family took a trip to Africa last year, and donations went to the Mara Elephant Project, efforts to preserve clean drinking water, and Uhura compostable sanitary pads. Get on Board! As co-chairs of the Joy Bus More Than a Meal campaign, the Fines aim to help the nonprofit dramatically expand its kitchen, pantry and dining capacity beyond what its current 1,400-square- foot location provides so that it can serve healthy and delicious food to more people with cancer. To learn more and donate, go to thejoybusdiner.com . COVER STORY 44 | FRONTDOORS MAGAZINE

The exercise has a few perks, in addition to inspiring a philanthropic interest in the younger generations. It’s teaching the grandchildren — Ryder, Carter, Skylar and Crosby — how to succinctly present an idea and capture an audience’s attention. It’s also ensuring a sense of togetherness into the future. The fund goes out for three generations. After Rebecca and Peter pass away, their three children will become the advisers. After they are gone, the grandchildren will take over. After they pass, the money will flow back to ACF for their own programs. “It can be there for a long time. So for us, when we’re gone, it’s a way to force the family together once a year to do something,” Peter said. Togetherness is big for the Fine family. When they aren’t traveling the world (Peter and Rebecca are looking forward to taking grandson Ryder on his high school graduation trip to Barcelona in July and granddaughters Carter and Skylar on a summer trip to Venice), they spend time reading (history for him, dystopian fiction and YA books for her). A devoted sports fan — Peter played lacrosse in college and was a certified youth soccer coach when his sons played travel soccer — Peter enjoys talking sports with his boys. He recently took Cameron to London for an Arsenal game before his wedding in February. Rebecca isn’t a sports nut, but has picked up an affinity over the years. “I would go to sports games with him; he would come to the ballet with me. I would go to more sports games with him; he would come to the symphony with me. He’s a huge fan of theater now,” she said. Indeed, the back and forth is key to their recipe for a winning marriage. “I respect her interests; she respects my interests. And then we engage around our shared interests,” Peter said. It’s a formula that has worked for the 47-and-a-half years they’ve been married, and one that’s worked for our community as well. “We’re part of the fabric of this community. Clearly, I am with the company I run, and in these interests we have,” Peter said. He’s unique among his peers in that he has spent 23 years at the helm of a major organization. “That in itself is unusual in this day and age. It’s been interesting for me, and intellectually stimulating,” Peter said. And while it may be Rebecca serving on a board, she is representing their shared interests. The Desert Botanical Garden, Arizona Science Center, the Joy Bus, Florence Crittenton and many more organizations — the couple puts their effort into things they are passionate about. “We are true partners, in all aspects of the word. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have lasted the last 47 years,” Peter said. FRONTDOORS MAGAZINE | 45