Sharon McCarthy, a long-time volunteer and board member of the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts, died in February 2012 after a long bout with ovarian cancer. A native of Lancaster County, Sharon led a rich and eventful life, which took her to live on the west coast, back to the east coast, and then back to her beloved Pennsylvania. She was a Democratic Party activist, a successful merchant, an artist, and a lifelong community volunteer. Shortly after Sharon and her husband John moved to State College in the late 1990s, she became involved with the Arts Festival. She chaired the Images Exhibition Committee and served on the Festival's board of directors. Sharon was instrumental in the continuing success of the Festival’s Silent Auction, and she her husband John have sponsored an Award of Merit in the Sidewalk Sale and Exhibition, which will continue to be supported through this fund in her memory.