Celebrating A Beautiful Soul

With incredible sadness we share the news that our beloved friend and fellow board member Sharon Ruffner passed away on January 7, 2024 following a year-long battle with cancer. She was our North Star and guiding light who served as our ever enthusiastic and energetic President from January 2018 through May of 2023. We will forever be inspired by her positivity, compassion and never-ending commitment to making this world a better place for us all. 

We made the decision, in her honor, to rename our designated scholarship funds the Sharon Ruffner Memorial Scholarship Fund. 

“During her years on the Carmichael Parks Foundation, we raised $117,000, to fund 2,200 scholarships,” Past-President Ken Hall said to the Carmichael Times. “Without her leadership and enthusiasm, those contributions could never have happened. Over her short life, she touched so many hearts.”