Donor profile

In addition to support from our alumni and others directly connected to Messiah College, we are also grateful for a legacy of support from friends and neighbors in the greater Capital Region of South Central Pennsylvania. One such generous benefactor is Carole A. DeSoto. She was born in New Orleans and spent her childhood in the panhandle of Florida. She moved to Elizabethville, Pennsylvania, in 1967 and raised her family there.

In 1976, DeSoto opened the Sunshine Factory Early Learning Centers in Elizabethville and Halifax. She also was active in starting the Elizabethville Area Library, a branch of Dauphin County Library System, and the Northern Dauphin County YMCA, a branch of the Harrisburg Area YMCA. She served on the local and area boards of both organizations for many years. She also chaired the arts and entertainment committee of the Ned Smith Center for Nature and Art and funded the DeSoto Amphitheater for the Performing Arts, which has presented summer music programming since 2014.

In 2011, she moved to Lemoyne and serves on the boards of the Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra, Harrisburg Symphony Society and the Susquehanna Art Museum.

After attending several theater and music performances at Messiah College, she expressed an interest to President Kim Phipps to establish a scholarship endowment to help further the educational pursuits of students majoring in the arts. DeSoto says she has been so impressed by the caliber of our arts students, and we are deeply grateful for her support. She joins a long legacy of local partners who have provided financial support to Messiah. We are thankful for community leaders such as DeSoto, who clearly demonstrate the importance of service and generosity toward others.