University of South Carolina Challenge
Be someone’s blessing today.
Four simple words that made me realize how blessed I am. The University of South Carolina has been one of the biggest blessings of my life and especially the women that I have been fortunate to work with on the sorority council. As my term as president comes to an end, I find the work that we have done for Circle of Sisterhood Foundation to be one of the highlights of my year.
I know that the time and hard work that has gone into our partnership with Circle of Sisterhood is everlasting. This is because, simply put, the blessings that flow from receiving an education are never-ending. When we raise funds that send a talented girl or young woman to school, the knowledge she gains will last her whole life. She will have the power to change her future and not be tied down by her past because of the opportunities Circle of Sisterhood has helped to provide.
The University of South Carolina has worked hard to raise money to provide these opportunities, but we also worked hard to spread awareness about the organization. Last fall, we did an educational session in the sorority council meeting, with all of the sorority presidents. There was an immediate spark of interest across all the groups and we saw them all rally around our efforts to make a difference and I am forever grateful for these women’s support of the cause.
We held a Greek Wide t-shirt contest in which each sorority submitted a t-shirt design that would be sold to the entire community with proceeds benefitting Circle of Sisterhood. The shirt was a HUGE success and over the span of a year the shirt has become a marker of our community and can be seen on men and women alike.
The council also hosted several other small events, such as a dress-down sorority council, collecting funds from each person who participated, multiple “Dine to Donate” nights at restaurants around campus, and have started a Circle of Sisterhood committee. The committee will be the mastermind behind all Circle of Sisterhood events next semester and will have the time and dedication to commit to the cause fully.
It all came full circle for me however when this past month we hosted Ginny Carroll, the founder of Circle of Sisterhood, to speak to our sorority community. We were able to present her with an $8,000* check for Circle of Sisterhood and secured our current spot as the top fundraising campus contributed to building a school in Africa! We are extremely proud to have accomplished this all for the women of the world. We are now challenging other campuses to raise funds to contribute to the Foundation’s buildOn initiative to build a school in Africa and would love to see campuses break our record!
We have been lucky enough to be blessed with sorority membership and college education. I hope you will return the favor and be the blessing to so many women and support the Circle of Sisterhood.
This blog was written by Chelsea Ostebo. Chelsea recently served as president of the University of South Carolina’s sorority council. She is a member of Gamma Phi Beta Sorority and is serving as a conference coordinator for the Southeastern Panhellenic Conference this year.
*Check in photograph included money raised for the SEPC silent auction and not entirely funds designated for Circle of Sisterhood Foundation.