Texas Panhellenic fundraises $45,000 for new school in Senegal 

Texas Panhellenic, in collaboration with nonprofit organizations, finished fundraising $45,000 in the spring for a school in Senegal, which is set to break ground in the fall. 

Texas Panhellenic, the organization that oversees all 13 sorority chapters on campus, raised the funds in partnership with Circle of Sisterhood and buildON, two nonprofits seeking to break barriers to education around the world, with a focus on girls and women. The school in Senegal will be the 50th school built by Circle of Sisterhood, an organization powered by sorority women and alumni, in collaboration with Panhellenic organizations around the U.S.

Ginny Carroll, executive director and founder of Circle of Sisterhood, said she built the organization because she knew educated women would care deeply about giving girls access to school.

“Nobody ever said no, because they saw the importance of helping girls get to school,” Carroll said.

Carroll said they chose to work with buildON because of the organization’s focus on equality in education for women and girls.

“Of those 415,000 (children) that are attending a buildON school every day, 50% are girls,” said Morgan Dickerson, community engagement director of buildOn.

Fundraising efforts, which began in fall 2024 and ended this past May, included raffles during parent weekends, donations from local Austin businesses and profit shares.

“(It was) definitely a hodgepodge of fundraising,” said Carly Rodriguez, vice president of philanthropy for Texas Panhellenic. 

Rodriguez said the biggest donation came from the Interfraternity Council’s annual spring concert event West Fest. Although not directly partnered, the IFC donated a large portion of registration fees from West Fest to the cause, the amount needed to fully reach their goal. 

To prepare for the construction, buildON is working with the community in Senegal by hosting meetings, acquiring rights to the land, gathering materials and setting up a project leadership committee with local residents. BuildON asks for an equal gender split in the committee with six men and six women. 

“This is sometimes the first time that a woman is holding a formal position of power or leadership role,” Dickerson said.

In 2024, Texas Panhellenic fundraised $40,000 to repair a school in Nicaragua, replacing old rooms with a permanent and safe space, providing a more “stable learning environment,” Rodriguez said. The school supported 78 students, including 40 girls.

Rodriguez said that while each sorority in Texas Panhellenic has their own philanthropy cause, they all come together to fundraise for Circle of Sisterhood. 

“Panhellenic really is a united front,” Rodriguez said. “It might be 13 chapters, but it’s all one big family.”

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