One Woman

Lessons learned from the founder of Circle of Sisterhood, Ginny Carroll. 

During the 2014 Recruitment Orientation for Panhellenic Recruitment, potential new members and Gamma Chis were given the opportunity to hear directly from the founder of Circle of Sisterhood.

Circle of Sisterhood is an organization comprised of sorority women who have dedicated themselves to the universal education of women. Carroll, during her presentation, told us lucky few that she was inspired through reading a book detailing the horrors of human trafficking and the overall treatment of women in the poorest areas of Africa. She told us that she knew she had been called to do something about this horrible injustice.

Never failing to hold onto her original inspiration, Carroll reached out to the expansive network of sorority women she had developed over the years and informed them of her cause. Her dedication and passion lit a fire in their hearts and their dream has become an amazing reality.

I consider myself and my fellow sisters incredibly lucky to have sat in the presence of such an inspiring and world-changing woman. She told us of her initial work building up the organization and of the pride and sense of accomplishment she felt after witnessing the first school funded by the Circle of Sisterhood reach completion. She detailed the difficulties of building her own organization and the bumps along the road. But the most important thing that I took away from the presentation was the knowledge of the influence of a single empowered woman. 

After embracing her initial inspiration to change the condition of female African children, Ginny Carroll has managed to inspire sorority women nationally and influence the following achievements:

• 899 Donors
• $374,000 raised
• 688 individuals and 143 sorority communities
• 1 school in Senegal, Africa

It's truly amazing to me to imagine a woman discovering her dream and making it a reality in as little as three years. All it took was the motivation of one woman to start the chain of events that saved these children from the sex trade, from ignorance, and from wasted lives. She has saved the lives of many and has empowered future generations of sorority women to believe in their ability to make a change.

So, the most important lesson taken from this life-changing presentation is to hold onto your dreams. If you see value in a cause and if you see a worthy need for change, make it happen. You are part of the largest group of collegiate-educated women in the world. Endless amounts of sisters are here to support you in your mission. 

I learned that one woman truly can change the world. I am honored to say that my Panhellenic Community at the University of Tennessee has chosen to participate in this organization and wear its organization as the philanthropy of our community. We are on our way to funding our own school and could not be more thrilled.

Please visit the Circle of Sisterhood webpage at www.circleofsisterhood.org and view this video on their website for more information about the power of one Panhellenic woman.