Greek Sing, a dance competition held among all of Auburn's Panhellenic Council sororities, received a record-breaking number of donations for Habitat for Humanity this year. Sororities raised a total of $58,261.26 by the end of the event.
Greek Sing is a long-standing tradition at the University where each sorority chapter selects a theme, choreographs a dance, and practices for most of the year to perfect their routines for the spring show. All of the proceeds from the show go to the Auburn-Opelika branch of Habitat for Humanity.
“In the last three years, we have given nearly $150,000,” said Anna Sayers, junior in marketing and assistant director of Greek Sing's 2020 event.
This year, however, the event looked different from those of the past because of the pandemic. Though sororities were able to raise money as normal, the Council recognized the top three fundraising chapters and donated to those chapters' philanthropies.
“To continue the spirit of competition, we had our donation drive website create a competition between the chapters,” Sayers said. “We also sold event T-shirts, many of our Panhellenic chapters decided to donate what they would have spent on ticket sales and we hosted benefit night drives throughout the year.”
Sayers said she hopes the money will raise awareness for future Greek Sing events at the University.
“This was our largest donation to date,” she said. “I think every year Greek Sing becomes more recognized by the community, and people see how important giving back to the local community is through Habitat for Humanity.”
Auburn Panhellenic has sponsored houses in the Auburn-Opelika area for over 20 years with Habitat for Humanity, according to Sayers.
“Panhellenic serves on the Advisory Board of Directors, we attend fundraising events, build days, and we visit the houses and meet the individuals that move into the homes,” Sayers said. “This year we had the opportunity to work on build days, and were able to see the finished product on multiple houses that our contributions helped fund.”
The Council sends the money to the organization, and it chooses how to use those funds accordingly. Most of the funds go directly toward building homes, Sayers said. This year, the funds were donated to Briaunna Jones, an administrative assistant in the college of agriculture.
“[Briaunna] has four kids, three boys and one girl, and they are all so excited to move into their new home soon,” Sayers said. “The dedication took place on Dec. 12, and it was so special to get to meet and talk to Briaunna about how she was able to become a homeowner through this organization.”
Students interested in getting involved in Greek Sing for the 2021 year are encouraged to visit its donation drive website or follow the Auburn Panhellenic Instagram page to learn about future events and reach out to Sayers personally.
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Destini Ambus, senior in journalism, pursuing a minor in sociology is the editor-in-chief of The Auburn Plainsman.
