During Delta Delta Delta’s second annual Gold Week, from Nov. 6 to Nov. 10, the sisters of Tri Delta raised money and awareness for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
Since 1999, Tri Delta has maintained a close partnership with St. Jude. While working with St. Jude, the sorority has surpassed their fundraising goals, raising over $94 million nationally.
Maggie Faircloth ‘26, Wofford Tri Delta’s director of philanthropy, is passionate about the personal difference their chapter and sorority as a whole is making. When Faircloth visited St. Jude, she was moved to learn the outcome of the sorority’s hard work.
“Patients’ moms were coming up to me and (telling me about) how, in times when they thought their child was going to die, they met Tri Delta sisters and saw their letters in the ICU, certain walls that we’ve donated or halls in the hospital that we funded and helped build,” Faircloth said. “In those moments, when they’ve seen and met Tri Deltas or just heard about the impact we had, that’s what helped keep them going through that incredibly difficult time.”
One of the sorority’s major donations is Tri Delta Place. This is a free space for families and patients to stay while receiving treatment at the hospital. It was built entirely off of funds that the Tri Delta chapter raised nationally.
“I felt like I could do the most by giving to St. Jude because of the direct impact we have on patients and families,” Faircloth said.
In an effort to do as much as they can for the organization, they host Gold Week. Each year, Tri Delta selects a week and offers different activities each day to raise awareness and funds for St. Jude Children’s Hospital,
The events were in various locations around campus to encourage students not in the sorority to also get involved. One of these events was Pie-A-Tri. After paying $3, someone gets to throw a plate of whipped cream in a Tri Delta sister’s face.
“It’s a way to not only get our campus involved, but it’s a huge bonding moment for our sisters as well,” Faircloth said.
Another one of the most popular activities of the week is called “DHOP,” a play on the breakfast chain “IHOP.” At “Delta House of Pancakes”, guests paid $10 and were allowed to enjoy pancakes with various toppings, live music and a pancake-eating competition.
“I love events that are multifaceted,” said Tri Delta President Anna Troutt ‘24. “My first big bonding experience after recruitment with my pledge class and my sorority was the first time we did DHOP.”
The sisters of Tri Delta have raised over $23,000 during this year’s Gold Week, helping to support those who experience childhood cancer.
“Whether it was someone directly close to you, a friend of a friend, someone from your city or someone from your school, this is something that has impacted the lives of everyone,” Troutt said.
This personal connection is part of why Troutt joined Tri Delta in the first place, as she saw the way their philanthropy helps those who experience childhood cancer.
“I absolutely sobbed when I was going through recruitment (and) watching our philanthropy process because, right when I got here freshman year, I had a best friend in high school who had just been diagnosed with cancer,” Troutt said.
With the research that St. Jude does, she still talks to that friend every week.
“The work that St. Jude does, that seems so distant from Wofford College and South Carolina, is so integrated into all of our lives,” Troutt said.