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Origin
In 1994, Dr. Pullikattil Chacko Simon founded the Chacko and Lize Simon Scholarship Fund to
provide scholarships to bright children from devastatingly poor families in and around his native
village of Keekozhur in the Pathanamthitta district of Kerala state, India.
This philanthropy provides Indian recipients of the scholarship an opportunity to escape their
poverty-ridden backgrounds and build better lives for themselves, their families, and their
communities.
- In 2015, the Society began awarding scholarships to low income students in British Columbia.
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Administration
The fund, capital of which is provided solely by Dr. Simon, is administered by a Board of five
Directors; Lize Simon, Chacko Simon, Margaret Harris, Ted Hawthorne, and Gayle Hawthorne.
Scholarship applicants are recruited by our agent resident in India; Mr. V.C. George. This agent
solicits the applications, screens the students for eligibility by interviewing them and visiting their
homes, ensures that all required supporting documentation (photograph, official transcript of last
three years’ marks, supporting letters from teacher, priest, doctor, and other responsible members
of community, official statement of family income, autobiographical profile) is provided. He then
forwards all of this completed package to the Fund’s headquarters in Vancouver, B.C., Canada.
When applications are received, they are evaluated and presented to the Board of Directors for
approval. Funds are then allocated and sent directly to the institution the student wishes to attend.
Students may renew their scholarships for up to four years.
In British Columbia, Canada, applications and supporting documentation are submitted directly to
our Vancouver office by March 1st each year where they are evaluated and scholarships awarded..
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Scholarships Granted Since 1996
Since 1996, the fund has provided 5422 scholarships to students attending more than 75 post
secondary institutions.
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Areas of Study
Thirty-five areas of study have been pursued by our recipients. They include: