Frequently Asked Questions

 

 

  1. I want to help a student by sponsoring a scholarship. What are my options?

 

You can sponsor a high school student (Gr. IX through XII) or a general stream college (Bachelor degree) student by paying $180 a year or a professional-level (Engineering, Medical, Chartered Accountancy, Nursing and other 3+ years) college student by paying $360 a year.

 

  1. Can I choose the student I want to sponsor?

 

You can choose the State or the School, but not a student by name. You may, however, express your preference in any manner you want, but Lily Foundation, while trying to accommodate your preference, is the ultimate selecting authority.

 

  1. How does Lily Foundation monitor the student’s progress?

 

Lily Foundation does the monitoring in three ways: A) By reviewing the annual progress report, B) By reviewing the annual student evaluation sent by his/her mentor and  C) By reading book-reports written by the student twice a year.

 

  1. How do I know the student’s progress?

 

Lily Foundation will send you the annual result, a summary statement of the student evaluation by the mentor (or a copy of the Mentor Evaluation Form) and any new testimonial of extra-curricular activities if applicable.

 

  1. How do I communicate my thoughts/ suggestions with Lily Foundation?

 

You may write anytime to myfriend@lilyfoundation.org or  jpsarkar@hotmail.com or send a letter to SMILE Administrator, PO Box 59824, Dallas, TX 75229.

 

  1. Can I communicate with my sponsored student directly?

 

Yes.  Please call 817-294-5536 or email jpsarkar@hotmail.com .

 

  1. How is my monthly sponsorship contribution spent?

 

Lily Foundation awards Rs. 500/- to the student every month for books, tuition, school uniforms, transportation and study materials, which is paid in quarterly installments four times a year. The payment is by bank check. There is an annual conference of the scholarship recipients, for which the students are reimbursed for the travel with their guardians. The SMILE Scholarship administration activities include communication with the students, their mentors ( and on occasions with headmasters/teachers as needed), occasional meeting with the students by the Lily Area Representatives or the sponsors, distributing prizes for various accomplishments/ good book-reports and at times taking care of the students’ family healthcare costs.  Besides, it’s a hard fact that every year some sponsors stop paying Lily the monthly/annual gifts for reasons of their own, but Lily does not discontinue the awards to the students.

 

  1. Don’t you think $15 a month is still a little too high?

 

Based on the history of last four years’ exchange rates (which ranged from Rs. 39/- to Rs. 51/- to $1.00) it is fair that we ask for this amount. Our financial tracking lines up well with the budget. Moreover, it is impractical to change sponsorship rates frequently.

 

  1. How satisfied are the students with the money they get? And how satisfied are the sponsors about their money utilized?

 

We don’t have any scientific survey results to support our conviction. However, the general feedbacks are that a good number of students are able to continue their studies only because of the grant, and all students are very encouraged to pursue higher studies. On the sponsor side, the enthusiasm has been growing consistently as evidenced by the number of ever-increasing sponsorships.

 

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 SMILE Scholarship 07/15/10