Each year, the Sigma Chi Canadian Foundation is pleased to award a scholarship to each Chapter in memory of Christopher James “Jim” Grimes, University Of Western Ontario ’57.

Biography

Jim Grimes was well qualified to be a member of “The Order of Constantine” of Sigma Chi, the highest honour attainable for service within the ranks of Sigma Chi. Jim, a founding member of Epsilon Omicron, was enshrined as # 2 in the roll book of the Epsilon Omicron Chapter at the University of Western Ontario in 1957.

While he worked in the senior ranks of the Ontario Government civil service, Jim continued his connection with the fraternity playing a prominent role in the restoration of the beautiful paneled library at Epsilon Omicron¸ in memory of Bob Varah who was also a co-founder of the Epsilon Omicron Chapter. Jim was one of the organizers of the 75th Anniversary Celebration of Sigma Chi in Canada in 1997. For each of these roles Jim received a Grand Consul’s Citation.

He acted as President of the EO Housing Corporation and helped in the fundraising for the restoration of the Epsilon Omicron Chapter house following the disastrous fire in 1987. His work as a Director and Secretary of the Sigma Chi Canadian Foundation has helped to make the mission of the Foundation “To Strengthen Sigma Chi in Canada” more meaningful to each of the Chapters, brothers and alumni.

Jim impressed those who had the opportunity to be associated with him by his keen intellect, his interest in history, his jovial nature and his positive outlook, in spite of physical and health challenges that seemed only to make him stronger in spirit. To quote Jim, “all my life people have thought of me as disabled but in Sigma Chi I am treated as a brother”. Jim Grimes’ life is a fine example of the determination, persistence and spirit of our original founders 151 years ago.

Jim made provision for supporting the mission “To Strengthen Sigma Chi in Canada” through a bequest. The result of that bequest is “The Jim Grimes Brotherhood Award” for a brother who has toiled out of the spotlight to bring credit to the Fraternity in each of the Canadian Chapters of Sigma Chi. The life of Christopher James “Jim” Grimes continues to provide us with a fine example of the indomitable Sigma Chi spirit.

The scholarship program which bears his name is designed to recognize invaluable contributions from brothers who are the “unsung heroes” within Chapters across Canada. These are brothers who may not necessarily be chapter officers but who consistently contribute to the success of their chapters and are a credit to the Fraternity. We therefore welcome nominations from all Canadian Chapters. An award is available for each chapter.

Amount: Each scholarship will have an annual value of $1,000 CDN per Canadian chapter (payable to the qualifying Brother).

Eligibility: All members of Canadian active Chapters are eligible provided they will be enrolled in a full-time program during the following academic year, either as an undergraduate or as a graduate student. Consuls are not eligible for this award.

Selection Criteria for Award: Candidates will be assessed based on their all around excellence and in accordance with the following criteria:

1. Active contribution to the Fraternity
2. Brothers who exemplify the Sigma Chi Creed
3. Cannot have received another SCCF award
4. Can only be awarded once to the same Brother

Nominations: To be submitted by the Chapter Advisor of the nominee’s chapter, seconded by the chapter Consul. The application should be completed using the application form below.

Purpose: To reward the unsung hero of the active chapter for the current academic year.

Beneficiary: Active Brother

Review Panel: All nominees will be reviewed and approved by the standing Scholarship & Grants Committee. The Committee reserves the right to request further supporting information from the Chapter Advisor regarding the candidate.

Application Date: Deadline for submitting is August 31, 2023.

Application Procedure: Chapter Advisors to complete Application Form below.

Validation & Judging Procedure: Judged by local Chapter Advisor, validated by SCCF Scholarship & Grants Committee.

Award Timing / Turnaround Target: Recipients will be notified by email provided on the application once a decision has been made. We are targeting to have all scholarships and awards to be paid by mid-October once we have reviewed all submissions and vetted for accuracy.

Payment Terms: Paid by cheque for $1,000 by October 15th.

Funding Source (Donation Card): Jim Grimes Endowment

Privacy: The information submitted on the Application Form, including the applicant’s S.I.N., will kept strictly confidential and used only for the purposes described here. Complete Application Forms will be shared with the Scholarship & Grants Committee members only for the purpose of determining the applicant’s eligibility and for no other purpose. Personal information (contact information, SIN) will be shared with the Treasurer of the Sigma Chi Canadian Foundation for reporting purposes related to the non-profit status of the organization. Applicant information will be kept for a period of 5 years and thereafter destroyed.

SIN  /ITN Number: To be eligible for a scholarship or grant in Canada, all recipients will need to provide a valid SIN or ITN (Individual Tax Number.) We will ask for this information at a later date.

Questions: Please contact Malcolm MacLeod at: mmacleod (at) idirect (dot) com.