I hope everyone is enjoying the holiday season. How is it almost 2024?! We had a fantastic time attending the RF-LAMBDA Holiday Open House in San Diego. We are so grateful for this company’s generous support, not only with this event, but throughout the year. They are truly making a difference in the lives of our families. Thank you also to our friends from the San Diego USO and Hiring Our Heroes for your support and time at this event.
This year flew by and our team is busy preparing for 2024 and all that we want to provide for our families. Spouses, please be on the lookout for some fantasic new workshops, programs, and in-person events. In San Diego, our spouses will be able to take part in our new Growth Group headed up by our amazing Coach, Susan Hannifin-MacNab. These get-togethers will provide social, emotional, and professional support.
In North Carolina, we will continue with our Lunch and Learn offerings (the next will be Tuesday, January 23rd) in Raleigh. These events provide spouses, guardians, and providers with more information about our programs, to get registered with us, and to meet some of our team. Additionally, we will be offering more workshops focused on employment, personal finances, and emotional healing.
I know the holidays can be a difficult season for our families, especially those who are new to the Survivor Community. The Sugar Bear Foundation has lost a dear friend, Colonel Ken “Kid” Gardiner, and we are praying for his family and will be sharing more about his life and service in the coming months. For any of our spouses, whether you are a few months or years out, if you are feeling lost and not sure what is next… want to focus on your physical, and emotional health… looking for parenting support… need help finding a job, or not sure how to relaunch a career, please reach out to us (Admin@TheSugarBearFoundation.org) as we are here to help! A new year can mean a new you and we have the Team to help you get started, create some new goals, and sustain them. With our robust and holistic approach, we have all areas covered, from your physical health to your financial stability. Take that first step with us! So reach out to us to get started or learn more.
I also invite our families to check out our Resources as we have some excellent partners and supporting organizations that you might not know about and can provide assistance. We add to this list often and have included some new wonderful employment links that are focused on remote positions that are perfect for our families.
We are very excited to launch our new partnership with Cummins and offer our college-age students and spouses (who are attending school, and/or are looking to return to work) our Career Mentoring Program. For those interested in receiving mentoring please complete the application. This will be a process as we try to make the best matches between mentees and mentors, and might take some time, but we are thrilled to help families get started.
Thank you to our friends from the Patriot Military Family Foundation for their recent grant. We are most grateful for their support as it helps us sustain and grow our impact. We hope our friends will consider making a donation to the Sugar Bear Foundation for their end-of-year giving. We rely on your support as we continue to grow and provide for the spouses and children who have given their all! As always, if you have an idea to help, want to get involved, or host a fundraiser, I encourage you to reach out to us.
Thank you in advance for helping us continue Sugar Bear’s legacy of service as we assist Gold Star/Surviving Spouses and children with career, educational, financial, and wellness support.
Happy New Year!
Jennifer Carazo
Gold Star wife/President
