New Programs and Opportunities for Gold Star Spouses and Children

I am excited to share that we are officially launching our new Financial Assistance Program. This goes beyond a labor of love for me. It has been both an objective of our work and a personal goal of mine. There is a need for this type of assistance, and it should not be a surprise. We know many of our military families are struggling financially and  I can assure you this scenario is only compounded with the death of the service member. Sugar Bear always told me if I had a problem to fix it! Not to wait for someone else to step up. So, we are putting his words into action. 

We are also joining the Family Forever program in co-hosting a virtual workshop for Gold Star teens exploring college. We know this process is a bit more challenging now with COVID-19 and we are hoping to remove some of that stress. Additionally, with school starting, we want to remind our families that we still have funding from our amazing scholarship sponsor, RF-LAMBDA for online tutoring. 

As always, if you would like to help us grow our mission, I encourage you to reach out to our Admin@thesugarbearfoundaiton.org.  All of our programs, events, and services are dependent on the generous support we receive. Please know I am personally grateful as you all have enabled us to not only continue Sugar Bear's legacy of service but give back to the spouses and children who have given their all! 

Thank you,

Jennifer Carazo 
Gold Star wife and Chairman 

May is a Very Special Month for Us

May 25th is Sugar Bear's birthday, so we are dedicating this month to celebrating his life, highlighting our work, and focusing on community engagement.  If you are not already, make sure to follow us on social media (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter) as we share in more details our programs and opportunities for Gold Star families and his story.

During the last four years we have been incredibly blessed for the support and assistance we have received. We have implemented a scholarship, internship and other educational programs as well as events that have provided both spouses and children the opportunity to forge a new path after loss, one that will enable them to create a more fulfilling life.

Additionally, we are in the process of implementing new programs that will address and assist spouses with career transition and financial support. I am personally grateful for what we have been able to achieve. To say this is a labor of love for me would be a gross understatement. The Sugar Bear Foundation has completely redirected my life to one that is now focused on service and assisting the families of our fallen. One that I know would make Sugar Bear genuinely happy because of his devotion to his fellow Marines and Sailors.

If I learned anything from our twenty years together it was to remain vigilant in my objectives. I am, and so is our team, as we look forward to making an even greater impact and reaching Gold Star families across the nation. I hope you will join us in whatever you can do. This month, especially, we are asking our friends to sign up for Sugar Bear’s Memorial Virtual Run (in honor of his birthday) and truly making this a day of giving, make a donation or simply help us spread our mission. Additionally, this Tuesday, May 5th is Giving Tuesday and another means of support for our work. It all helps, and we are grateful! Please know we are always open to suggestions so reach out if you have an idea, suggestion or want to help us implement a program.

Thank you,

Jennifer Carazo

Gold Star Wife and Chairman

Partnerships

We all know when we work together the results are generally better, there is a greater sense of accomplishment and an improved sense of community. We could not agree more!  We have been blessed to join forces with some incredible partners that have helped us spread our mission, provided opportunities for support and ultimately increased our impact on the families we serve.  Throughout our newsletter you’ll see examples of our partners assisting us, helping us grow and supporting our mission of improving the lives of Gold Star families. But there is still more to do, and you can easily join us! Donations, host a fundraiser, speaking opportunities, sponsor an event, take part in our virtual run or reach out to us if you have an idea. It all helps and will make a difference. In doing so, we continue Sugar Bear's legacy of service in a way that would make him happy and is truly impactful. 

New Year Means New Opportunities

In July it will be nine years since we lost Sugar Bear.  In those first few years after his death, I was honestly only focused on all he was missing and all that the kids and I were missing in our lives by not having him physically present. And then I made a turn, I began to look at these anniversaries in a different light. The focus became more positive. I marked the milestones in terms of living life and less on loss. This outlook only increased with the formation of the Foundation. Now, as each year passes, I celebrate in the successes that our children have found, their happiness and of course, in the growth and impact of our work.

Last year we implemented the RF-LAMBDA Memorial Scholarship in honor of Sugar Bear, which is helping a Gold Star student finish his college degree at a university in Utah. This year, our scholarship partner has increased their commitment to Gold Star students and us by offering an internship program, Science Saturdays and the opportunity to attend a STEM based program in Boston with the RF-LAMBDA team (More information and applications in the next few weeks). Their belief in our mission is allowing us to make not only a greater impact on some deserving young people but also help in shaping the direction of their lives.

Our work with the MCRD Command Museum’s Family Forever program is also growing through the forum series, social outings and gift card program for back to school shopping needs. Our desire has been to assist families in the survivor community with such necessities and we are happy to be doing so.

And we are working on several other initiatives to best serve surviving spouses and children with their career, educational and financial needs.  As we grow, so do the opportunities for individuals and communities to join us in our efforts to give back in Sugar Bear’s name. Please contact us if you have an opportunity for an internship at your company or business that could provide valuable experience for a military surviving student or spouse, have a desire to fundraise for us, would like to donate or have a different idea to lend support. We are dependent on such involvement and value any and all opportunities. We are excited for the future and growing our work and mission in honor of our sweet hero.  In doing so, we continue Sugar Bear’s legacy of service in a truly impactful manner.

Thank you,

Jennifer Carazo

Gold Star Wife and Chairman

Admin@thesugarbearfoundation.org