Happy Thanksgiving

Wishing everyone a Happy Thanksgiving and a wonderful kickoff to the holiday season! I hope you will consider the Sugar Bear Foundation this Giving Tuesday. I feel blessed that we have continued to grow this past year with not only the number of spouses and children we have served throughout the United States, but have also been able to expand our programs. Additionally, we have provided more workshop offerings and have many more planned for the coming year as well as in-person events. 

Our mission continues to focus on providing our spouses and children with support through career, educational, financial, and wellness initiatives. In doing so we offer them a stable path after enduring the loss of their spouse or parent. I personally know these families need these opportunities after giving their all. So often we are told by our spouses they know there are resources out there for our community but they do not know where to look nor have the time with all they are managing. As such, we work daily to remove those barriers and provide solutions. But we need help!

Whether you donate or help spread the word about our work we cannot do this alone. As a thank you, for a limited time, anyone donating $30 or more can receive a Sugar Bear t-shirt! When donating please make sure to list the size (in the notes section) and or whether you are donating for our Annual  Holiday Gift Card Campaign. Please know it all helps and we are very grateful! I hope you enjoy reading about our latest News & Events as well as a wonderful start to the holiday season.

Thank you,

Jennifer Carazo
Gold Star wife and President

More Good News to Share!

We continue to have great news and opportunities for our families and could not resist the chance to share! Our Team is grateful to so many for the support we receive. We could not do any of this without them.

A big thank you to ViaSat for their recent fundraiser. Not only was it a fun event but the funds raised will make a real impact on our programs and the families we serve. We are also incredibly grateful to our Educational Sponsor, RF-LAMBDA for their ongoing support of our mission and the educational programs they help us provide. They have truly become family to us and work collaboratively to help us make the most impact.

We hope our spouses and teens in San Diego will join us this coming Sunday the 16th for our College Planning Workshop which is sponsored by RF-LAMBDA. Not only will we have great information pertaining to the college application process, benefits, and private scholarships but also how our programs can support both spouses and teens during the application period. Our families who are not in the area can join us remotely.

Also taking place in San Diego is our upcoming Meet and Greet where spouses can learn about our many programs and meet some of our Team. Thank you to our friends at Dunkin as this is going to be a sweet event!

We have more events and opportunities in San Diego… Please save the date for this year's RF-LAMBDA Holiday Open House on Sunday, December 11th. We promise it will not disappoint! Thank you, RF-LAMBDA for ALL that you do. Come join us for a fun night and fundraiser at the Bellyup Tavern next month. A portion of the proceeds made at this event will go towards our work.

I am personally so grateful for everything and truly feel blessed to work in this role. As such we are able to continue Sugar Bear's legacy of service while giving back to the spouses and children who have given their all. For my fellow spouses, please be on the lookout for more events and sources of support. Our Team continues to work daily to not only sustain but expand our current services and programs for our families throughout the United States and there is a lot coming your way. As always, if you would like to get involved with our mission, help us fundraise, or have an idea please reach out to our Admin@theSugarBearFoundation.org.

Thank you,

Jennifer Carazo

Gold Star wife and President

September Updates

Although the weather may not always reflect it, Fall is upon us. A season of new beginnings, the hustle and bustle of getting kids back to school, sports and activities, and the holiday season slowly creeping upon us. My hope for our spouses is this is a good time of year. Perhaps a little break from the summer and a time (even if briefly) to focus on some new goals. And by goals, even one can be a significant achievement!

Here at the Sugar Bear Foundation, we are working to support you in all of your endeavors, and we understand the challenges you face after losing your spouse. Whether we want to admit it or not, our lives have been changed and so have those of our children. But the optimist in me always tries to focus on the positive. Our organization and those we are partnering with are striving to assist you… we are with you on this new path for the long haul. As such we are offering several workshops in the coming weeks for both you and your teens as well as new programs and workshops on the horizon. 

The opportunity to work with Hiring Our Heroes has been a blessing! They totally understand our community and are committed to helping our spouses find the best fit for their employment needs. One of our spouses said it best about this amazing new program. Her words are very encouraging and I know will inspire other spouses to not only check out the program but to join us for our upcoming Information Session to learn more.

Additionally, we are very fortunate to work with Bank of America and their Better Money Habits Team. You can check out their information listed on our Resource Page or join us for the workshop next week. Our new Financial and Resource Counselor Erica Brophy will kick off the session with some invaluable information for survivors. For spouses who might be interested you can now set up an appointment with Erica to review individual resources for your family. Again, all part of our plan to best support our families and expand our existing programs.

In October Spouses and teens can join us in person (San Diego) or virtually for our College Planning Workshop. Thanks to our amazing educational sponsor, RF-LAMBDA, families can learn about the college application process, various timelines, and the support services we provide to assist. We are honored to have Rebekah Williams Lovorn, Executive Director of No Greater Sacrifice, joining us to provide insight and clarity on VA benefits, scholarships, and more,  With the school year resuming, this is a great time to check out our Virtual Tutoring Program which is available for Surviving children, teens, and spouses. The program provides remedial, enrichment, homeschool assistance, and college consulting. 

I am excited about all of these opportunities and as previously mentioned we are working on more for both our spouses, children, and teens. Stay tuned! For our friends and supporters, I hope you will check out the upcoming fundraising event at the Belly Up Tavern in Solana Beach hosted by Sugar Bear’s Class from Navy. Please join us for this FUN evening and GREAT music. We appreciate all they are doing to support our mission and continue Sugar Bear’s legacy of service. 

As always, I thank you for taking the time to read our updates, and supporting our work. For my fellow survivors please know we are here for you always. 

Thank you,

Jennifer Carazo 
Gold Star wife/ President 

A Busy but Blessed Summer

We are having a very busy summer at the Sugar Bear Foundation and are incredibly grateful for our growing support as it means we can assist more families.

First, we had the opportunity to attend the Marine Corps Aviation Association’s Symposium. We had a great week seeing many friends and sharing our mission. We truly appreciate the support from MCAA and the grants they have provided us. As such we have been able to expand our Financial Assistance and Employment Program by bringing on to our team Gold Star wife and Survivor Advocate, Erica Brophy. Erica, a certified Financial Counselor, is working with our spouses who are seeking financial grants as well as providing individualized resource information to our families. She is a real asset to our team.

Additionally, we have partnered with Hiring Our Heroes to provide support to spouses who are even thinking about returning to work.  Again, this program also provides our spouses with individualized support from HOH’s Career Connectors and they have many resources and opportunities to share. 

Next, I had the opportunity to attend the Viasat Memorial Day event hosted by their Veteran’s Alliance. While at the event I shared Mario’s story and what led to the founding of the Sugar Bear Foundation. I was so grateful for this opportunity and for the funds they raised for us with their holiday BBQ. This amazing company continues to provide support to our programs and we appreciate all they are doing. 

 A big thank you to our friends from Burton Foods Dunkin Donuts Rosecrans store for their recent dedication to Sugar Bear. I know Sugar Bear would be so honored for this recognition but also for the opportunity to raise awareness of Surviving Families. We are very grateful for their support and the funds they have and will provide to our programs.

We also received some very sweet support from some special friends in Hawaii with their ice cream fundraiser. Please check out MALAMA KAUHALE and their Instagram page. Their treats look awesome and we hope to sample them in person soon.

And there is still more! We are currently working on two upcoming workshops. The first will take place in September with our friends from Bank of America and their Better Money Habits. This is a fantastic program that is providing support to military families. Fortunately, for us and BOA’s assistance, we have put together a virtual workshop that will focus on the needs of our spouses and what they face after losing their service members. Erica Brophy will also join us for this event and provide some specific and necessary resources for spouses. Please save the date for this virtual workshop- Wednesday, September 14th from 1-3 pm EST. Registration coming soon!

Finally, we will once again offer our College Planning Workshop in San Diego, Sunday, October 16th at the office of our amazing Educational Sponsor RF-LAMBDA. For families not in the San Diego area, you will have the opportunity to attend virtually. More information and registration coming soon. Make sure to check out our educational programs provided by RF-LAMBDA (Memorial Scholarship, Online Tutoring and Virtual College Consulting).

Although July is a difficult time, I feel so blessed for the opportunities I have received to share Sugar Bear’s life, our work, and to grow the Foundation. It is my life’s work now. I know the programs and support we are providing are needed. We hear it every day from the spouses we serve. Our goal is to provide solutions to our families so they can start their lives over while coping with the loss of their service members. I hope you will join us this Friday and take part in Sugar Bear’s Virtual Memorial Run. It really is the best way to celebrate Sugar Bear’s life as the funds raised go towards our programs and those of the Marine Corps Association’s programs for Marines. 

Thank you for taking the time to read and support our work and the families who have given their all in service to our country. Thank you too to our amazing Team/Board. They are the best!  Please reach out to our admin@thesugarbearfoundation.org for any ideas you may have to support our work or to get involved. 

Thank you,

Jennifer Carazo 
President/Gold Star wife