News
We are happy to share two upcoming events for San Diego Gold Star families in conjunction with our partnership through the MCRD Museum Foundation’s Family Forever program…
If you would like more information about joining the Family Forever program, please contact Admin@thesugarbearfoundation.org .
We had a great time attending Marine West and hosting the Semper Fi Mixer. It was wonderful to have some Gunfighters in attendance. Make sure to join us next year!
Thank you to some San Diego friends and supporters who held a silent auction in honor of The Sugar Bear Foundation. Additionally, guests donated toys that we were able to deliver to a special surviving family. Such donations and efforts enable us to do our work and we are always grateful. If you are interested in fundraising or hosting an event for us, please contact admin@thesugarbearfoundation.org
On Saturday December 8th we joined our scholarship partner, RF-LAMBDA in holding a holiday open house for Gold Star families. They provided families with a tour of their beautiful new facility, lunch, holiday gifts, crafts and a brief overview of the RF-LAMBDA Memorial Scholarship in honor of Lieutenant Colonel Mario “Sugar Bear” Carazo. Additionally, they introduced the new internship program, Science Saturdays, and a very special opportunity for a Gold Star student interested in a STEM career to attend a program this summer in Boston with the RF-LAMBDA team.
We are very grateful for RF-LAMBDA’s support of our work and Gold Star families. Please check back soon as we will have our scholarship, internship, and Boston conference applications available shortly.
We recently joined our partner from the MCRD Command Museum’s Family Forever program in launching the first of a three-part forum series for Gold Star wives and families. Topics of discussion included: wellness, resiliency, and new beginnings. Gold Star children had their own activities during the forum to provide them comfort and healing in dealing with loss.
Mission
The Sugar Bear Foundation is a 501(c)(3) formed in honor of Lieutenant Colonel Mario “Sugar Bear” Carazo who made the ultimate sacrifice on July 22, 2010 when his AH-1W Super Cobra was shot down while supporting Marines engaged in a firefight.
The Mission of the Foundation is to support the surviving spouses and children of fallen United States military personnel through programs that meet their immediate and ongoing needs and foster their personal, emotional, and social well-being.
We focus on providing assistance through educational, career and financial initiatives because these were areas “Sugar Bear” deemed important and we know there is a vital need in the survivor community.
Programs
We provide social, emotional and financial support through our partnership with the MCRD Command Museums’ Family Forever program which has included gift cards to Gold Star spouses to purchase school supplies for their children. Additionally, a three-part forum series was developed for Gold Star spouses and their families to provide support focusing on topics such as resiliency, transition, educational and career resources.
RF-LAMBDA Memorial Scholarship in Honor of Lieutenant Colonel Mario “Sugar Bear” Carazo
STEM and Internship Program through our partnership with RF-LAMBDA (launching 2019)
Financial and Academic initiatives coming in 2019
We are very excited to announce the first of a three-part forum series with our partners from the MCRD Command Museum’s Family Forever Program. Children are welcome and will have their own structured activities. We have spent several months working on this series and the goal has been to provide something truly unique to Gold Star spouses and their families. We will be joined by some amazing partners to not only share invaluable resources but to help women and families gain a new sense of purpose and meaning in their lives.
Thank you to Isabelle O’Donnell and her friends who recently celebrated Isabelle’s tenth birthday by donating to the Sugar Bear Foundation in lieu of gifts. We were touched by this incredible act of generosity and kindness. Happy Birthday Isabelle! We wish you a wonderful year ahead. You are truly a special young lady with a big heart.
Congratulations to Jason Bertolino our first recipient of the RF-LAMBDA Memorial Scholarship in honor of Lieutenant Colonel Mario "Sugar Bear" Carazo. Jason is an outstanding young man, Eagle Scout, competitive soccer player, and is active in his church. We wish him all the best as he returns to Utah to finish his final year of college.
It was wonderful to have some of Sugar Bear's classmates from the Naval Academy helping us celebrate. Their presence at Urge Gastropub & Common House was a welcome addition and provided a great reunion too.
Thank you to our sponsor RF-LAMBDA for their continued belief in our mission and support of Gold Star families. We look forward to working with them and providing more educational opportunities.
In August, we joined our partners from the MCRD Command Museum’s Family Forever program, to distribute gift cards to Gold Star spouses for their children’s back to school shopping. Such support is needed in the Gold Star community and we value working with partners who understand these needs.
