Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays

Wishing all of our friends, sponsors, and families a very Merry Christmas and a blessed holiday season.

We would also like to thank our friends and sponsors for your incredible generosity this year. Because of your support, we have been able to provide hundreds of families with educational, career, financial, and wellness resources—and, most importantly, hope as they navigate the unimaginable loss of their service members. 

To the families we serve: please know that you are always at the heart of our mission. We look forward to sharing updated program information and new opportunities with you in the coming months.

Thank you for the opportunity to give back in honor of Sugar Bear. It is a privilege and an honor that I truly cherish. Please consider supporting our end-of-year campaign with a donation that helps us continue serving the families who need it most.

Thank you,

Jennifer Carazo
Gold Star Wife/ President

Tis The Season!

As I write this note, I can hardly believe we are already halfway through November. The holiday season is upon us! I wanted to share a few quick updates and reminders.

First off, we have officially kicked off our Annual Holiday Gift Card Campaign. Any and all support is greatly appreciated.

Last month, Erica Brophy, our Financial and Resource Counselor, shared helpful tips, resources, and answered questions on topics such as lowering debt, beginning to save, and accessing specific resources for our families. Spouses are always welcome to set up an appointment with Erica to discuss your family's individual needs. To make an appointment, review the recording, or request a copy of Erica’s Tips and Resource List, please contact Admin@thesugarbearfoundation.org.

For any of our San Diego families—or those who work with Gold Star/Surviving Spouses and children in the area—you won’t want to miss the Annual RF-LAMBDA Holiday Open House on Saturday, December 6th from 12:00-3:00 pm. This is always a fun and festive event that we look forward to all year. You do not need to have children to attend. RSVPs are needed by November 28th, so please contact Admin@thesugarbearfoundation.org today. We will have a catered lunch, lots of goodies, and some special surprises.

Sugar Bear and I always counted our blessings, especially at this time of year, and I am grateful for the opportunity to give back in his honor. It truly is a labor of love. Thank you to our Team and Board, our incredible friends, sponsors, and generous donors. We could not do any of this without you, and I know Sugar Bear would share my sentiments.

To the families we serve, please know we continue to work hard to provide programming, events, and opportunities that we hope will offer impactful support as you navigate the incredible loss of your service member. Thank you for your sacrifice and for your service to our country.

Jennifer Carazo 
Gold Star Wife/President

Gratitude

I recently had the opportunity to return to the Naval Academy and see Sugar Bear's classmate make history as the first Marine Corps officer to become Superintendent. It was a special day, time with friends, and I definitely felt Sugar Bear's presence. Annapolis will always be a special place for me and provide reminders of what was important to Sugar Bear. I am blessed to have the opportunity to continue his legacy of service and give back to our families. 

In September another of Sugar Bear's classmates hosted a fundraising event for us in San Diego. This was also a great reunion and chance to share our work. Thank you to the BellyUp, BETAMAXX, and friends who attended this event, as well as the local companies that supported us. 

Thank you to the Marine Corps Aviation Association for their recent grant. I love attending the Symposium each year, and their support not only helps us sustain our programming but also enables us to launch new initiatives to help meet the evolving needs of our families. We could not do this without MCAA. 

We are very excited to share our three RF-LAMBDA Memorial Scholarship recipients. RF-LAMBDA is changing lives with this scholarship, and their yearly grant provides educational funding that enables us to provide our tutoring, college consulting, workshops, and other special programs. We are most grateful for all they do and the opportunities they give our families.

We have several upcoming events and new opportunities to share with our families that we encourage you to check out and attend.

First, our yearly Virtual College Planning Q&A event will be held on October 5th. If you have a middle school student (yes, middle school), then you should attend as Juliet Hawk will discuss the planning process for applying to college, review timelines, and give advice. This year, we will focus the session more on Q&A time. Juliet will answer your questions that you submit to Admin@TheSugarBearFoundation.org in advance of the session, even if you can’t attend. Please RSVP and submit your questions by Friday, October 3rd. Additionally, families will receive Juliet’s planning guide.

Next up is a special Virtual Financial Q&A session with Erica Brophy on October 20th. Erica, a Gold Star Spouse and creator of Gold Star Family Resources, is a Certified Financial Coach, holds an MBA, and has extensive financial experience. Erica is an expert in practical and simplified resources that she loves sharing with our families. You won’t want to miss this session. Please RSVP and submit your questions by Friday, October 17th, to Admin@TheSugarBearFoundation.org.

For our San Diego families, we have already begun planning the RF-LAMBDA Holiday Open House, which will be held Saturday, December 6th. This is always a fun event, and our RF-LAMBDA family goes above and beyond to provide a special time. Reach out and let us know if you can attend! 

Our families now have access to IXL Science in addition to Math and ELA subscriptions. They also have a special opportunity to receive a free, yearly subscription to Highlights magazine or the monthly I Can Read Book Club. We believe these opportunities, along with our other programs, provide much-needed educational support that is truly impactful. Please contact us to learn more. 

Thank you to all of our friends, our Team, our Board, and the incredible organizations and companies whose generosity enables us to continue Sugar Bear’s legacy of service.

Jennifer Carazo 
Gold Star Wife/President 

July is Bittersweet

July is a bittersweet month for me. Thirty-six years ago, Sugar Bear and I met at a dive bar on Pensacola Beach. He was a Midshipman at the Naval Academy, and I was home from college. It was a fun night and one I will never forget. Fifteen years ago this month, we lost him! Both events drastically changed my life. The first was obviously for the better… we got married, had our beautiful children, made incredible friends (including our Board and Team, whom I consider family and am so grateful), and had many adventures. I would not change any of it! But losing him, although awful, also had a profound impact on me and our children. The friends we made through the Marine Corps and military are still by our side, and many new ones have joined this circle. I am much stronger today and now have greater insight into his desire to serve. I get it! I know without a doubt he continues to watch over and take care of us. I have so many signs and see so much of Sugar Bear in our children. Their mannerisms, drive, humor (his sarcasm lives on), intelligence, interests, and they share his love of learning as they are both pursuing advanced degrees. I consider it another blessing that he had this time with them to instill such traits. Sugar Bear would be incredibly proud of them. As a widow who was terrified about rearing a nine and almost seven-year-old after that horrifying knock at the door, I now feel an incredible sense of relief as I can safely say we have made it to the other side. His love and strength (along with a great deal of support from many) have carried us through and provided for us when life seemed very bleak.

It is still hard, and we miss him dearly (and always will), but nine years ago I received a gift to form the Sugar Bear Foundation, and that too changed the trajectory of not only my life, but my hope is that of the families we serve. At the time, I was so focused on helping my fellow Surviving Spouses and their children, just as the kids and I had received an outpouring of support. Although this is, and always will be, one of the primary goals, I had no idea in those early years of the SBF that it was helping me heal, providing a platform to continue Sugar Bear’s legacy of service, and creating programs that can and have helped others move forward in life. For me, that brings such joy and hope. It has even strengthened the bond that Sugar Bear and I have, and my ties within the military community. Our children have seen and felt it, and it has helped in their healing. They, too, are more resilient and have a greater sense of gratitude. All of which would make Sugar Bear happy. 

We have several updates to share, and I hope you will take the time to read those, as well as two important fundraisers (Sugar Bear’s Virtual Memorial Run and the Raising Cane’s Fundraiser in Chapel Hill, NC). If possible, I ask that you take part, even share them with your friends, professional networks, and community, or donate. As a nonprofit, we are always asking for support. It’s what we do and need. However, this month is extra special for us, and I hope my ask will help you remember Sugar Bear, me (our family’s story), or the hundreds of families across the country we are now assisting and their heroes. Their lives have forever changed, and we are on a mission to extend to them all of the love and support that my two children and I received sixteen years ago. I would be most grateful, and I know without a doubt Sugar Bear would be too. 

As always, I hope you will reach out if you want to help support, share our mission, or fundraise for us. 

Thank you,

Jennifer Carazo 
Gold Star Wife/ President