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

Thank you for an Amazing Year!

As we look ahead to the coming year I am thrilled for all that lies ahead and very grateful for what we were able to provide this past year.  We continue to offer all of our programs for spouses and children but are adding some new ones too.  Specifically, I am very happy about our upcoming retreat in North Carolina. Working with Eagle Rock Camp is a perfect fit for us for many reasons. I easily connected with their founder who is also a widow, she understands loss, grief, trauma, is from a military family, and has been working within the community for years. We have a robust curriculum in place for this event as well as providing time for our spouses to enjoy this beautiful location and form some new friendships. If you know a spouse who might benefit from this retreat please share or reach out to us for more information as we hope to grow this program.  Such work would not be possible without the financial support we are receiving.

I was excited to attend Merry Margarita this year. It has been two years since the last celebration and it was definitely a joyous event. I am so grateful for this support, not only financially, but for the toys they donate and the opportunity to speak and share our work.

I would be remiss if I did not thank our amazing scholarship sponsor, RF-LAMBDA for their continued support, not only during the holiday season, but throughout the year. Their recent Holiday Open House was a wonderful event and a great opportunity to connect with our San Diego families. Additionally, RF-LAMBDA once again provided support for us to deliver gift cards and presents in San Diego too.

Thank you to all who contributed to our annual Gift Card Campaign. As a result, we were able to send gift cards for the holidays to our spouses from our Financial Assistance Program.

For our families, be on the lookout for a new STEM program that we have been working on as well as our Surviving Spouses Network which will provide some great information, resources and the opportunity to interact in a live forum. We are also working on employment opportunities for our spouses that would adhere to their busy and demanding lifestyle as surviving spouses. More to come.

Again, we could not do any of this without all of the incredible support we are receiving.

The new year will also bring in our 2022 Sugar Bear Virtual Run Fundraiser efforts. We will have sign-up information soon, but are always looking for Ambassadors to help us grow this program. This is a wonderful opportunity to share Sugar Bear’s story, our work and get involved with our mission. Any and all help is greatly appreciated.

For our spouses, a new year can bring new opportunities. Six years ago I received a gift with the opportunity to form this foundation. Although it has been a lot of work I would not change anything as I knew there was a need for more resources for families like ours. We hope you will reach out if you would like more information about one of our programs, are interested in employment opportunities, or if you have a need that has not been addressed. We are here to serve you! So please contact Admin@thesugarbearfoundation.org.

Thank you for making this a truly blessed year and thank you for supporting the spouses and children who have given their all! 

Jennifer Carazo
Gold Star wife/President

A Time to Give Thanks!

The holiday season is still my favorite time of year but that was not always the case. After losing Sugar Bear I was not sure how there would be any more celebrations nor holiday festivities. I did not want to celebrate anything, and I did not think I ever would. Despite the incredible support from so many friends (that are still standing by us to this very day) what truly got me to the proverbial “other side” of such a horrific loss was the very person I was grieving. As ironic as it may sound, it was several pivotal conversations we had throughout our marriage and before Sugar Bear left for Afghanistan. His words and spirit kept me going and reminded me to embrace life, smile, feel joy, count my blessings, and celebrate everything. I have made it a point to do just that and instill in our children that same mindset. And while I reflect this month on the Sugar Bear Foundation, I feel so much joy and gratitude.

I recently had the opportunity to tour the Pentagon. It was an incredible experience, especially from a historical perspective. My friend and guide was able to share a lot of the details from 911 which had a profound impact on me and my visit. I was reminded of loss and it inspired me to continue to give back especially during this holiday season, and reinforces why we continue to work hard to provide the many programs offered by the Sugar Bear Foundation. From our amazing memorial scholarship sponsor RF-Lambda and the upcoming Holiday Open House at their site, to the spouses we have been able to provide financial assistance as they regain their footing and start rebuilding their lives. We feel incredibly blessed for the Merry Margarita Party where the Sugar Bear Foundation will be the recipient of a silent auction. The funds raised from this event will go directly towards our programs such as  Financial Assitance, Coaching, Holiday Gift Card Campaign, and our first retreat for spouses.

We have so much to be thankful for and this provides me an incredible sense of joy as I know Sugar Bear would be happy with our work. I am also grateful for my incredible board, their time, continued service, and the opportunity to welcome Tony Gallardo to our team. 

Not only is this a beautiful season, but a very busy time too and we appreciate all of your continued support. We hope you will reach out if you feel compelled to donate an item for the auction or make a contribution to our Holiday Gift Cards Campaign or any of our programs. We appreciate any and all assistance as we give back to the spouses and children who have given their all. 

Thank you,

Jennifer Carazo
Gold Star wife/ President