Happy Spring

As I am writing this, I hope you are starting to see the first signs of spring: beautiful weather, green grass, and blooming flowers. Soon, the heat and the longer days of summer will be upon us. As always, our Team is planning new opportunities, the first of which are art lessons for kids. The lessons will start early summer, so spouses, please reach out to us now, and we can add you to the list. Additionally, if you have not already done so, please take our latest survey as we are planning new programming and other opportunities, but we rely heavily on the needs of our families. We want and need to hear from you. This is your chance, so please take advantage of it. However, you can always send us an email. We love hearing from you, and we would love to share programming updates and answer any questions. We are here to help! 

Our upcoming  Virtual series with our friends from the Bank of America Better Money Habits Team is completely devoted to our spouses and their families. The first one is this Tuesday, and spouses can still sign up for it. If the times do not work for you, then again, reach out, and we can send you the link to the recording in our Virtual Library. Our Library is continuing to grow (housing topics including career, wellness, etc). Later this month, we will be adding some academic recordings, and in April, our Financial and Resource Counselor, Erica Brophy, will be adding a series for Financial Literacy Month. Spouses can work directly with Erica on anything and everything related to money. She has great tips for saving, budgeting, and much more.

Later this month, we will be hosting the Veterans Employment Resource Group from Cummins. A panel from this group will be sharing all of their programs for our spouses, teens, and young adults with a variety of topics such as their Career and Technical Education, Mentoring, Internships, service academies, and much more. Cummins offers some incredible programs that are available to our families, so please do not miss out on this event. 

Thank you to all of our supporters who make our programming possible. We could not do any of this without your help. I am so grateful for the opportunity to continue Sugar Bear’s legacy of service by giving back to the families who have truly given their all. As always, if someone would like to get involved with fundraising for us, have an idea or an opportunity for our families, or would like to share our work, contact our Admin@thesugarbearfoundation.org. Thank you. 

Jennifer Carazo
Gold Star Wife/President

Happy Holidays!

I hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday season and looking forward to the new year. As always, this is a time for me to reflect on our work this past year and the incredible support we have received. None of our programs, events, or opportunities for our families would be possible without the amazing sponsors, companies, organizations, and donors who believe in and understand the importance of our work. If you haven’t already we hope you will consider the Sugar Bear Foundation for your end-of-the-year giving.

RF-LAMBDA continues to support our mission through our educational programs and their yearly Holiday Open House in San Diego. This December they provided a festive afternoon of holiday cheer and fun. Their generosity is seen throughout the year with all of our families as they truly make a difference in their lives.

This year has also been another year of growth for our team as we added a new consultant our tutor Aaliya. Aaliya brings a wealth of experience to our team with her teaching experience. We are very grateful to have her join us and assist our families with their educational needs. 

Thank you to our Board and Team. None of our work would be possible without you. Your dedication to our families and Sugar Bear’s legacy is evident in all you do. 

To our families, as always I urge you to reach out and inquire about all of our programs and services as we know needs are always evolving. If you haven’t already, complete one of our surveys as it provides another voice for your family. I cannot stress enough we are here for you and it is our honor to serve you.

Thank you,

Jennifer Carazo 
Gold Star Wife/President

Happy Fall!

For many of us, kids are back to school, sports seasons have started and life is busier than ever. I know this is true for me and our team at the Sugar Bear Foundation. We have so much going on that I am going to keep this note short and focus on all of our updates.  However, with that said I would be remiss if I did not offer my appreciation and highlight some special acknowledgements.

First off, thank you to all who participated in Sugar Bear’s Virtual Memorial Run.  Your support not only impacts our programs but also feature the many heroes who have given their lives in service to our country and the families they left behind. I am also grateful for the Marine Corps Association & Foundation. It is a privilege for us to work with them and we appreciate their ongoing dedication to this event. Thank you also to the Marine Corps Aviation Association. I was honored to once again attend their Symposium this past May and share more about our work with my fellow Gold Star Families. The grant they provide us is a blessing and goes directly towards our programs. It is also nice for me to see so many friends.

And finally thank you to RF-LAMBDA for their educational support. We could not offer any of these programs without them and are incredibly grateful for their unwavering commitment. In our next newsletter, we will recognize this year’s RF-LAMBDA Memorial Scholarship Recipient.

I would invite our friends and families to check out all of our sponsors who generously give in honor of our mission and families. Next month I will attend a very special military fundraiser being held for us and look forward to sharing Mario’s story and the impact our work is having on our families. As always, if any of our friends would like to get involved with our mission, or fundraising, or have an idea, please reach out to us at Admin@thesugarbearfoundation.org.

For our families, please review all of our updates including our Virtual Library, Growth Group, and Mentoring Program (thank you Cummins for this special support). We will have our College Planning recording and packet available within a few weeks along with some new offerings through our Health Coach Sarah. In the meantime thank you for the opportunity to give back in Sugar Bear’s name and support my fellow Surviving Families. 

Jennifer Carazo 
President/Gold Star Wife 

Gratitude!

I am feeling so much gratitude for all of our Partners, Sponsors, Supporters, Board Members, and Team. We have received some wonderful opportunities to share our work, support our mission, and the ability to expand our programs. We also have a lot of programming updates that we are continuing to work on and cannot wait to share with our families.

If you have not already, please register for the upcoming Sugar Bear Virtual Memorial Run as we are only a few weeks away from this special event. We hope you will not only take part but select a hero from our Honor Wall and participate on behalf of their service and the family they leave behind. Your support goes directly toward our programming that assists these families in creating a new path in life. So please register and share this event with your family, friends, and coworkers. Thank you.

For our families, check out all of our latest program updates, events, and offerings. We have a lot and there is more to come. I hope everyone is having a fantastic summer. As always, please reach out to us if you have an idea to support our programs, would like to get involved, or assist our families. We cannot do this alone and seek your partnership. 
Thank you,

Jennifer Carazo 
President/Gold Star Wife