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
