THE SUNNY MIKE FOUNDATION

BY DEB LUBBERTS & BETH BOGLEY I PHOTOS BY MICHAEL THAXTON & LISA HUGHES

Tell us a little bit about yourself and your role with the Sunny Mike Foundation.

I am Deb Lubberts and I am currently an instructional coach at Lyons Central School District. I am a doctoral candidate at St. John Fisher University in the Executive Leadership Program.I am currently the Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of the Sunny Mike Foundation.

I am Beth Bigley, formerly retired, and now nearly full-time Chief Operating Officer and cofounder of the Sunny Mike Foundation. I am happily married to Scott Bigley, who is our Chief Financial Officer. As the COO, I run the day-to-day operations of the Foundation.

What is the Sunny Mike Foundation and the mission behind it?

At Sunny Mike, we’re elevating the minds, bodies, and spirits of veterans by connecting them to services, resources, and people they need. We support projects and experiences for veterans to bring light into their lives.

We provide personalized care for individuals who have fallen through hard times. Sometimes, all that people need is a little extra help to get them back on their feet. We believe that financial contributions to care for family and self can help veterans who need it. As our community grows, and our connections to more veterans and veterans outreach programs become stronger, we aim to continue to assist one another in our community of care. Together, we raise each other, and promise to continue to support one another. In this way, we hope to inspire even more.

Who started the foundation? Tell us a little bit of its history. The Sunny Mike Foundation was established in 2021. The foundation was conceived in honor of the late Michael and he impacted their lives profoundly when he was with us.

What was the inspiration behind the foundation about paying it forward for veterans?

Our inspiration for The Sunny Mike Foundation is Michael David Conrad. Michael served honorably in the U.S. Navy during the Vietnam conflict. When he was drafted, he swore to the officers that he would do all that he could to help, but he couldn’t bear the thought of hurting another person. He was assigned a Morse code communications role to remotely support submarines and discovered both a love for and a gift for the skill.

David Conrad. Everything about ‘Big Mike’ was larger than life; he stood well over six feet tall and combined with his booming deep voice, there wasn’t a room he didn’t fill out. Growing up, Mike’s mother always called him “Sonny Jim” as a nickname, and here at the foundation, we thought it was a terrifically apt way to capture both our mission and his even bigger heart and spirit. Although Michael died before his time, Mike was a wonderful brother to Beth and a superb father to Deb,

Once back home, Mike went on to lead a peaceful and joyful life. He had a daughter, Debra, and eventually lived in warm and sunny Florida with his wife and partner, Glenda. Everyone that knew him thought he was a hardworking and gentle giant, and was always happy to help out those in need with a cheerful spirit. His family and friends were delighted with his humor, laughter, and kind nature.

Unfortunately, throughout his later years, he lived daily in chronic back pain. He tried just about everything to free himself from the ailment, but treatments only seemed to work for a little while. Every program that he tried eventually failed or always required more funding for him to obtain adequate treatment. Despite being stuck in physical pain, he was decidedly focused on what he could do instead of dwelling on what he could not control.

He found refuge, friendships, and a home away from home with other veterans at his local VFW. With this in mind, we have created The Sunny Mike Foundation to fill any gaps in need that veterans and their families may find themselves facing. Mike was just one man, but he made an impact wherever he could. In turn, our mission is to connect to one veteran at a time, focusing on the individual and being a dear friend in their time of need.

The Sunny Mike Foundation recognizes that there is tremendous work to be done to aid the large community of veterans in the United States. And just like Mike, one step at a time, one person at a time, we can transform what it means to be a veteran. Mike’s love and compassion were immense and everyone that met him felt like he was their best friend. We hope to follow in his footsteps and brighten the lives of veterans for years to come.

What inspires you?

Deb– People and living beings living their best life inspire me. I am a sucker for all of those videos where people sing and dance their hearts out or when a dog loses it and their tail whirls around when their owner returns from their tour of duty in the military. I have been a teacher for twenty years and the children inspire me when they overcome challenges. I am also inspired by art, poetry, music, dance, cooking, laughing with my Auntie Beth, and people being in love. Nature also inspires me because it is perfectly imperfect just like people!

Beth– I am inspired by the stories of the dedicated men and women who have served our Country. My dad was an army veteran who served during World War II and he told and retold stories of the places he saw and some of the military experiences he had. I also love hearing stories of couples’ “how they got started”. I love talking with people and sharing how our foundation started. I am inspired to cook and paint and do crafts whenever I am with my family and friends. I feed off the joy and interactions with my people at gatherings in my home. And I am most inspired after we elevate a veteran, that wonderful feeling I get knowing I’ve helped and I want to help them again and again.

Is the Sunny Mike Foundation only for veterans or can others participate?

It is for veterans and their families, but others can and do participate in our events as volunteers. For example, we have a Sunny Mike Golf Scramble and a Mindfulness 5K. Deb’s son, Cass, is the Chief Strategy Officer and curator of the website, and her daughter-in-law, Nicole, is our Design Coordinator for the Foundation. My mom, Maureen Bosse, volunteers her time as well. My cousin’s wife, Kim Johnston, is our Volunteer Coordinator and has about 15 volunteers including her husband, Mark, and their four children. Scott Bigley is our Scramble coordinator and Chief Financial Officer, and Megan Radtke is our Chief Information Officer.

As you can see, all of our friends have generously volunteered their time to make Sunny Mike Foundation run! We couldn’t do what we do without everyone pitching in and we have a lot of fun! We are always looking for others who share an equal passion for helping vets, and we are currently looking for a Community Outreach Liaison Officer who is a veteran.

Tell us about some of your goals and dreams for the future of Sunny Mike. Where do you see the foundation in 3 years? What about 5 years?

We want to create a consortium of veteran organizations in the Finger Lakes region. Once Deb has earned her doctorate, we want to expand our reach in both our network and the assistance we can offer to veterans and their families.

Our 3-5 year plans include:

● We want to apply for and receive financial grants so that we can, again, expand our network so that we can help more veterans.

● We want to connect veterans in person, so we also want to have a “brick and mortar” building.

Is there one particular service that stands out from the rest that you provide? If so, why?

Our superpower is that we are small and nimble so when a veteran is in immediate need of support financially, we can provide them with financial assistance to get them back on their feet within 24 hours of them completing our online application. We also support veterans to complete it if and when they need it the most. Our goal is to never have red tape so that we can help veterans in need immediately. We have a unique concept for our foundation that offers the following:

Sunny Mike Foundation is devoted to creating a community of veterans that uses their strengths to pay it forward, welcomes their knowledge and experience, and creates initiatives that serve our heroes.

What is one piece of advice you have been given that you have never forgotten?

Deb— My Grandpa Conrad always told me to make sure I say “I love you” whenever you leave the people you love because tomorrow is not promised I have done this since I was 9 years old and passed it on to our sons, my husband and all the people that I love

Beth– If it’s that important today, it will be that important tomorrow, so try not to be stressed.

#10 Knowing what you know now, is there anything you would have done differently when you were first starting? Deb – I wish I had known how much I was going to LOVE this endeavor and I often think about how many new people would have never crossed my path if I hadn’t started it. I wish I could have created this when my dad was alive because he would have loved the work we have done, and the connections that we have made from our veterans. The love we receive from the veterans we aid would fill his whole heart.

Beth– I wish I had known how to start a foundation. I had no idea what was involved, the ins and outs, the legal and financial “stuff” that is associated with just trying to help veterans. I wish it wasn’t so complicated, because more people could be helped much more quickly. I love seeing that ‘smile’, the one a veteran gives me when they are taking the next step to elevate themselves. Had I known, I would have taken classes, attended workshops, etc. to educate myself about the process.

Where did the name Sunny Mike come from?

Please refer to question 3

What resources do you provide that you feel can bring about the biggest impact in a veteran’s life?

● Partnerships with other veteran organizations

● Financial Assistance Grants

● Creating a Community of Care

● Coordinating Community Events for

Veterans and the Finger Lakes Region

● The Sunny Mike Foundation believes that all veterans deserve to be seen, heard, and cared for. By partnering with other institutions, we want to connect as many veterans to health and wellness programs so that veterans can continue to lead healthy, happy, and fulfilled lives after their active service.

Some events and activities we have hosted and participated in:

● Sunny Mike Scramble (many of our sponsors not only play, but they also sponsor veterans so that they can play golf and have dinner)

● Mindfulness 5K, a peaceful walk in nature.

● Toys for Tots

● Sock Drive for Veterans Outreach of Rochester

● Rochester Red Wings Games

● Take a group of Veterans to Ball Games in the Summer, providing them with parking and a meal at the ballpark

● Adopt a Family at Christmas we started in 2022. We were able to help a veteran and her family, providing gifts and money for a nice holiday meal.

● Monroe County Veterans Day Parade. This was the County’s first parade and we were honored to march with so many veteran groups.

What types of institutions do you partner up with?

We work closely with Clear Path for Veterans, Soldier On. These are also beautiful organizations that are larger and support veterans. We have worked with NABC Recycled Rides®, National Auto Body Council®, and Rochester Community Inclusive Rowing and we would like to work with more in the future. I hope to partner with the United Way very soon. However, foundation space as women, since it is typically male lead. amazingly generous in our community. We have learned that small business owners have the biggest hearts and have been more generous than larger organizations as we have started out.

Working through the grief of losing my Dad due to Covid, and finding healing in working with my Aunt Beth and helping veterans and their families in our area has also been difficult, but each day we persevere! And, as always, having enough time to devote myself to all the things I care about is a constant struggle!

Beth–learning to channel the grief from losing my brother into something positive, something we can both be proud of. It’s tough asking for donations through tears and a choked voice. But we’re doing it! Together, Deb and I are making a difference in Rochester and beyond. One veteran at a time.

What has been the biggest obstacle to overcome?

Deb– There have been many trials when we were getting started. Things like learning the ropes of being a 501c3, or initially finding veterans because many do not feel comfortable asking for help in some cases. Getting our name out in the community, and just being brave enough to go into the veterans’

Where can our readers reach you if they are interested in helping, or becoming involved?

They can reach out to us on our socials:

Instagram: sunny_mike919

Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/ sunnymikefoundation/

Twitter: @sunny_mike_fond

Our website https://www.sunnymike. org/

They can email us at hello@sunnymike. org

They can mail us at 63 Winchester Drive, Fairport, NY 14450

They can call us at 585-431-6770