SerenityStar to Open San Antonio Residential Recovery Center
T
eri and Rosie Lopez, co-found- ers of SerenityStar and Comfort
Café, in Smithville, have announced the purchase of a three-acre plot of land in San Antonio where they intend to build another peer-to- peer, residential facility for people in recovery from alcohol and drug ad- diction. T ey will focus on helping veterans overcome PTSD utilizing alternative healing methods. T e San Antonio location will be the second such facility opened by the women and will be mod- eled after their first location, SerenityStar, in Smithville, where the original Comfort Café opened in 2009. The couple has already opened a second Comfort Café in San Antonio, which celebrated its one-year anniversary last month. “T e woman who sold us the land supports SerenityStar
Rosie (left) and Teri Lopez
because she’s seen the miracles it produces,” says Rosie Lopez, “and wanted to provide the San Antonio community with this blessing.” Although addiction is oſt en viewed as a criminal issue or a
moral failing, Rosie, a recovering addict herself, says, “It’s a mental issue, an emotional issue. And when they can really, really love themselves, there’s no reason for them to go back out there and continue a path of destruction.” Teri, who is in recovery and also an addiction counselor, adds, “It’s the diff erence between life and death.” Having closed on the property March 10, 2020, work has
already started on the new facility, which will begin accepting residents as soon as shelter-in-place orders have been liſt ed. T e founders are reaching out to the local community and beyond, seeking private and corporate donors to help with fi nancial con- tributions and/or the donation of building supplies. SerenityStar, a nonprofi t 501(c)(3) organization, and the cafés
are the life’s work of Teri and her wife, Rosie, two former New Yorkers, who moved to Texas 15 years ago. T e money from the food sales at the cafés, which are completely donation-based, goes back into funding SerenityStar, which houses 60 residents. T e San Antonio location will be operated under the same model.
For more information, call 512-321-8336 or 512-629-7065, email
SerenityStar111@aol.com or visit
SerenityStar.org.
A Passion for Women’s Health Gabriela Pichardo, MD
Internal Medicine • Integrative Medicine ~ Women’s Health ~ Hormone-related Issues
~ Gut Health Se Habla Español
Now practicing at West Holistic Medicine
904 West Avenue • Suite #109 • Austin 512.814.0148 •
WestHolisticMedicine.com
June 2020 7
Texas Vegfest Reschedules Event Canceled by Pandemic
T
exas VegFest, the annual cel- ebration of vegan food and
sustainability, has a new date for its festival which will be held from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on December 5, at Fiesta Gardens, in Austin. The ninth annual festival will
offer educational lectures, cooking demos, vendors, live music, youth activities, samples, nonprofits, sponsors, interactive areas and more. The event also provides education- al information on the environmental impact and inhumane animal conditions of mass animal production and agriculture. The foundation aims to share resources and information for free on a year-round basis, so that the public can make in- formed decisions. T e Texas VegFest was originally scheduled in April, but
was cancelled due to the coronavirus stay-at-home order. Organizers are encouraging the community to participate at this year’s rescheduled event as vendors or volunteers.
Cost: Free. Location: 2101 Jesse E. Segovia St. For more informa- tion and updates, visit
TexasVegFest.com.
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