Meet the Founders
Rosalina was born in Bronx, New York and moved to Florida as a teen. She struggled with addiction from an early age, and entered her first treatment center at twenty years old. This began an eighteen-year journey in and out of recovery. Along her way, Rosie experienced many of addiction’s promises: she was institutionalized, homeless and broken.
Rosie always had the calling to help others but it wasn’t until her final attempt at recovery at 38 years old that she was able to fulfill this calling. Her journey is one of life experience.
In 2005 Rosie moved to Texas with Teri. She became the co-founder of SerenityStar Recovery. This recovery center would seek to address all the things that she had found did not work in traditional treatment. She now teaches Shamanic Studies as well as helping other addicts find their authentic selves.
Rosalina has now been sober for fourteen years and is President of SerenityStar Recovery. She lives with her wife in San Antonio, TX and has four adult stepchildren and three grandchildren.
Teri grew up in Amityville, NY with her mom and younger brother in an extended Italian family became the foundation of her daily life.
She graduated from New York Institute for addiction counseling in 1995 and went on to intern at Passages Treatment Center and ran their intensive men’s group. While there she trained in detox acupuncture at Lincoln Hospital. In 2003 Teri worked at Crossings Treatment Center facilitating an early sobriety for women’s group.
Teri moved to Texas with Rosie in 2005 and quickly saw the need for recovery options in Bastrop County. Their 501c3 was approved in April 2009 and SerenityStar Recovery was born - a peer to peer residential program.
Teri’s cooking skills from her grandmother and Rosie’s background as a cook brought Comfort Café into existence as part of the SerenityStar program.
Teri is in recovery herself and sees value in peer to peer work.
Teri has 4 adult children and 3 grandchildren and has published a book -
"Angels and Addicts".
Teri and Rosie live in San Antonio, Texas and continue to grow their vision of SerenityStar.