Brit’s Gift Founder and Board President. Cathy felt the need to fill her soul by helping those fighting addiction. Brit’s Gift is the result of her personal tragic experience that culminated in the loss of her 25 yr. old son Britton to addiction. The struggle to find open beds in a detox or rehab facility is extremely difficult, time consuming and of course expensive. Time is the luxury one does not have when an addict is ready for help. The window is short and finding financing should not result in the loss of life. “My goal is to give another mama at least one more day with their child, one more shot to change a life, one more chance to not become me.”

Cathy is a local Realtor that leads with a servant’s heart by coaching and teaching other agents. She has served on the Board for the nonprofit Hearts and Hands, spends countless hours volunteering in numerous capacities, serves on the State Leadership Team for the Women’s Council of Realtors, speaks at numerous events about Work/Life Balance, participates in many Breast cancer fundraisers as a now 7 year survivor and owns Brit’s House, a Sober home for men in San Antonio. “Brit’s House was the culmination of a promise I made to my son. He wanted to run a sober house that did not focus on income or full beds. He wanted the focus to be a strong recovery program and a safe place for men to heal as they continued their recovery journey. I promised that I would get a house for him to run if he made it 1 year sober. He missed keeping his promise by 11 days. However, I found it important and healing to keep my end of the bargain. Brit’s House opened in June of 2020. Brit’s Gift is a way to assist those at the beginning of their recovery journey. I want to help take the stress out of the recovery process and help support those afflicted with addiction navigate the very complicated system”.

Hello, my name is Valarie McDonald; and I currently live in San Antonio, Texas. I have a beautiful family and four dogs. I have struggled and overcome some difficult times in my life. As a result, I overdosed in 2014, and my life was forever changed. With little faith and a lot of hope, I decided to change my circumstances and undergo substance abuse treatment. With a second chance at life, I had the opportunity to discover my life purpose: to help others. In my sobriety, I have had the opportunity to be of service to my many, Britton being one of them. I opened and founded Freedom House Sober living for women in 2018. I am currently employed at Bexar County Probation as an LCDC. For me, witnessing a client’s realization that they deserve to be free of the burdens they have been carrying is one of my greatest joys in life. I believe that to heal completely, a variety of aspects must be considered, rather than just one piece of the pie. I feel incredibly privileged and honored to be a part of Brit’s gift.

Brian Bumphus serves as Lead Recovery Coach at Windmill Wellness Ranch in Canyon Lake Texas. With four years’ experience in the helping profession. Brian thrives in the fast-paced world of helping individuals and families suffering from substance use disorders. He can relate to anybody who wants help and is willing to go to any lengths to help others achieve stability in life. His belief in the inherent good in every human being allows him to transmit hope and light to individuals and families. Brian graduated summa cum laude from Texas State University with a bachelor’s in social work and is currently completing his masters at The University of Texas at San Antonio. Brian’s life has been transformed by others who took the time to help him out of some dark places, now it is his duty and passion to help others. In his free time Brian enjoys playing chess, soccer, and most importantly…. time with his wife!

Born in Omaha Nebraska, Marla has lived in Texas most of her life. She graduated from the University of Texas Tech on a golf scholarship and has been in real estate for over 8 years and is a part of the worship team at Gruene United Methodist Church. Marla lost her brother to a heroin overdose when he was only 24 years old. She has made it her mission to bring hope, love and help to those who are struggling with addiction. Marla and her husband have a son and 2 dogs.

“I believe everyone deserves a chance in recovery from addiction. It just takes one person to change someone’s life for the better. I am honored to be a part of Brit’s gift who’s mission is simple: to help addicts and their loved ones who are struggling with addiction to sober living and connect them to a place of recovery.”

Patrick Harris is a resident of Canyon Lake, Texas and has had a career as an executive with several multi-family companies. A licensed Real Estate Broker, Patrick has worked with several non-profit organizations over the years and believes everyone deserves a chance for decent and safe housing. Working on the board at Brit’s Gift allows Patrick to give back to the community. Patrick has been married to Mary Fonke-Harris for 37 years, is the father of two grown sons and a member of Hillside Fellowship Church.

Mary Fonke-Harris has a B.S. in Education from the University of Texas in Austin and an M.Ed from the University of Houston. She is a retired educator who specialized in Health Education and Prevention. She has been involved with non-profit organizations involving addiction, alcoholism and substance abuse and believes that there is always hope for recovery and healing.

Christopher Jasko is The Director of Operations for House of the Rising Son, men’s, and women’s sober living houses in San Antonio. He has opened over 12 houses in the greater San Antonio area and is well known around the Recovery Community. He is passionate about helping people achieve sobriety and enjoys showing people a new way of life. He is a California native but came to San Antonio for treatment and fell in love with Texas. He had the honor of knowing Britton personally and is grateful for this opportunity to give back to the community.

Born and raised in Northern California, Stephanie was instilled a strong sense of community, creativity, and compassion.

A graduate of the University of Texas at San Antonio, she now calls New Braunfels, Texas home.

As the CEO of Keller Williams New Braunfels, her team dominates the market by surpassing any other real estate office in the area by nearly 20%.

Along with the support of her husband Jason and the motivation of her two daughters, Bella and Daniella, she has made it her mission to elevate the caliber of real estate professional to ensure that the real estate industry continues to thrive and provide a valuable, essential service to her community.

Her primary responsibility is to train, lead, and motivate her team of agents whose average production is twice that of the national average; success through others inspires her passion to give.

“The meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away.” ― Pablo Picasso