On this episode of Searching For San Antonio, hosts Zachary Espericueta and Erika Perez speak with San Antonio District 3 Councilwoman, Phyllis Viagran. Phyllis shares why she decided to run for city council and what drives her to give back to city she was raised in. The three also discuss why it's important to shop local and how it impacts the community.

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Where To Find/Follow D3 Councilwoman Phyllis Viagran:

COSA Page: https://www.sanantonio.gov/council/d3

Twitter: https://twitter.com/COSA_CD3

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cosa_cd3/?hl=en

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cosacd3

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This episode is brought to you by Live From The Southside. Thank you to our sponsor for supporting the podcast.

On this episode of Searching For San Antonio, host Zachary Espericueta sits down with April Ancira to discuss how she began in her family's business, how the city (and Ancira) has embraced the UTSA football program, what motivated her to begin her philanthropy and how she handles the "keyboard warriors" out there.

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Where To Find/Follow April Ancira:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/AprilAncira

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/april_ancira/

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

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This episode is brought to you by Spectrum Reach & Live From The Southside. Thank you to our sponsors for supporting the podcast.

On this episode of Searching For San Antonio, we invite Raul Jimenez III to speak with us about the amazing annual event his grandfather began back in 1979 - The Raul Jimenez Thanksgiving Dinner.

During this holiday season, many senior citizens in San Antonio (and abroad) are alone and sometimes can’t afford to prepare a Thanksgiving meal for themselves. But In 1979, San Antonio restaurant owner and businessman, Raul Jimenez, recognized this need in his community, and established a Thanksgiving Day event designed to serve these often forgotten individuals.

Now in its 42nd year, the Raul Jimenez Thanksgiving Dinner continues to provide senior citizens and the less fortunate a place to enjoy a hot and nutritious turkey dinner with all the trimmings on Thanksgiving Day. The event is typically held at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in downtown San Antonio. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the annual event has partnered with non-profits from around the area to provide meals through a delivery service so that the individuals in-need can still enjoy a great Thanksgiving meal in the safety of their own home.

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Where To Find/Follow the Raul Jimenez Thanksgiving Dinner:

Website: https://www.rauljimenezdinner.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jimenezdinner/

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

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This episode is brought to you by Spectrum Reach & Live From The Southside. Thank you to our sponsors for supporting the podcast.

On this episode of Searching For San Antonio, we get to speak with the Luminaria Contemporary Arts Festival coordinator, Keli Cabunoc. Keli explains the extensive planning and research that went into this year's upcoming festival. After having to cancel Luminaria in 2020, due to COVID-19, they are so happy to be back in action this year with an amazing lineup of artists and performers. Luminaria will take place on Saturday, November 13th from 6pm-midnight.

About the Luminaria: Luminaria is a dynamic nonprofit arts organization dedicated to producing and promoting the arts of San Antonio, Texas, by managing the iconic Luminaria Contemporary Arts Festival, the Luminaria Artist Foundation grants program, and culturally driven creative PlaceMaking.

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Where To Find/Follow Luminaria:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/luminariasa/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/luminariasa?lang=en

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

Website: https://luminariasa.org/

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This episode is brought to you by Spectrum Reach & Live From The Southside. Thank you to our sponsors for supporting the podcast.

On this bonus episode of Searching For San Antonio, we re-invite the founders of Hustle + Socialize back on the podcast to catch up and see what they have planned for next year’s conference. We recorded this podcast live as a part of San Antonio Startup Week.

San Antonio Startup Week is a no-cost, multi-day conference that brings together over 2,000 Texas entrepreneurs, hustlers and change-makers. This year, it ran from October 11th through October 22nd and featured all kinds of wonderful people from the San Antonio community. You can follow them @SAStartupWeek on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Watch the live recording on the San Antonio Startup Week YouTube channel. You can find the interview at the 3:31:55 mark: https://youtu.be/vJbpLY-xOeQ?t=12713

About the guest: Hustle + Socialize is the premier and home-grown women’s entrepreneur conference here in Texas. Founded in 2018 by Christina Jovanna Olivarez and Michelle Vallejo, Hustle + Socialize was built by and for ambitious women of South Texas and throughout the Lone Star State. They bring together and empower women through conferences, summits, and workshops every year.

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Where To Find/Follow Hustle + Socialize:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hustleandsocialize/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/hustlesocialize

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

Website: https://hustleandsocialize.com/

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This episode is brought to you by Spectrum Reach & Live From The Southside. Thank you to our sponsors for supporting the podcast.

On this episode of Searching For San Antonio, we sit down with the founders and owners of Felíz Modern and Rancho Diaz - Ginger and Mario Diaz. We get to learn about how they got started and how their background in the arts led them to where they are now. They also discuss the obstacles they've overcome as well as some of the changes they've made along the way. Tune in to learn more about these two great local businesses and the entrepreneurial couple behind them.

About the guests: Mario & Ginger Diaz, San Antonio natives and co-owners of Feliz Modern, came to retail from arts backgrounds and wanted to bring artists & makers’ works to a wider audience. What started as one brick & mortar shop in Olmos Park has expanded to online and a second physical location at the Historic Pearl in San Antonio. This year the duo added another retail shop to the Pearl called Rancho Diaz, which has a desert modern vibe for kitchen & home goods from around the world.

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Where To Find/Follow Felíz Modern:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/felizmodern/

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

Website: https://www.felizmodern.com/

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Where To Find/Follow Rancho Diaz:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rancho.diaz/

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

Website: https://www.ranchodiaz.com/

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This episode is brought to you by Spectrum Reach & Live From The Southside. Thank you to our sponsors for supporting the podcast.

On this episode of Searching For San Antonio, we speak with the founder and owner of Southbound Coffee - Adriana Ruiz. Southbound Coffee, which opened in April of 2019, is a pink coffee truck/trailer that is located at the Corner Lot On Carle. The Address to Southbound Coffee is 103 Carle Ave., San Antonio, TX 78204.

About the guest: Adriana Ruiz was originally born in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico but raised here in San Antonio. She graduated from Texas State in San Marcos with a journalism and communications degree, but later realized that entrepreneurship, along with coffee brewing, was her true calling.

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Where To Find/Follow Southbound Coffee:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southboundcoffee210/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southboundcoffee210

Website: https://southboundcoffee.square.site/

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This episode is brought to you by Spectrum Reach & Live From The Southside. Thank you to our sponsors for supporting the podcast.

On this episode of Searching For San Antonio, we speak with the President and CEO of CASA (Child Advocates San Antonio), Angela White. Angela talks about the stigma surrounding the foster care system and some misconceptions that often circulate among the general public. She also explains how the foster care system is currently in crisis and how CASA aims to help those children in-need.

The mission of Child Advocates San Antonio (CASA) is to recruit, train, and supervise court-appointed volunteer Advocates who provide constancy for abused and neglected children and youth while advocating for services and placement in safe and permanent homes.

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Where To Find/Follow Child Advocates San Antonio (CASA):

Website: https://www.casa-satx.org/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/casa.satx/

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/CASA_SATX

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/casa/

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This episode is brought to you by Spectrum Reach & Live From The Southside. Thank you to our sponsors for supporting the podcast.

On this episode, we speak with the general manager at the San Antonio River Authority (SARA) - Derek Boese. Derek explains how important of a role the organization has in maintaining a safe environment here in the Alamo City. He talks about their mission to create/maintain safe, clean, and enjoyable creeks and rivers.

The San Antonio River Authority was created in 1937, and is one of many active river authorities in Texas. Though San Antonio is in the name, their jurisdiction covers 3,658 square miles, and includes all of Bexar, Wilson, Karnes and Goliad Counties.

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Where To Find/Follow the San Antonio River Authority:

Website: https://www.sariverauthority.org/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sanantonioriver/

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/sanantonioriver

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/SARAIGCR/videos

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This episode is brought to you by Spectrum Reach & Live From The Southside. Thank you to our sponsors for supporting the podcast.

On this episode, Donovan Thomson joins the podcast to talk about his local Instagram influencer account - SATX-Rated. We get to learn how he got started, how much he has learned since then, and what it really takes to maintain and manage an influencer account; HINT: It’s hard to do it alone, and it requires a lot of work!

SATX-Rated was founded in 2018 and while Donovan is the principal manager, the page is also run by co-founder and managing partner - Angela Gonzales. They are one of the top influencer accounts in San Antonio and focus on sharing pictures from all over the Alamo City. Their slogan is "Eat. Drink. Do. We've Got You."

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Where To Find/Follow SATX-Rated:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/satxrated/

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/satxrated

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This episode is brought to you by Spectrum Reach & Live From The Southside. Thank you to our sponsors for supporting the podcast.