CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas —
Solstice Senior Living is home to many seniors, some of them who don't have family to spend holidays with.
An event this weekend is looking to change that.
Director at Solstice, Desirae Schlapia, and 26-year-old Denise Lopez are teaming up to host a fall festival to connect seniors with members of the community.
"[We want to] get the public involved, get them more involved with the seniors. Come out and hang out they're a lot of fun. It would be a nice opportunity especially during the holidays," Schlapia said.
It all started when Lopez became friends with a resident at Solstice, 88-year-old Mary Grant.
Their friendship went viral on TikTok and the TODAY Show. Now, Lopez wants more people to form connections with local seniors.
"I know a lot of them during the holidays it can be lonely for them. So I thought why just do something for Mary when we can do something for her whole facility?"
The fall festival will include games, live music, food, free haircuts for the seniors, and much more. It's free and open to the public to attend and connect with residents at Solstice.
It's also where Solstice will have its "Giving Tree" where Christmas wishlists for residents will sit. People can take a wishlist, buy gifts on the list, and bring them to give a senior for the holidays. The gifts need to be brought back by December 15th.
Mary Grant says her connection with Lopez has been life-changing.
"If she hadn't came into my life I'd just be here all alone for the holidays."
Now that same opportunity to change a senior's life is open to anybody who wants to help.
The fall festival will be at Solstice Senior Living (5518 Lipes Blvd.) from 1-5pm on Saturday, Nov. 14.
For the latest local news updates, click here, or download the KRIS 6 News App.
Catch all the KRIS 6 News stories and more on our YouTube page. Subscribe today!
