Happy kids are busy playing under tall live oaks beside a "castle." Some can run; others can't. Some jump, and others climb. One little girl just sits, while a little boy toddles along on the playground's special spongy surface that's gentle on elbows and knees. All enjoy the warmth of the afternoon, the cool shade of the trees, and the sunshine of Miss Pearl's smile.

Pearl Williams and other caregivers at Davidson Respite House Emergency Shelter, the headquarters of Respite Care of San Antonio, closely supervise playtime for these youngsters who suffer from seizure disorders, cerebral palsy, autism, and other developmental disabilities. Some come from loving homes and stay only a night or a few days. The Texas Department of Family and Protective Services brings others from abusive and neglected surroundings. Until they are delivered into foster care, they will live here in this big, white house--their last refuge and first, best hope for a decent life.

Taking a Care Break
To such children, this Beaux Arts-style structure, which is located in the historic Monte Vista neighborhood, must seem like an incredible wonderland. "This is Hollywood. This is Disney World," says associate director Cara Magrane as she watches the children play. "This is a castle for these youngsters who were living in hardly 1,000 square feet with multiple persons."

Cara and Bert Pfiester, executive director of Respite Care, like to pause in the middle of their office work and come out at playtime to chat with a staff member or push a kid in a swing. It's a care break instead of a coffee break, a few minutes that energize their work.

Inside the mansion where the youngsters live, brightly colored murals decorate walls. One depicts a lion and lamb lying down together. In another, animals board Noah's ark two by two. Upstairs feels like a tree house. Walls are painted with tree trunks and leaves, just like the arms of live oaks that rise outside the second-story windows.

"We wanted to create the sense of a castle, a place where a child would feel special just by living there. It's not an institution and not a clinic, but a home--and a magnificent one at that," Bert says.