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.
Time for Mom and Dad
Davidson Respite House stands as the symbol for this nonprofit agency, cofounded in 1987 by Bob Murray, former executive
director of Mission Road Ministries, and Paul and Marie Smith, parents of a twin daughter who was born with significant disabilities.
"Mrs. Smith saw that she needed a break for 30 minutes or a few hours," Bert says. "She worked with a few other parents and said, 'We need respite. How are we going to do this?' "
Here's how. The agency teams with churches and faith-based organizations that provide sites throughout the city for weekday and weekend childcare. Christ Episcopal Church hosts a Monday through Friday daycare. Mother's Day Out programs, headquartered at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church and Antioch Baptist Church, give single moms time to look for work or access services.
On Fridays, parents drop off youngsters for Parent's Night Out at Laurel Heights United Methodist Church. "We call it 'Date Night,' " Bert says. "We don't do matchmaking, but it's a chance for a couple to go out to the movies or to dinner or to be with your peer group if you're single."
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