Angels’ Castle: Serving Young Adults with Intellectual Disabilities

By Mary Casey-Sturk

The first thing I noticed when I spoke with Dr. Beatriz Porras was the love in her voice.  It’s easily recognizable when a mother speaks about their children. Love. In her case, and that of her family, it’s their love for the youngest son, Marco, that has driven them to create a place for adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).

Founded in 2018, Angels’ Castle was created with the vision of enriching the future of loved ones with special needs. Led by Dr. Porras, she, her husband, Dr. Alvaro Ryes, and their older son, Louie, have championed Marco and others.

This Indian Hill family knows the uncertainty of what the future may hold for any individual with intellectual disabilities. “As we grow old, they grow up, and they will need a nurturing environment that can provide the needed support for a happy and fulfilling life”, they shared on their website, “This life-long journey is our inspiration to provide compassionate and therapeutic care for young adults with intellectual disabilities.”

As Dr. Porras explained in our conversation, “There are so many autistic people and every day more and more get diagnosed, the thing is, that after they finish school, there is absolutely nothing for them. That is where we can help.”

Marco, who is 21, is the face of Angels’ Castle, and his diagnosis influenced his older brother Louie to pursue a career in medicine. Louie (who is a Pediatric Neurology Resident at St. Louis Children’s Hospital) recently received a fellowship and will study methods to diagnose Autism Spectrum Disorder at an earlier age. 

“Even now, it’s hard to get a diagnosis and hard to get an appointment; wait times with a specialist are up to two years. It was a struggle getting our son (Marco) diagnosed.” Porras shared, “He’s progressing slowly, talking more, but we know that he won’t be able to live independently. There are many, many people like him.”

AutismSpeaks.org shares these statistics: 1 in 31 children in the U.S. has autism. 1 in 45 U.S. adults has autism. 1 in 100 girls have autism; in boys, it’s 4 in 100.

A Campus for the Future

Currently, they are planning a state-of-the-art educational and recreational campus on 20 acres in Springfield Township. Work has already begun to turn the property into a welcoming place with gardens and a building for day programs. A bridge project, a priority project costing 1.6 million dollars, has been completed. Designs have been created and building construction will begin later this year. Construction will take about a year and will create a facility for the day programs. They are keeping their eyes on the future with plans for residential housing for up to 32. Down the road, Angels’ Castle would like to provide housing for those who are aging and have intellectual disabilities. “People with Down Syndrome can develop dementia early and many with Down Syndrome are also autistic.” Shared Porras.

At Angels’ Castle, they have four main pillars of compassionate care: Summer Camps, Academic Programs, Residential Services and Community Outreach. All services will be geared towards participants discovering and nurturing their passions and vocation, so they can have a more fulfilling life. 

Porras noted, “We’re going to get certified to accept waivers. Once this process is done, people can come spend the day with us. Waivers will be for programs, food, and transportation. We’re working on finding a team member who can help us navigate all of this.”

At the campus, “We’ll have lots of activities. For instance, if someone likes art, we’ll focus on developing that artistic ability. My son Marco likes cooking, since he likes cooking, we’ll make sure he learns as much as he can and maybe get employment a few hours a day.” Porras knows, “Finding purpose, it’s so important.”

“We have the love, we have the energy, we have the motivation, and we have people who support us. We’ve been working on this for many years, and it’s time to get it done,” added Porras.

To learn more about Angels’ Castle and follow their progress, visit. www.angelscastle.org.