After three decades at Glenwood, at 68 years old, Mark Porch is now our most senior resident. Nothing makes him happier than filling his days with walks, visiting the Levite Jewish Community Center for a swim, or curating his collection of used records, car ornaments, and pop tabs in the basement of his group home. But Mark’s great joy, and phenomenal talent, lies in his artwork.
It took decades, and no small amount of heartbreak, for Mark to find this sense of security and stability. Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a developmental disability caused by differences in the brain. Born In an era when autism was barely understood, and frequently misdiagnosed, Mark’s childhood in the 1950s and 60s was marked by misunderstanding and isolation. His parents, Ralph and Jean, spent years searching for care that didn’t exist in Alabama. Once, he was even sent to a juvenile correction facility, Alabama’s only answer at the time to developmental or behavioral challenges. “It tore my parents to pieces,” recalls Mark’s brother, Doug Porch.
Then as now, origins of ASD remain a mystery. “My mother was told she was responsible for Mark’s disability by rejecting him in the womb,” Doug says. “So, she carried guilt on top of exhaustion.” Babysitters rarely returned after one shift. There were sleepless nights as Mark roamed the house in often angry disputes with imaginary demons, or hallucinated that the house was on fire, a gut-wrenching anxiety for parents and sibling and no real help in sight.
A decorated USMC veteran of World War II and a civic-minded lawyer in Anniston, Mark’s father Ralph refused to give up. His tireless advocacy for mental health before the state legislature and elsewhere led to the creation of the Brewer-Porch Children’s Center at the University of Alabama in 1970, one of Alabama’s first facilities for children with emotional and developmental challenges, unfortunately shuttered in 2024 due to budget cuts.[i] For a time, it gave the family hope, but as Mark aged, options for care narrowed. Once again, the Porches faced an uncertain future.
Then came Glenwood. In the late 1980s, Glenwood began expanding its programs for adults with autism and behavioral health needs. Mark moved to Glenwood in the early 1990s. “I don’t even know how my parents found Glenwood,” Doug says, “but it was life-changing for all of us.”
After decades of uncertainty, Ralph and Jean finally had peace. “They could rest knowing Mark was safe, understood and happy,” Doug says. That peace extended to Doug, too, as he built his life in California. “It gave me the assurance that my brother would be in a safe and nurturing place once our parents passed.” Glenwood has proven that trust to have been well placed.
At Glenwood, Mark found stability, purpose and community. “When I first came 31 years ago, there were days when he didn’t know how to handle his symptoms,” says Vicki Trawick, a Qualified Developmental Disability Professional (QDDP) at Glenwood. “Now, he recognizes when he needs to take a break or talk to someone. His growth has been incredible.”
Vicki met Mark when she started at Glenwood as a home manager more than three decades ago. “He’s part of my family,” she says. “With his family’s blessing, I used to bring him to Thanksgiving and Christmas with my parents. My mother always made him a lemon pie. Even now, every November he asks, ‘Are we going to have Mrs. Trawick’s lemon pie?” When Vicki shared that her mother had passed, Mark smiled and said, “Well, I’ll have to get some lemon pie when I get to heaven.”
That blend of compassion, familiarity and respect defines Glenwood’s approach. “We meet people where they are,” says Vicki. “We build care around who they are, not who the world says they should be.”
Today, Mark lives in the community, participates in community activities, and experiences annual trips with friends to places like the beach and Disney World. His artwork, vibrant with color and imagination, is sold through Studio by the Tracks, giving him not just income, but pride. “His use of color is phenomenal,” says Vicki. “He has so many things that enrich his life now that he didn’t before.”
As one of Glenwood’s oldest residents, Mark represents the organization’s current and ongoing commitment to supporting aging adults with autism. “We focus on person-centered care,” says Vicki. “As people age, their needs change. Some may prefer quieter routines or less stimulation, and others may want to stay active. We tailor support to each individual, so their days reflect what works best for them.”
For families considering Glenwood, that philosophy means everything. “We tell them, ‘Your loved one will be cared for like family,’” Vicki says. “They’ll be safe, healthy and included. And this will be home.”
That sense of home changed everything for the Porch family, eventually giving them a deep feeling of peace, a powerful shift from the early days of fighting for understanding and advocating for services that didn’t exist. “Glenwood gave my parents, and now me, the gift of knowing Mark will always be okay.”
The peace Glenwood brought the Porch family is shared by families across Alabama. Each one finds in Glenwood what Ralph, Jean and Doug long hoped for: a place where their loved one can grow, be understood and belong for life. “I mean, just the thought brings me to tears because Mark is so deserving of this,” Vicki says of the experiences Glenwood has made possible. “They all are.”
Mark Porch Expressions in Art:
