Annual event benefits abused children

By Rosanne Lewis

The 29th annual Dallas CASA Parade of Playhouses will take place June 14 to 30 at NorthPark Center.

This beloved event, sponsored by Crest Cadillac, features extraordinary children’s playhouses designed, built and donated by generous architects, builders, organizations, corporations and individuals. 

The playhouses are available to win by raffle, with proceeds allowing Dallas CASA to provide more volunteer advocates to help children experience safe childhoods and grow into resourceful, healthy adults.

“For too many children, home represents instability, addiction, fear and violence, and many families lack the resources to overcome these challenges,” said Kathleen M. LaValle, president and CEO of Dallas CASA. “These playhouses represent what everyone at Dallas CASA would like home to be for all children and their families — safe, loving, protective and full of hope about the future.”

Playhouses will be displayed in the hallways of NorthPark Center, which has hosted the event since 1996. Parade Grand Marshal is KDC. The 16 houses on display this year feature an array of creative designs, including a pink-themed playhouse, an A-frame design, an ice cream shop, a castle, a fire station and a Dallas Mavericks-themed athletic shoe. Many are designed both for playing and climbing, with rope ladders, slides, a catwalk and climbing walls.

Some houses feature special touches like metal roofs, polycarbonate panels designed to look like stained glass, shake siding and a hinged window. Three playhouses are being built by girls from Women Leading Technology, a local nonprofit that seeks to expose young women to STEM topics. Kimley Horn’s house, “Stars at Night,” will feature wood grain designed to look like swirling galaxies. OMNIPLAN’s design, built by Austin Commercial, resembles a mountain ready to be summited.

“Our volunteers are the heartbeat of this agency, and we count our playhouse builders as volunteers,” LaValle said. 

“They donate not just their time and creativity, but their hearts as well. Each one of these houses is built on a foundation of care and concern for the most vulnerable in our community.”

Raffle tickets to win a playhouse can be purchased during the event for $5 each or five for $20 on the Dallas CASA website at dallascasa.org or at NorthPark Center. Winners will be randomly selected on the final day of the event on June 30.

Dallas CASA volunteers are assigned by the courts to the cases of children living in the protective care of the state. Volunteers work with children, their families, therapists, educators, attorneys and more as they seek to protect children and make supportive connections. In 2023, 1,088 Dallas CASA volunteers were assigned to advocate for 2,151 children.

Thanks to the support of events like Parade of Playhouses, Dallas CASA has been able to provide an advocate for every Dallas child who needs one for the past five years. To learn more, visit dallascasa.org.

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