A playhouse for most kids is a ramshackle contraption that craters the moment a good breeze hits. Lucky are those who have landed one of the mini-mansions from the annual ORIX Parade of Playhouses. Talk about little gems of construction!
If you have a little one or a “grand-little-one” who needs to be spoiled royally, you’re in luck. The 15th annual ORIX Parade of Playhouses kicks off this Sunday Friday at NorthPark with 20 one-of-a-kind playhouses to benefit Dallas CASA. On display through Sunday, August 21, the designs include an art studio, a pint-sized bed and breakfast, a train engine, an airplane and a Dallas Mavericks-themed house. Just imagine. You could win the playhouse and present it as a birthday or Christmas gift. Even Santa would envy you.
Now, how do you get one? Raffle tickets! $5-raffle tickets! Yup, that’s less than a ticket to the Smurfs movie. Or, better yet, buy five raffle tickets for $20. Each $50 purchase receives an entry for a special drawing for four round-trip Southwest Airlines tickets.
CASA Playhouse up for bid
If you’re more competitive, you might want to take part in the auction for an adorable little cottage with a nautical theme online. Bidding will commence Friday, August 5, and finish up at 3 p.m. on Sunday, August 21. The bidding will start at $2,500.
In addition to making your fav youngster more-than-happy, you would be part of the effort to help abused and neglected children in the area.
“Parade of Playhouses helps us to spread the word about the 2,000 abused and neglected children who right now can’t go home because it isn’t safe,” said Dallas CASA Executive Director Beverly Levy. “By buying a raffle ticket for one of these playhouses, you also are giving abused children the chance to find real, safe homes where they can thrive.”
The creative meter has been in overdrive to provide a truly remarkable parade this year thanks to the following Playhouse Builders:
- Julian Alva, Young Architects Forum (YAF) competition winner with Steven Hild Custom Builder
- Behringer Harvard with Michael Malone Architects and FBE Construction LTD.
- Bob Borson with Buford Builders
- Briggs-Freeman Sotheby’s International with Bernbaum Magadini Architects and Howard Gorman
- Butscher Construction
- Comprehensive Construction
- Dallas CASA Children’s Council with Bernbaum Magadini Architects and Waterford Construction
- Dallas Mavericks with Signgraphx
- Drew Schindler, Eagle Scout Project
- Dan Fletcher, YAF competition winner with AUI Contractors
- Graham Residential
- LRO Residential
- Natalie and Brian Crawford, YAF competition winner with AUI Contractors
- ORIX with Michael Malone Architects and Structure Tone Southwest
- Chris Owens, YAF competition winner with AUI Contractors
- Pioneer Natural Resources with David Verrett/Backyard Mansions
- Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association—Local 11 and Southwest Airlines
- Sewell Automotive Companies with Spring Valley Construction Company
- Winstead PC with Erin Nicole Parisi
And let’s not forget the companies and individuals who are footing the bill for this amazing project. They include:
- $30,000 Presenting—ORIX USA Corporation
- $20,000 Palace—Jim and Angela Thompson Foundation
- $10,000 Castle—NorthPark Center, Fran and Mark Berg, IKON Legal Document Services and Pioneer Natural Resources
- $5,000 Mansion—Charles Schwab, The Home Depot and Kappa Alpha Theta Alumni
- $2,500 Chateau—Kona Grill, People Newspapers, Southwest Construction Services and Sunbelt Rentals
- $1,000 Villa—Heather and Kevin Bonfield, Bookmarks—A Dallas Public Library, Cornerstone Mortgage/Gina Jackson, Ebby Halliday, Realtors, Merrill Lynch—Bradshaw Group, Jennifer Miller/Dave Perry-Miller & Associates, Carolyn and Denton Newham, QuickSilver Interactive Group and Southwest Airlines
{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
Whoo to the hoo! Hope everyone enjoys the playhouses! They are fabulous this year.