Crown Center event aims to boost awareness of kids in need
Workers assemble the Movie Theater playhouse in advance of CASA for Kids of Washington County’s event that starts Monday at Washington Crown Center. Four playhouses (the other three are shown above) will be raffled off to raise money to help abused and neglected children.
Birdhouse
Cottage
Lantern
A weeklong event at Washington Crown Center was not inspired by the tiny house movement that is sweeping America. Children in need are the impetus behind it.
“This is not a fundraiser. We want to raise awareness about child abuse and about CASA,” said Shannon Moore, advocate supervisor for CASA for Kids of Washington County, a nonprofit that advocates for abused and neglected children.
“There is a need for CASA volunteers. We have a lot of dependent children because of the drug activity in this county. They need a voice.”
Showcase of Playhouses will begin Monday and run through April 30 at the mall in North Franklin Township. Four children’s playhouses, all with different themes built by different local contractors, will be on display during Crown Center hours. They will be raffled around 3 p.m. the final day; a ticket costs $5. The event otherwise will be free.
And these houses would fit easily inside the tiny homes that are attracting consumers seeking a simpler, more frugal lifestyle. These playhouses, at a maximum, are 8 feet high, 7-6 wide and 8-6 long. They are valued up to 5,000.
A Washington firm, Rosewood Custom Homes and Design Inc., built the Lantern. The others that will be on display for seven days are: the Cottage (Mosites Construction): the Movie Theater (Volpatt Construction): and the Birdhouse (Intense Remodeling, with the roof done by Sam Morgan Roofing).
Any child who visits the mall Monday through Thursday may vote on their favorite. A bow will be placed on the winning playhouse, and the winning builder will be honored. But, again, all four will be raffled.
CASA has more than 900 offices nationwide, including the Washington location at 30 E. Beau St., Suite 421. This will be the local CASA’s first Showcase of Playhouses, an event that, Moore said, is modeled after the successful Showcases the Dallas office has run for more than 25 years.
She said she initially contacted Dean Mosites, of Mosites Construction, about building the playhouses. “He said the only problem is there isn’t time to architectural drawings.”
So Moore called Bob Borson, a Dallas-based architect, who designed all of them. Then the four builders came through.
The showcase will wrap up April 30 with a noon to 3 p.m. event featuring giveaways, a disc jockey and the raffles.
Tickets may be purchased at Stone House Vintage Market and Krency’s, both on East Maiden Street, through April 29, and on the final day at the mall until 2:15 p.m.