RSVP Calendar: 17th Annual Parade of Playhouses

Dallas CASA’s 17th annual Parade of Playhouses at NorthPark Center, presented by the ORIX Foundation, kicks off Aug. 3 and will feature as many as 17 imaginative children’s playhouses available for raffle to benefit Dallas CASA. Dallas CASA is an organization of volunteers who are voices for abused and neglected children in court. Parade of Playhouses, which runs Aug. 3-19, raises funds so that Dallas CASA can provide more volunteer advocates to help connect abused children to safe, permanent homes.

This year’s playhouses will include a lighthouse, an urban chicken coop which will come with an art piece by a local artist, an airplane hangar and even a baseball dugout complete with memorabilia graciously contributed by the Texas Rangers organization.

Visitors to NorthPark will have the chance to purchase raffle tickets to win one of the creative and fun houses designed and constructed by local architects, designers, corporations and organizations. Raffle tickets are $5 each or five for $20 and may be purchased at the event ticket tables at NorthPark.

If you can’t make it to NorthPark, you can purchase raffle tickets online at dallascasa.org. One very special playhouse will be auctioned online to raise additional funds. Bids for this house also may be made at dallascasa.org. The drawing to announce the playhouse winners will take place during the closing ceremony at NorthPark at 4 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 19. Winners do not need to be present to win.

Playhouses will be created by businesses such as Southwest Airlines, Ambit Energy, Sewell Automotive, and many others. As Dallas CASA’s signature event, Parade of Playhouses is designed to raise awareness about the plight of abused children in our community who desperately need help and a reason to hope. Every child has the right to be safe. Sadly, on any day in Dallas County, nearly 2,000 children who have been removed from their homes because of abuse or neglect are living in foster care waiting for the courts to decide where they may safely live. CASA volunteers gather information and make recommendations that help judges decide what is best for each child. For many children a CASA volunteer is the one constant during a frightening, uncertain time.

Because there aren’t enough volunteers, Dallas CASA currently serves only two out of five abused children in protective care in Dallas County. More volunteers are needed to ensure that every abused child has a caring advocate looking out for their best interests. CASA advocates will be on-hand during the Parade of the Playhouses to provide information about how to help.