On July 14, 2023, the Dallas CASA Parade of Playhouses will return to NorthPark Center for its 28th event. It’s their largest fundraiser of the year and it might just be the most fun, too.
Every year, businesses, individuals, couples, and families get together and build a themed, dream playhouse and they are spectacular. For 17 days — July 14 through 30 — they’ll be on display at NorthPark Center. Stop by, walk the hallways, and find your favorites. Then purchase raffle tickets for $5 each and place them in the box of the playhouse you need the most. If you can’t make it to NorthPark, don’t worry, there’s a chance to view the playhouses and enter the raffle online.
Playhouses That Pop
In the past some of the absolute showstoppers like a Space X-themed capsule from event sponsor, Crest Auto Group, Dallas Mavs Mascot Headquarters from DPR Construction and the Dallas Mavericks, Mini Horse Stable from Butscher’s Backyard Playhouses, Harvest House from Balfour Beatty, Kimley-Horn and Harmon Inc. and so many more. You can view last year’s playhouses here and stay tuned for the next generation, too.
Okay, I just gotta keep going because these are so freaking cool – last year there was a miniature car wash from Rogers-O’Brien Construction and RS&H, inc., a Skybox from Duda Paine Architects and Holder Construction and Dallas CASA Adventure Truck from Baker Triangle and HKS Architects.
Seriously the hardest part of this whole event is deciding where to toss your raffle tickets. The obvious solution is buying enough tickets to enter to win them all.
Giving Children a Voice
If you’re not familiar with Dallas CASA, here’s a quick history lesson because it’s a pretty extraordinary organization. The basics – the CASA in Dallas CASA stands for Court Appointed Special Advocates. It’s a volunteer organization where each volunteer advocates on behalf of a minor in the child welfare system.
“CASA was founded in 1977 when a Seattle superior court judge, amidst an overwhelmed child welfare system, grew concerned about making decisions on behalf of abused and neglected children in his court without enough information. He felt that more individualized attention and time for gathering important facts would produce better outcomes for the children. He decided to appoint community volunteers to work on behalf of the children in his court.”
In 1979, CASA came to Dallas. It was then called FOCAS (Foster Child Advocate Services) and was founded by the National Council of Jewish Women. The first class of volunteers graduated in 1980. Since then, thousands of volunteers have advocated on behalf of local children, “helping these children gain safe, permanent homes as quickly as possible.”
In 2022, 1,324 volunteers in Dallas helped 2,611 children in protective care. If you’d like to become a volunteer, here’s a link to get started.
