Twelve custom playhouses — including a lighthouse with working lights and windows, a Dutch windmill, a Mars space ship, a rocket, an aquarium, a Dallas Mavericks basketball court, and a replica of a historic home — will be on display at NorthPark Center for more than two weeks starting Friday.
Dallas-based commercial development company KDC is serving as grand marshal at the 27th annual event, which raises funds for Dallas CASA. Daltxrealestate.com is a Villa sponsor of this year’s event.
“Most of the companies that work on the playhouses are accustomed to creating large-scale projects that are very technical and time-intensive,” said Kurt Petersen, executive vice-president of KDC. “The development process can happen over a two-year or longer time frame. But with the playhouses, the reward of the final product is much quicker and allows for more creativity.”
The event is free to the public, and raffle tickets are $5 each or five for $20. The playhouses will be raffled off to ticket-holders. Proceeds go toward Dallas CASA, whose volunteers advocate for abused or neglected children.
The beloved event is a win-win for the community and the agency that advocates for children who have been left behind, explained Dallas CASA president and CEO Kathleen LaValle.
“For so many of us, childhood memories are happy ones, full of imagination, exploring, learning, and loving families,” LaValle said. “But for too many Dallas children, childhood is a time of fear and uncertainty. Dallas CASA wants to restore childhood for these children. We want every child to have a happy childhood and to grow up to reach his or her full potential.”
Playdate
As grand marshal, KDC’s role in the Parade of Playhouses is serving as a matchmaker, connecting designers, builders, and architects as they construct unique playhouses with intricate details. Climbing walls, slides, a basketball hoop, electrical wiring, and running water have been featured in some of the playhouses over the years.
Toby Grove, president of KDC, said the company’s 30 years of experience working with top-notch building professionals in corporate America make it a natural fit to facilitate partnerships for Parade of Playhouses.
“This wonderful partnership produces more opportunities for volunteers in the commercial real estate industry to support the mission of safe, loving homes for children,” Grove said.
In addition to providing support for Dallas CASA, KDC has a long history of supporting nonprofit programs such as Carry the Load, Dallas 24-Hour Club, and Magdalen House.
“KDC believes giving back to the local community is just as important as developing some of the largest facilities in the area,” Petersen said. “We began supporting Dallas CASA in 2013 through the charity golf tournament, followed by joining the Parade of Playhouses project in 2019. Our role with Dallas CASA is a natural fit. We are building houses, just not quite as large as the ones we develop for corporate America. Our work with the playhouses helps raise funds that allow Dallas CASA to recruit, train, and supervise more child advocates to advocate for safe, loving homes for children. Dallas CASA likes to call Parade of Playhouses a “friend-raiser” because as many as one million people view the houses on display at NorthPark Center.”
Dallas CASA
Dallas Court-Appointed Special Advocates serve on behalf of children removed from their homes by Child Protective Services. Many who enter foster care are separated from siblings and overwhelmed by trauma and the uncertainty of not knowing where they’ll go to school, whether they’ll return home, or how long they’ll be in foster care.
CASA’s 1,500 volunteers “step into the in-between space,” said Rosanne Lewis, who handles public relations for Dallas CASA.
This year’s playhouse builders include Andres Construction, Austin Commercial, Balfour Beatty, The Beck Group, Brasfield & Gorrie LLC, Butscher’s Backyard Playhouses, Cherry Coatings, Corgan, Crest Cadillac/INFINITI/Volvo, Dallas Mavericks, DPR Construction, Highland Park High School/MAPS students, Hill & Wilkinson, HKS, JPI Companies, Kimley-Horn, Lee Lewis Construction, LRO Residential, Omniplan, Page Architecture, Stantec, and Woodhaus Inc.
