The Up and Away Chalet, one of the custom-built playhouses that will be raffled off at the end of April as part of Henrico CASA’s Home for Good fundraiser this month (Photo by Emily Gusti)
The Henrico Court Appointed Special Advocates program hosts its annual Home for Good fundraising and awareness event during April, Child Abuse Prevention Month, “to unify RVA around the belief that every child deserves a safe home,” says Kristin Blalock, CASA’s community engagement coordinator. For the fourth year, CASA has partnered with local builders to create seven original, one-of-a-kind playhouses, which will be displayed at two Henrico locations April 12-28 and raffled off at the end of the month.
“Playhouses are a visual reminder of a carefree childhood, without abuse or neglect,” Blalock says. “The 2024 playhouses are being designed around the theme ‘Change a Child’s Story’ to drive home the impact of CASA’s work on behalf of vulnerable children. While we can’t change the past for children who have experienced abuse and neglect, we can ensure that this is not how the children’s stories end.”
CASA partners trained volunteers with abused and neglected children to provide support and advocacy. Molly Anderson was a volunteer advocate for five years. “Henrico CASA trains volunteers every year to represent the children on a volunteer basis,” she explains. “Each staff person is assigned a group of volunteers to support by being available for questions and advice and by reviewing reports before they are submitted to the court. … Of all the volunteer jobs I have had in my 65 years, being a CASA was the most challenging and far and away the most rewarding.”
In addition to volunteering, Anderson won a playhouse for her granddaughter in a past Home for Good fundraiser. “Our granddaughter loves ‘her house’ and spends time climbing into the loft, using chalk on the walls painted with blackboard paint and opening the ledge to the outside,” she says.
The seven current playhouses have storybook themes: Alice’s Wonderland Cabin, Brown Bear’s Cave, Caterpillar Café, Goodnight Moon’s Green Room (complete with a mock fireplace and Murphy Bed), Rapunzel’s Tower, The Magic Treehouse, and the Up and Away Chalet. “The final stories chosen represent beloved stories that have strong visual components that will be recognizable by both children and adults,” Blalock says.
Urban Core Construction’s Up and Away Chalet was inspired by the Walt Disney movie “Up.” Employees enlisted their children’s help in the design process and encouraged them to assess the playhouse design and test its interactive features. One child helped by building a model “Up” house out of Lego bricks.
Brooks Ballance, vice president of W.M. Jordan Company, has participated in Home for Good for three years. This year the company built Alice’s Wonderland Cabin, an A-frame playhouse with a Queen of Hearts design, rose garden motifs and chessboard-patterned flooring. Ballance says, “It’s been really fun to watch, because each year the program has really grown with designers and vendors seeking us out to participate with us.”
“[Home for Good] has been embraced by the community and turned into a fruitful collaboration with the local construction industry,” Blalock says. “The success has been an encouragement to us; it shows us that together we can ensure every single child has a safe, healthy home.”
Designed and built by Henrico’s Career and Technical Education students, The Magic Treehouse entry will be displayed at the Libbie Mill Library. The other six houses will be showcased at Short Pump Town Center April 12-28. Donations support Henrico CASA and serve as raffle tickets; a drawing to award the playhouses will take place April 29.
