Playhouse Raffle To Support Children In Crisis Launches At Fair Oaks Mall

FAIRFAX, VA— Against the backdrop of a brightly painted playhouse and the bustling entrance of Fair Oaks Mall, Fairfax Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) launched its inaugural "Little Houses, Big Dreams" campaign Wednesday morning.

The event, marking the start of Child Abuse Prevention Month, features a custom-built playhouse currently up for raffle. For the nonprofit, which advocates for abused and neglected children within the court system, the miniature home represents a much larger mission.

"The playhouse behind me is more than just a playhouse," said Darcy Hubbard, executive director of Fairfax CASA, during a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Wednesday morning outside Fair Oaks Mall."It is a powerful symbol of our vision: a future where every child we serve has a safe, loving, and stable home."

The campaign comes at a critical time for the organization. Hubbard noted that while the agency typically sees about 100 new cases annually, the three-year period following the pandemic saw a surge of nearly 600 new children referred by the courts.

"We just about doubled what we were seeing," Hubbard said, attributing the spike to the long-term effects of the pandemic on mental health, substance abuse, and domestic violence. "The children and families that we serve that are not wealthy, that are without resources, suffered the most and continue to suffer."

The playhouse was a "labor of love" donated and constructed by volunteers from HITT Contracting. The company also served as a founding sponsor with a $20,000 donation. Other local supporters included the Plein Family Foundation, Hamel Builders, AEG, and Fair Oaks Mall.

"As a company rooted in Northern Virginia, we feel a deep connection to the families and children in our community," said Kim Roy, CEO of HITT Contracting. "Partnering with Fairfax CASA through the HITT Contracting Foundation is one way we can give back and help create a safe, healthy environment for our youngest residents."

Despite logistical hurdles — including the house being slightly too large to fit through the mall's interior doors — the structure now sits prominently between the lower level entrances of Dick's Sporting Goods and the Children's Museum Science Lab outside the mall.

Hubbard emphasized that the funds raised through the $20 raffle tickets will support the 172 volunteers who currently advocate for 404 children in the community. These volunteers often serve as the only constant in a child’s life as they navigate a chaotic system of rotating social workers, attorneys, and foster homes.

"A completely ordinary person can do this," Hubbard said. "All you have to do is show up for a child. They provide a consistent, reliable adult who never makes a promise they can't keep, but they keep the promises they make."

The "Little Houses, Big Dreams" raffle will run for three weeks. Tickets are $20 and can be purchased on the CASA website.. The winner will receive the playhouse along with all its hand-painted interior furnishings.

"My dream is that some family walks by and on a whim buys a raffle ticket and ends up winning this for $20," Hubbard said. "Every dollar that we can raise through the raffle tickets helps us."