Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, November 30, 1994 TAG: 9411300031
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-5 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: LESLIE TAYLOR STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
The house measures 6 feet by 8 feet and is 9 feet from ground to rooftop. Its exterior is cedar, the interior walls paneled, the floor carpeted.
When employees of Martin Bros. Contractors break from their work expanding the Grand Interiors furniture empire's quarters, they turn their attention to the house. For a week now, playhouse construction has become part of their daily duties.
They work without formal plans - only a piece of scrap paper where John French, superintendent of the Grand construction job, scrawled a rough sketch. It gives workers the freedom to add a porch here, a chimney there.
Today, the house will be hauled from Grand Pavilion across the street to Tanglewood Mall, where it will be displayed with two others of similar size until Dec. 11. At 4 p.m. that day, the houses will be raffled off for a cause workers say was too worthy to turn their backs on.
Last month, the Child Abuse Prevention Council of Roanoke Valley, inspired by a fund-raising project in Northern Virginia, asked contractors to build and donate playhouses for a raffle. Money raised would help the council's community education efforts.
Three contractors complied - Martin Bros., G.J. Hopkins Inc. and Lionberger Construction.
"A good friend on the [council's] board called, and I agreed to do it," said Jed Hammer, Martin Bros. president. "The council is a very worthwhile cause."
Dan Zahn, executive vice president of Lionberger Construction, said it would be hard to estimate the value of the playhouse the company built for the raffle. The house, painted lavender with white trim, has a gable roof with shingles and a finished interior of white walls with pink trim.
"With labor and materials, it would be expensive," Zahn said. "I wouldn't want to know how much it cost. But I know it will make some child or children very, very happy."
The council is developing a puppet show on child abuse prevention to present to schoolchildren, said Shannon Brabham, the council's executive director. Money raised will help fund that project plus other educational efforts - pamphlets, books and videos.
The puppet show "is something in the past we've never been able to do on a regular basis because of the cost of bringing in an outside show," Brabham said. "We'll be able to reach students every year or every other year and get the message across of all types of abuse and neglect."
In fiscal year 1992-93, the most recent data available, there were 1,243 reports of child abuse or child neglect in Roanoke, Salem and Vinton and Roanoke, Botetourt and Craig counties. Of those, 261 were determined to be founded.
The playhouse raffle may raise not only money but public awareness as well, Brabham said.
"If we're out there in a public place raising money, it may remind people of the Roanoke Valley that child abuse is a problem in our area and that perhaps by supporting our fund-raiser, we can bring those numbers down," she said.
Raffle tickets may be purchased at the playhouse display in Tanglewood Mall or by contacting the Child Abuse Prevention Council of Roanoke Valley at 344-3579. Tickets are $2 each, or three for $5.
by CNB