By Paul Sims

Like most proud parents, my wife Laura and I dream of a long, happy and healthy life for our daughters Sarah and Maggie. We certainly focus on giving them the tools and experiences they’ll need to grow up right, go to college, get a rewarding job, and one day buy their own homes. So imagine our overflowing pride when big sister Sarah became a homeowner this month at the age of 3 ½, the very same week she started preschool.

She won the house at the July 4th parade. With a single five-dollar raffle ticket, bought for a wide-eyed little girl watching the playhouse float down Mt. Vernon, Sarah Sims is learning firsthand the joys of homeownership. Equally important, she’s learning what it means to give back to the community.

That’s a lesson she is learning from Chris Troxel of Dunwoody Renovators, the local construction firm that built the playhouse to raise money for the Dunwoody Homeowners Association. It’s the first of many playhouses Dunwoody Renovators plans to build, as part of an annual program to support worthy causes across Dunwoody. Chris presented the DHA with a $1600 check at its October 2 Board meeting.

“There are so many great people and organizations throughout Dunwoody, this is one way we can give back to a community that has been so good to me and my family for years,” said Chris Troxel, as he and his team from Dunwoody Renovators put the finishing touches on Sarah’s new place a couple of weeks ago. “We plan to build a playhouse every year to raise as much money as we can for a local organization, charity, or maybe a well deserved scholarship.” We only hope Chris and his team encounter simpler playhouse deliveries in the coming years. Our sloping backyard proved to be quite the challenge and even caused an injury or two, but in the end provided a special spot for a special house.

Back on July 4th, Chris could have slapped a promotional magnet on his company truck and joined the parade route through his beloved Dunwoody. Instead, he and his team did what they do best; what they’ve been doing here for more than twenty years. They built a house; this time with lumber donated by Williams Brothers, paint from Ace Hardware, and the refreshing community spirit found in a man who has clearly discovered his calling – following in his father’s footsteps in construction.

Chris has not only built the cutest playhouse we’ve ever seen, he has given a gift that keeps on giving by fostering the imagination and laughter that flourishes every time Sarah and her friends step inside.

His generosity has made an important and lasting impression on a little girl who forgets nothing and who has offered Mr. Troxel an open invitation to the next tea party at Sarah’s house.