Caring people, hard work and cherished memories make a house a home.  And it helps if the house is in a welcoming community. So the dollhouse the Community Center is about to raffle off might be called a doll home.

Capers owner Stacy Laird gave the Center the 31-inch-tall, 22-inch-wide and 45-inch-long structure. It had belonged to her aunt, Biddeford resident Pat Kearney. Laird inherited it about 10 years ago.

Last winter, she offered it as a possible way to raise funds for the Center. Laird said she thought her aunt would be happy to have somebody love the dollhouse again.

“I wanted to make some sort of contribution to the Center,” Laird explained. “But I didn’t realize it would be such a great experience for everyone there.”

Laird is referring to the extensive work done on it since it arrived in January.

Headed by Penny Donovan, volunteers made an urban renewal project of it, carefully remodeling the old house into a stunning three-floor example of gentrification. No detail was overlooked by Donovan’s discerning eye.

Donovan approached the project with a plan and first up was the flooring. “There was no real flooring,” she explained. So a floating floor that looks like hardwood was made. Painting the house was the next step and the consensus among Center patrons was to pick a color close to the original. Center visitors were drawn to the project and began adding to the items Laird had contributed. A crocheted kitchen rug appeared followed by a tiny floor cloth and then a treadle sewing machine and figures representing grandparents.

“People in the community showed a lot of interest,” Donovan said. “They kept track of the progress on the house and would stop by every week to check.” Said Laird, who also stopped by, “It was fun to walk in and see everyone at the Center working on it.”

“This dollhouse project has pulled together everyone at the Community Center. Each person has remembered their childhood and talked about it openly and enthusiastically. Visitors ... have been inspired to share their memories as they’ve looked into the little rooms,” said Margaret Perritt, founding member of the Center’s governance committee.

It turns out dollhouses aren’t just for children. Laird’s aunt didn’t get the house until she was in her 60s. “She was caring for her father and this became her hobby,” Laird explained.

Other adult owners of dollhouses have dropped off so many items, a miniature self-storage facility may soon be in the works.  Southport summer resident Diane Foley was one of these donors. “I have two dollhouses,” she said. “One here and one in Florida.”   

The dollhouse, its turntable it rests on and additional furniture are being offered in the raffle to benefit the Center. “The completed dollhouse will give us an opportunity to raise needed funds for the Center and we appreciate Stacy’s gift and the time and effort that Penny and all of our volunteers and friends have given to making it whole again,” said Perritt.

Raffle tickets for $15 will go on sale Sept. 1. The winner will be selected from 150 tickets at 1 p.m. Oct. 1. For more information, call the Center at 633-9876.