St. Charles Girl Wins Ridonkulous 'American Girl' Playhouse
By Jacy Wojcik in News on Aug 15, 2008 8:52PM
Vanessa French of St. Charles has won the next best thing to actually living in American Girl Place - a ridiculous playhouse the size of many Chicago studio apartments. For several months, a replica of American Girl Kit Kitteredge's home ("Kit's Home On Abbot Place") was on display at the John Hancock Center and fans could purchase raffle tickets to win the house. The French family spent $20 on tickets and out of the 3,500 tickets sold, 2 year-old Vanessa's name was chosen. Raffle proceeds supported Project Playhouse, an event conducted by Home Aid that raises money to build homes for local homeless families. The 15-years-ago me would have been so jealous. Present day me would be annoyed at having to special order a semi-truck, operate a forklift and build a foundation for this 7,000-pound prize to be functional. Ah, the things parents do for their child's American Girl needs...[S-T]