Man builds dollhouses to help Southern Maine organizations raise money

By Steve Minich

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    KENNEBUNK, Maine (WMTW) — John Dulude has helped several Southern Maine organizations raise thousands of dollars by building dollhouses.

“These are hardwood floors I do. Each one is an individual stick,” Dulude said as he showed WMTW’s Steve Minich one of his houses.

When he begins building his dollhouses, no detail is too insignificant.

“I just like building them,” Dulude said.

Dulude, a retired insurance company owner, first built the dollhouses decades ago for his daughters. These days, valued at hundreds of dollars, he’s donating his work to help raise money.

“I didn’t want to sell them. I belong to the legion, and I said I want to try a raffle, so we’ve done three there,” Dulude said.

Along with that American Legion post, he’s built and given away dollhouses to churches and other local charities.

With more than a dozen raffled off, thousands have been raised.

Dulude’s latest completion is a nine-room colonial home that will be raffled by Kennebunk American Legion to help fund an annual scholarship. Every ticket has been sold.

Each dollhouse starts as a pre-purchased kit, but rarely does the project end as the directions suggest.

“Basically, the kit is a bunch of plywood that’s stuck together, and then you go with it. You can do just about anything you want,” Dulude said.

He is proud his hobby is helping raise money. At over 80 years old, he says the philanthropy is helping to fuel him to keep building.

“It kept me always having one in the process. I didn’t build a supply of them. It just kind of worked out that I’d give one away and I’d start another one,” Dulude said.

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