Katelin Martin, 14, of Masury, was the winner of The Arc of Mercer County Foundation's Victorian dollhouse raffle at the Mercer County Home Show on March 16.

Robert R. Beach, chief executive officer of The Arc of Mercer County, and Karen Gray, director, presented the house's miniature keys to Katelin on March 17.

Because he wanted to surprise his daughter with the news of her prize, Katelin's father, John, asked her to accompany him on an errand after school.

That errand brought them to the MCAR facilities in Hermitage. It was only after they arrived in Ms. Gray's office that Katelin finally realize she won the dollhouse.

Martin told Ms. Gray his daughter had always wanted a dollhouse. He said Katelin, who designs and makes her own clothes, wanted a project like a dollhouse to showcase her creative talents.

Previously they had built a dollhouse from a purchased kit and had tried to renovate a used dollhouse, but neither results were very satisfactory.

Carpenter's Union Local 268 built the dollhouse with materials donated by Mercer County Builders and Construction Trades Council, then gave it to the foundation for its fund-raiser.