This Springfield police officer sparks imagination and hope among girls one gift at a time

As the middle child in a family of nine children, Timara Pflug struggled to imagine a better life for herself while growing up in St. Louis. A lack of finances forced her family to move from house to house and made the future unclear.

But one day she received a gift that had the potential to change things even if it was for a moment. A dollhouse that she and her sisters shared.

“We didn't have a lot but we did have a dollhouse that sparked my imagination. It allowed me to imagine a better life than what I had and how far I could go,” Pflug said. “It's really hard to keep things when you’re moving but I had it at one of our most consistent houses for about two years. It helped me imagine the things I could have.”

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The hope that the dollhouse brought gave Pflug the confidence to do more after her dad was shot and killed when she was 19. She wanted to prevent families from going through the same trauma and the people she saw at school made her believe she could.

"We had a bunch of police officers that we saw on a daily basis and they were always super respectful and people to look up to. They were Black and there was one Black female," Pflug said. "Until then you just didn't see many black female officers, so it sparked something in my mind that made me want to be in that role."

After graduating from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Pflug and her husband moved to Springfield for his job which led her to apply for the Springfield Police Department. She was sworn in as a neighborhood police officer in 2018.

As her work in the 2nd and 3rd Ward on Springfield's east side began, Pflug met young girls with living environments similar to how she grew up which inspired her to buy dollhouses and give them away in underserved communities. 

“I would go inside of the houses and see how these kids live and it just took me back because that’s how I lived,” Pflug said. “ I wanted to give these girls a spark of imagination so they can start imagining a better life for themselves and know that wherever they are in that moment, that's not the only place they can be.”

Pflug worked with the Springfield Police Department and community leaders to support the effort through and in 2020 turned it into a nonprofit called The Dollhouse Project. 

The dollhouses stand over 2 feet tall and have three levels with five rooms that come with furniture, lighting, sounds and accessories.

Pflug said she wants the project to be a resource hub for girls that give them the things they can't afford due to parents who may be struggling from low income, alcohol or drug addiction. She's given away close to 70 dollhouses so far. 

“I think the dollhouse gives them a lot more hope and it can be a way of running away from what they are experiencing. I know a lot of kids in those situations that are going through trauma and the parents might not even know it, but I'm hoping it helps," she said. 

For Kimberly Spradlin the dollhouse did help make a difference for her 4-year-old daughter Isabelle. She said Isabelle had been asking for one for a long time but it wasn't something she could afford until she learned of Officer Pflug. 

"I was in between jobs so I couldn't afford one at that time. She was really excited when she opened it and it’s in her room where she plays with it two or three times a day. If she's not outside, she’s in her room playing with that dollhouse."

Spradlin said the dollhouse also helped improve Isabelle's behavior toward her sister. Imaginative play boosts the development of problem-solving and self-regulation skills, according to Therapyfocus.org.

"She's more caring. Before she would pick on her sister a lot," Spradlin said. " Now that she plays house and with the dollhouse she’s not so mean."

While Pflug runs the Dollhouse Project on her own, she has hopes to expand to a team of women to mentor and provide for girls. She said community donations for the dollhouses and support are what the project's future depend on.

“I want the dollhouse to be a resource hub for girls so that's why I'm trying to partner with as many people as I can,” she said. “I also want to be able to inspire girls myself and help them see that there's a better life than what they're living in real time, not just in a dollhouse.”

Pflug will host a ‘Paint and Acquaint’ event on Saturday, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Venue 129, 711 S. Fifth St. Girls of all ages are invited to meet and hear stories by local influential women who come from diverse backgrounds. 

“Women in leadership roles will tell their stories about how they got from where they were to where they are now so the girls can see these women and know they've come from their positions as well,” she said. 

Paint supplies will be provided by the Springfield Police Department and refreshments will be available.  For more information about The Dollhouse Project visit www.thedollhouseprojectil.com/