It’s like a dream come true for little girls and doll collectors of all ages.

With the success of last year’s Dress-a-Doll fundraiser benefiting The Blind Center in Washington, organizers decided to host the event again.

“This is our second-annual doll event,” said Deborah Waters, the center’s assistant director. “We give plain, white muslin dolls to anybody who wants to dress them, in good taste. … The completed dolls are then returned to us and sold in our gift shop.”

The fabric foundations for the dolls were donated to the center several years ago by Caron International, then associated with National Spinning. The center’s blind and visually impaired clients, assisted by sighted volunteers, stuff the dolls with batting in preparation for the fundraiser.

The deadline to donate a doll was Friday, Waters said. Early arrivals included a bride-and-groom couple, Mammy from “Gone With The Wind” fame, a female hobo and a cowgirl and her horse. That horse is perhaps the most unusual doll donated this year, Waters added.

The one-of-a-kind dolls will be judged on originality, workmanship and overall appeal, with first-, second- and third-prize ribbons awarded.

This year’s dolls will make their official public debut Saturday during The Blind Center’s annual Rocking Chair Rock-a-Thon and Area Craft Show, scheduled to run from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The dolls will be sold at that time, and those remaining after the event will be available for purchase in the center’s gift shop, which is open Mondays through Thursdays, according to Waters.

For more information about the Dress-a-Doll fundraiser and other events at The Blind Center, call 252-946-6208 or send email to theblindcenter@aol.com.