Butterfly Wings Mural To Be Painted In Old Town Alexandria

ALEXANDRIA, VA—Ever seen those butterfly wings murals that you can pose with for photo opps? Alexandria is getting one of those—and it will benefit charity.

The Butterfly Effect, a public art and philanthropy project created by artist Tasha Wahl, will be painted in Alexandria on Saturday, June 29. Alexandria residents will pitch in to paint the mural, located on the side of the Bloomers store at 924 King Street. The painting will be held from 8 a.m.-2 p.m. and a program at 10:30 a.m.

Through Sept. 8, anyone can take a picture with the butterfly wings and choose a charity for the project to give a donation to. The choices will include nearly 250 local and national nonprofits. Funding for the donations is being provided by Wahl and an anonymous donor through ACT for Alexandria.

The Butterfly Effect concept is modeled after the theory that a small flutter of wings can create a chain reaction that spurs major change. Vice Mayor Elizabeth Bennett-Parker spearheaded the effort to bring the Butterfly Effect to Alexandria. She applied for the opportunity to bring a mural to Alexandria and was selected earlier this year. The mural will be customized with the phrase "Be the Change You Want to See in the World"—also in Spanish and Arabic—as well as the hashtag #InclusiveALX.

"I’m excited to bring the Butterfly Effect to Alexandria because it will build community, promote vibrancy on upper King Street, and highlight nonprofits in a fun, interactive way," said Bennett-Parker in a statement. "I’m thankful to Tasha Wahl for her vision in starting this global project and for choosing Alexandria; to Asana and Bloomer’s for providing the space for the mural; and to the members of the community who will bring it to life."

Here's how it works:

1. Take a photo with the mural at Bloomers, 924 King Street.

2. Choose a charity from the list at www.bit.ly/alxbutterflyeffect.

3. Email your picture to alxbutterflyeffect@gmail.com with the name of your charity in the subject line or text 202-681-7594 with the picture and name of your charity.

4. The charity with the most people choosing it will receive an extra $500 donation. To enter the charity, post your photo on social media with the charity name and tag @elizabethforalx with the hashtags #inclusiveALX and #butterflyeffect.

Find out more about the Butterfly Effect in Alexandria here.