If you were in the Rams Club during the 2010 home opener against Arizona, you might have noticed something that looked out of place, and it wasn’t the elaborate ice sculpture at the front of the buffet. A five-foot tall, fiberglass butterfly was situated at the back of the Club for fans to admire before it went into “hibernation” for the winter.
The Rams butterfly is part of Wings in the City, a citywide art project sponsored by Wings, BJC’s Pediatric Hospice and Palliative Care program. Wings in the City provides the opportunity for BJC Hospice to gain more visibility in the St. Louis community and raise funds for programs within the pediatric hospice, including its new Jennifer and Jim Koman Expressive Therapy Program.
Local artists, in partnership with a sponsoring organization or individual, painted the five-foot tall, four-foot wide fiberglass butterflies. The Rams are one of the 54 sponsors of Wings in the City, and special projects assistant Margie Baldwin served as the team’s artist and painted the team’s butterfly in a lavish blue and gold design. Several Rams players and head coach Steve Spagnuolo autographed the base of the butterfly, which will be displayed throughout St. Louis in the spring.
All 54 butterflies were unveiled together at a sneak peek event at the World’s Fair Pavilion in Forest Park in October, and after the event the butterflies “hibernated” for the winter. Now that spring is close to arriving, the butterflies are ready to come out of hibernation and will be placed in prominent locations throughout St. Louis City and County from March through May. The Rams butterfly will make its home at Plaza Frontenac, where it will be installed on Tuesday, March 1 and stay until Sunday, May 15. The butterflies will then be auctioned off at a fundraising event on Saturday, May 21.
Wings is a nonprofit organization that provides clinical, emotional and spiritual support care to children who have life-threatening or life-limiting illnesses, even if families cannot pay for the services. Wings is the only program of its kind in the St. Louis area, and since its inception in 1997 its mission has been to minimize fear and maximize joy for families during difficult times.
