Things are going to get colorful and messy for charity.

Alpha Chi Omega and Pi Kappa Alpha are co-hosting the first annual Paint Wars to benefit a local charity and raise awareness about domestic violence, Friday, Oct. 13.

Thirteen teams will participate in a total of four different mini games. The mini games include tug of war, messy twister, a water balloon fight and a sponge run.

Each team will attempt to protect its own banner while trying to get other teams’ banners as colorful as possible during powder war. The team with the cleanest banner at the end of the paint wars will receive $300 for its own philanthropy.

All of the money raised from Paint Wars will benefit Greenhouse17, a local agency dedicated to ending abuse within close relationships, families and the community. They have a domestic violence shelter for women and children in Lexington, Kentucky.

Greenhouse17 was chosen as the benefit charity because it is the local women’s shelter that Alpha Chi Omega supports in Lexington. Guest speaker Liz Davenport will share at 5 p.m. as the last part of the event. She will discuss her experience with domestic violence and the work she does with the outreach. For more information about this organization, please visit www.greenhouse17.org.

“This is an event that aims to bring several organizations on campus together to support one common cause: domestic violence awareness” Hannah Bradley, Alpha Chi Omega’s vice president of philanthropy, said. “Domestic violence isn’t just something you hear about on the news, it happens to people you love and care about every day.”

Bradley said increasing her awareness has made her realize how lucky she is to have people who love and support her. She said she also realized that not everyone has that same support.

Bradley said Paint Wars and visiting Greenhouse17 are just a few things that Alpha Chi Omega does to spread awareness and “be the voice some people don’t have.”

She said she and her sisters are so excited to host this event for the first time.

“Being a part of something that can be the change for someone else is overwhelming rewarding.”

Paint Wars will be Oct. 13 from 4 to 6 p.m. at the Auxiliary Fields. Registration is closed but people can purchase a $7 ticket to watch the paint wars.