The construction of the permanent 7/20 memorial, honoring 13 lives taken, 70 wounded and countless lives that were forever changed was officially dedicated on July 27, 2018. IT would not have been possible without the love and support that surrounded us every step of the way. Asentiate”. The artwork among serene natural surroundings honors our loved ones and pays tribute to the strength and resilience of survivors, first responsders and our community. This will forever be a space for all visitors to find Peace, Hope, and Strength. We were honored to share the moment with loved ones, families, friends, survivors and our community to pay tribute to the Common Unity that has made it all possible. At the dedication, the board was honored with recognition in the Congressional Record for their work on the memorial

Before the ceremony, a private survivor connection was held in partnership with The Rebel’s Project. In attendance were survivors from Accent Signage ,Cedarville Rancheria ,Columbine High School, Drink Night Club, Fergus High School,,t. Lauderdale Airport, ,Heath High School, Las Vegas Route 91, Marjory Stoneman Douglas, Northern Illinois University, San Bernadino, Virginia Tech , and Washington Navy Yard. Dignitaries from San Bernadino presented the board with their City flag in recognition of the support and outreach the foundation and Aurora Community has given them after their tragedy. It was truly an honor.

History of the art piece: In 2012, A makeshift memorial was set up across from the theater and many people visited to reflect and remember. The space would only be available temporarily because of planned construction in the area, and the need for a permanent memorial became important to pursue.Thanks to all of your generous donations, on Auguast 26, 2017 at our annual “Reflection Garden on Tap” benefit, we were thrilled to introduce Douwe Blumberg , the artist chosen to create the 7/20 memorial . It was heartwarming to experience the expressions, hugs and tears of the crowd as they listened to his thought process in creating the piece titled “Ascentiate”. Douwe’s interview on NPR’s affiliate Colorado Matters sums up his passion, compassion and vision to grace the beautiful Reflection Garden with 83 magnificent cranes. He was inspired by the “1000 Cranes for Aurora” sent to Aurora in 2012 from a Community in O’Fallen Missouri. There are 83 cranes representing the victims and survivors of July 20th, 2012. The 13 cranes in the center of this piece will are translucent to honor those whose lives were taken. This piece also represents the Community and all affected as each of the cranes contain a canister filled with tokens of remembrance from survivors, first responders, community members, and loved ones .