The structure will cost tens of millions of dollars in public and private funding. It is hoped to be inaugurated in 2027.
Clark County officials announced on Monday a fundraising campaign to build a permanent monument in honor of the victims of the October 1 shooting, seven years after the Las Vegas Strip became the site of the largest mass shooting in US history.
Authorities hope to raise tens of millions of dollars needed over the next three years, with the goal of inaugurating the monument ten years after the shooting. The non-profit organization leading the fundraising – Vegas Strong Fund, which was formed after the shooting to support the victims – will seek state and federal grants as well as donations from the public.
“The community was the one affected, and I believe showing that they were involved in building this permanent monument is very important for the authenticity and integrity of the project,” said Jan Jones Blackhurst, former mayor of Las Vegas who now serves as chair of the Vegas Strong board of directors.
The fundraising campaign is the latest step in the city’s efforts to commemorate the victims of the October 1 shooting, which resulted in 60 deaths and over 850 injuries. The design of the monument was approved last year by a county committee overseeing the project’s development. A website for the monument was also launched on Monday, linking to a donation page.
The monument – called Forever One Memorial – will be erected right next to the Las Vegas Strip, where the shooting took place. It will take the shape of an infinity symbol and include a 58-foot tall “Tower of Light” made of glass – symbolizing the initial 58 deceased – and a circular camera called “Surround” containing 22,000 points of light, the same number of attendees at the Route 91 Harvest Music Festival concert where the shooting occurred.
The exact cost of the monument is unknown, but officials will need much more than what has already been donated.
In an interview with The Nevada Independent, Jones Blackhurst explained that officials researched monuments built to honor victims of other mass shootings and found that some had faced obstacles. For example, one honoring the victims of the 2016 Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando has encountered years of delays and will be much smaller than originally planned.
“That’s why we really felt it was important to set a deadline, how much money we needed to raise, how we were going to get the contributions and try to make sure the remembrance is present on the tenth anniversary,” Jones Blackhurst pointed out.
The monument honoring the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting was also inaugurated 10 years later.
At the Monday event, Karessa Royce, a member of the county memorial committee, shared how she was seriously injured during the shooting.
“As someone who was there that night, I can assure you that memorial monuments are important,” Royce stated. “They signify historical permanence. They ensure that the lives lost are honored and never forgotten, and highlight the unique stories and experiences of survivors, first responders, and the community at large.”