Las Vegas Shooting Memorial Fundraising Assumed by Nonprofit

Fundraising for Las Vegas shooting memorial is handled by nonprofit organization

A Las Vegas shooting memorial to be built near the site of a deadly massacre at the south end of the Las Vegas Strip six and a half years ago is being pushed forward in partnership with a newly formed nonprofit.

At Tuesday's Clark County Commission meeting, commissioners voted to allocate nearly $140,000 in funds raised for the planning and construction of a memorial to the Oct. 1, 2017 shooting to the Vegas Strong Fund. The nonprofit is led by three directors: Jan Jones Blackhurst, Punam Mathur and Virginia Valentine.

The County Commission in September approved the design of a permanent memorial to honor the 58 victims who died that day while attending the Route 91 Harvest Music Festival in Las Vegas Village across from Mandalay Bay.

More than 500 people were injured in the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history. Two people later died from their injuries, bringing the official death toll to 60.The gunman killed himself after opening fire from his 32nd-floor suite at Mandalay Bay at an outdoor country music festival across the Las Vegas Strip.

"forever"

Clark County has solicited donations from individuals for monument construction and as of March, the account balance was $143,986.85. Vegas Strong will receive the money.

When county commissioners approved the design in September and hired JCJ Architecture to build the memorial, they dissolved the memorial committee on Oct. 1. Vegas Strong will now be the primary fundraiser for the project.

The memorial will be built on a two-acre site formerly located in Las Vegas Village. MGM Resorts International, which owns the village, reportedly sold another 13 acres to a North Dakota tribe in 2017 for $90 million. MGM donated two acres for the memorial.

The memorial, called "Forever One," will feature 58 "beams," or lit candles, to represent the lives lost that day. The names of all the victims are written on adjacent walls.

"This memorial will be a place for personal reflection, mourning and honoring the memory of those lost," says JCJ's Forever One website. "It will be a place that provides comfort and healing to the community while reminding us of our mission to promote peace, unity and prevent violence. importance."

Timeline blurred

Forever One Monument is expected to cost more than $20 million. Significant funding will need to be raised before JCJ plans to begin construction.

Thanks to the efforts of our October 1st Memorial Committee, we have a beautiful memorial concept that reflects the community’s total commitment,” said Clark County Commissioner Jim Gibson. “The next important step in the process is raising funds funds to build this project, we believe the Vegas Strong Fund is the right non-profit organization to help us create a world-class memorial that represents all those affected by the events of October 1st. "Celebrating the resilience of our communities."

The Las Vegas Strip Casinos may provide funding for a memorial. Vegas Strong's directors have strong ties to the gaming industry.

Blackhurst, a former mayor of Las Vegas, has served on the Caesars Entertainment board of directors since October 2019. Mathur is executive director of the Elaine P. Wynn & Family Foundation and previously worked at MGM Mirage (now MGM Resorts) for 13 years. Serves as senior vice president of corporate community affairs.

Valentine is president and CEO of the Nevada Resort Association.