As she did in 1999, in the wake of Columbine, Aurora resident Nancy Cronk is making and distributing ribbons of remembrance.
“It’s a small gesture, but one made of love,” she says of the black ribbons she started making right after news of the broke. They are similar in shape to the colored ribbons worn to promote awareness of issues ranging from AIDS to child abuse prevention.
Cronk, a recruiter for the Center for Progressive Leadership and a member of the Cunningham Fire Protection District board, handed out 800 of them at the prayer vigil held Sunday at the Aurora municipal complex and another 400 at a memorial service for one of those killed.
On Wednesday night, she hosted a ribbon-making party at Dora’s Mexican Restaurant where volunteers crafted hundreds more to hand out as they see fit.
She is adamant that no recipient will be charged, and that those who help make them either pay for the supplies themselves or get them donated. “They are never to be sold,” Cronk sats.
For those who feel compelled to give something in return, Cronk encourages a donation to the Aurora Victims Relief Fund at .
The ribbons are both inexpensive and simple to make, involving nothing more than a six- or seven-inch length of ribbon that is secured with a safety pin. Cronk said it cost less than $30 to make her initial batch of 1,000.
Joanne Davidson: 303-809-1314, jdavidson@denverpost.com or twitter.com/getitwrite
